Babies

When I started Little Pond in the North, I knew I wanted to create a small living world — not just a glass box with water, plants, and animals, but a real little ecosystem. Still, I never expected things to start happening this quickly.

The aquarium has now been running for a little more than a week, and I already have babies.

Four of them.

Two tiny snails and two little Endlers.

For me, this is one of the most rewarding parts of keeping an aquarium. You create the environment, you try to get everything right, you choose the plants, the animals, the lighting, the water conditions — and then nature gives you a little surprise. Something new appears. Something is born.

It is a special feeling to look into the aquarium and suddenly notice something that was not there before.

A tiny life.

The first mystery was the baby snail. I noticed this almost unbelievably small creature moving around the aquarium. It was so tiny that even getting a picture of it was a challenge. After some photo enhancement and a lot of discussion with ChatGPT, we tried to figure out exactly which snail it could be.

And the answer?

We are not completely sure.

And actually, I like that.

In the aquarium I have several different snails: rabbit snails, nerite snails, spiny snails and pink posthorn snails. Based on the appearance, the small baby could very well be a pink posthorn snail, but at this size it is still difficult to say for certain.

So only time will tell.

That is part of the excitement — watching it grow day by day and slowly discovering what it will become.

The other wonderful surprise was my Endlers.

When I added them to the aquarium, I suspected that the females might already be pregnant. It seems I was right. Two tiny Endler babies are now swimming around, discovering their new world.

And they are amazing.

Even though they are extremely small, they already behave like real fish. They explore, they hide, they search for food, and somehow they already know exactly what they need to do to survive.

Nature really is incredible.

After just over one week, having four new babies feels like a very good start. For me, it is also a sign that something must be going right. The animals are comfortable enough, the plants are growing, and the aquarium is slowly finding its own balance.

Of course, keeping an aquarium is always a learning process.

My next challenge is a two-week holiday. I have to admit, I am a little nervous about leaving this young aquarium alone. Everything is still new, and these first weeks are important. But at the same time, I believe the little ecosystem is already becoming stronger.

The plants are growing. The animals are active. The babies are surviving.

I think they will be alright.

After the holiday comes probably the riskiest decision I have planned so far.

The bettas.

Right now, the aquarium feels balanced, and sometimes the hardest thing is to not change anything when everything is going well. But I have always wanted bettas, and I still hope to add one male and one female after my holiday.

I know it is not without risk.

Bettas have personalities. Some are peaceful, some are not. Especially in a small aquarium with shrimp and baby fish, choosing the right bettas will be very important.

My goal is to find small, colorful and calm individuals — bettas that will hopefully become part of the community instead of disturbing it.

Will I succeed?

I honestly don’t know.

That is also part of this hobby. You can study, you can plan, you can prepare everything as well as possible — but in the end, every aquarium is different and every animal has its own personality.

For now, I am simply enjoying what has already happened.

A little more than a week ago, this aquarium was just plants, water and a dream.

Now it has new life.

Two baby snails.

Two baby Endlers.

Four tiny surprises.

For Little Pond in the North, I think that is a pretty wonderful beginning.