Frost gardener (SciiFii)

The frost gardener (Fermaichthys glacies) is a species of cichlid that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the world's lakes, rivers, and man-made waterways to help boost biodiversity. The frost gardener is a eusocial herbivorous fish that cultivates bubbletip algae (Lacualga bullapraefigo) into its own food source which it tends and harvests. The frost gardeners need a hard, clean surface to begin cultivation, and plenty of sunlight. The frost gardener workers are usually around 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) long, while the royals are 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) on average. The frost gardener has an exceptional tolerance to chlorine and poorly oxygenated waters, and some colonies are found in bathhouses and even outdoor pools. The frost gardener colonies construct their own cave systems by gathering rocks or any other kind of debris they can find, and a large colony may work together to bring back sizeable rocks to the nest. If there's nothing available to construct a nest with, they may dig tunnels in the substrates, strengthening the walls with mucus on their bodies. The nest contains several chambers with different functions, and a large nest may be quite complex. The brooding chamber contains the workers who mouthbrood the young and won't eat until they hatch. The hatched fry are kept in the nursery chamber, and are feed and cleaned by the workers. The fry grow very quickly and soon start to assist with cleaning and repairing the inside of the nest. The silo chamber contains the food that are stored, primarily the bubbletip algae's spore sacs. The sewage chamber is used by the workers, and the fish's faeces are used to fertilize the bubbletip algae when needed. This chamber is often positioned some distance away from the rest of the nest. The royal chamber consists of the single royal pair that lives there, being tended by the workers. The royals leave the chamber to patrol other areas of the nest daily, often with many workers in tow. They do this to remind the rest of the colony that they are still alive and well. The royals won't move outside the nest, unless the nest is destroyed or highly disturbed. A large colony may contain up to 200-500 individuals, but usually they number 50-150 individuals. When the colony start to get overcrowded, some of the workers may leave the nest in order to find a mate. If successful, they will turn into royals themselves and start a new colony. If the current water source is too small, however, these workers may jump out of the water to any available higher water sources just an inch or two away, for the water to be flooded in with more water, or they seek out humans and/or other sapient species in order to get moved to a new area, eagerly swimming into hands, nets, or even buckets. Each frost gardener colony contains a single royal pair, which are the parents of all the workers found in the nest. Their bright colors and constant threat displays keeps the workers in check, and prevents them from turning into royals themselves. The frost gardener is a mouthbrooder, and certain workers are responsible for brooding the eggs of the royal pair. The royal pairs breed continuously, and the royal pair must tend to the first generations of workers themselves. They either disperse into new areas naturally through rivers, streams, and flooding, or by having humans and/or other sapient species collect the frost gardeners to move into new locations. The frost gardener workers live only around 8 months or 1 year, while the royals live to be over 5 years. The conservation status of the frost gardener is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the frost gardener's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii