retic pups update

I have in the past posted photos of retic pups i had bred and to my dismay on each occassion i managed to get the pups to seven weeks old before losing them .This happened on two occasions .The latest pair i got to 3 months old and to my horror lost one.The pups are housed in a large tank connected to the main adult tank.The surviving pup was moved into the adult tank where it is thriving and is now over 4 months old.The adullt female has since given birth to one pup which to my surprise is as big as the pup which is 4 months old . I have left the new pup in with the parents and both pups are well.The pups have been bigger when born on each occasion ,the first pups being small.and i never felt confident that they were feeding.The latest pups being slightly bigger and having a clean culture of grindle worm to feed them appears to suit them and they can be seen feeding and growing on .I also put in small amounts of powdered high protein vitamin rich food.The water quality is checked daily the ph is under seven and the water is kept soft at 100mcs.The water is boosted with mineral water to add more substance to the water,i have stopped adding salts to add minerals.The water is an ro hma mix with added mineral water.If the ph drops i use a bit of bicarb.I find having a ph meter and conductivity meter invaluable and these are the german BISCHOF type and are very acurate,unlike my original meters which might have contributed to my problems .So now i hope the pups will continue to do well and i will slowly try them on some more varied food ,however i never take things for granted.I have over 50 fishtanks and have kept fish for years but breeding the retics has had its ups and downs.

Updated with pictures as requested. Have any members who have bred retics got any constructive advice.