I'd love to see your pictures if you have time to dig through your archives. I had wondered it it might be a picasso type thing, because the male is Platinum and my understanding is they were bred from picassos. It is frustrating there is not more open information available about how all the designer strains were created. Genetics is so important, and the more I search online the more I realize that information seems to be sorely lacking.I'm glad to hear things turned out ok. You should be able to notice platinums pretty early on. The white color comes in quick and after meta they kinda look like a faded translucent white. Sort of like how the white on the fry look when that first strip is just showing up, only it's the entire body. The picture posted looks like the start of a Picasso type pattern. I'll check if I have any pictures. That first strip is always the quickest to develop and the additional markings take a bit more time as you're seeing, with the exception of a platinum or white which develop early too.
The second hatch was a complete bust, all 8 fry are gone. I found some in the siphon, but I have not seen larvae since yesterday afternoon. I noticed last night we had a spike in nitrite, about 0.1-0.2. I think the mistake I made is I put in Xport Bioblocks (and quite a few 1.5"). We used Xport NO3 cubes in the successful tank. I was not aware of the difference. It could be other things too - I realized immediately that I was already strained with full-time care on one tank, and adding on a second double my testing time, and thus I was not as on top of it. The drip failed 2 days in a row. I never saw a spike in ammonia but was not testing as rigorously. So some painful lessons there.
Question - in the morning now I find the fry in the right bottom of the tank, all huddled together. They do spread out to eat. I find it disconcerting. Is this normal? They are in the full bright area of the tank, and there are shaded areas available, some with more flow, some with less. From what I've observed so far neither flow nor light intensity seems to change it. Do they need some kind of anemone replacement to feel secure in? My confidence is shaken and I'd hate to lose them. DPH 20-21 on those guys. Also questions about growout. They are in 10 gallons and I can find little information about what a good growout setup is or how to transport them there. Your insights are much appreciated, and your time.