Gold severum breeding questions

[James B.]

Ok, I have had this pair for a little over a year and they lay eggs on average about every 2-3 weeks but have yet to get one fry out of them.
Its always the same, when they lay 4 or 5 eggs will be infertile (white), I remove them as soon as I can, then the next day more will be white, I remove them, then by day 3 all are white or the parents eat them. The longest I have seen them with eggs is 4 days and I only had to remove 2 eggs from that batch and the rest were good but still got eaten.
Did I miss something? Could one of the 2 be infertile?
I have them in a 55 gallon with a fluval 405 and an aqua clear 300 for filtration. I keep the water as best I can with a 25% water change every 2-3 days (over kill according water tests). The only thing I can change now that I have not tyred is to lower the ph (7.5-7.6 is what it comes out of the well at) and to try and soften the water as I have moderately hard water. Nether of witch I have done before and not sure how to without chemicals.
I don't want to hatch the eggs my self as I don't have a tank to grow the fry in.
So any ideas, Is it just a mater of time or did I miss something?
I would love for them to breed as not many people around here have them and the stores charge $40 a piece for them so I could make a quick buck and get some free food out of it but as it is right now they are just starting to piss me off as I can't put any thing in the tank with them or they kill it (including my hand) but they just can't seem to get it right and if this is how it will always be I will get ride of one or both and do something else with the 55.

Thanks
James

 

[James B.]

Anyone?

 

[cichlid_25]

I had the same problem....wen my severums were breeding they constantly laid eggs but they were either infertile and or wen they weren't they ate them. my suggestion would be next time they breed, take the eggs out and place them into a small tank to hatch...add some methylene blue to prevent them from getting the white fungus. i would do the same but ever since i moved my pair into a 135gal they havent bred.
good luck!

 

[James B.]

Thanks, cichlid_25

It's starting to look like that may be the only way I will ever see a fry out of them.

 

[muckieman]

add a pelco then thay will att that instead of eating the eggs.

 

[James B.]

add a pelco then thay will att that instead of eating the eggs.

I actually tried that and he lasted about a week, he would hide all day (nothing new for plecos I know) but at night when the tank lights went out they would attack relentlessly if he got too close, I found him one morning with no eyes dead in the corner and the severums happily laying a new batch of eggs on the other side of the tank.
I was half thinking of putting my breeding pair of cons in the same tank, I know they can defend them selfs no problem but not sure if it would be too aggressive in the tank once both the cons and severums had eggs or if they would just kind of separate the tank them selfs.

I also had the idea of trying to get the cons to be a surrogate for the eggs as they tend to lay the same time (normally within 8 -12 hrs after the severums have laid the cons lay. Was thinking I would just waite for the cons to start them sneak the severums eggs in and see if they will unknowingly tend them for me. Probably won't work I know but I have tried every thing else so I may try it someday just for fun it's not like the severums are going to miss them.