Discus breeding---Bizarre--need help

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A

abpositive

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 4, 2006
326
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Tempe, AZ
I have a breeding pair. They've been laying eggs like clockwork, then waiting until they hatch--then eating the wigglers.

Since I am short on time these days, I decided to stop the RO water to stop them from eating hatched eggs.
Well, they still hatch wigglers in hard, basic, water.


That's not the problem.

The problem is this.

I've been VERY busy and they haven't gotten a water change in two weeks.
Usually they got a water change every few days.

They are in a 29. The bottom of the tank is COVERED in gunk---uneaten food, poop, you name it. I was getting ready to do a massive water change for them, when I noticed...

For the FIRST time EVER, they are jealously guarding a huge bunch of wigglers---and have been now for three days. Which is a personal record for them.
I'm afraid to go anywhere near the tank.

Have I hit on some kind of weird "dirty water" breeding secret?
What the HECK is going on here???
 
Well, it sounds like the discus feel that they are in a more natural environment... or maybe in the middle of gunk, the fry don't look like food. When on a clean substrate, cichlid fry look a lot like an appetizing palette of mini worms or something to snack upon... maybe that's what happened?
 
Keep doing what you're doing. Hopefully, you will have free swimming fry soon. How about some pics?
 
HiGhTiMeZ;722669; said:
how many times have they bred for u already? i think theyre getting the hang of it (parenting) .
Click to expand...
I've lost track-- at least once a week since September or October.

I can't imagine why this brood is any different than the ones they just ate a little over a week ago except the filthy water.

Santoury---you may be on to something.

I was wondering if they just wanted peace and quiet and the water changes are disturbing?
 
That is normal to happen with a pair. Doing daily or atleast frequent water changes on a young pair can disturb them to a point where they constantly eat the eggs/fry. That, coupled with the water being dirty has lowered the pH some naturally over time and has made the pair more comfortable. Each pair is different. Some could care less if you do daily water changes, while others wouldnt lay an egg for you if you even so much as look at the tank. Now that you've found the secret for your pair, you can start pumping out fry when you get the time.

-Ryan
Orlando Discus
 
Well, sad to say, they ate 'em again. This time they just waited a lot longer.
Back to the drawing board.
It seems that they eat them the minute she gets antsy to lay again.

I've tried separating her from the eggs, and STILL, when she gets "egg antsy" then HE eats them.

I tried separating them both from the eggs and they went CRAZY--I thought they were going to kill themselves banging around.
Should I try slipping a net over the eggs/wigglers next time?
 
i think that when they hatch,you should remove them from that tank and into a fry tank.that way,you can raise them without them getting eaten
 
u can try siphoning the fry using the small tube we use for our air pump.
it wont disturb the tank and the fish much and u can target the frys easily.
 
The first time my fish bred was in dirty cloudy tank water. I think the water change made them eat their fry before I took them out.
 
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