Eggs keep dissapearing...

[rrcoolj]

So my midas just finished spawning for the 3rd time and it is a bit irritating because they lay the eggs and then all of a sudden(within a couple hours) the eggs disappear. I have no idea if they are being eatin or what but the eggs are gone and the male is back to harassing the female. This has happened 3x already. The eggs last for 3-4 days and then they are gone. I have noticed some will go white but the majority will stay grayish. In fact when I look at the rock all the gray eggs are gone ad it seems the white ones were left on the rock. I try to keep my water clean doing 50% water changes once or twice a week. Nitrates never rise above 10ppm. Both fish eat well and are growing. Are the fish too young maybe? Male is around 6" and female like 5". They are in a 125 gallon tank with 6 silver dollars and a pair of cubans. I just don't know what it is.


Any comments?

 

[xinchavoc]

I had this same problem with my gt's they would always lay eggs the male would fertelize them but after 3-4 days they would disappear... well after about 6 times of spawning i watched them very carfully and saw that the eggs would hatch the parents would hide them... When the eggs hatched and they had wigglers the other fish would run into the cave and eat the wigglers the parents tried to defend them but there were small fish they would rush at the wigglers grab a mouth full and retreat... the wiggleres never made it past 2 days of being hatched... This has been my expierence... I would watch those cubans they could be the culprit or it could be the female eating them try and separate the other fish or try and keep a close eye on them it took me a long time untill i figured out what my other fish were doing...

 

[cacichlids]

Do you have a pleco?

 

[peathenster]

The timing (3-4 days) and the fact that the gray eggs disappeared but the white eggs remained suggest to me that they may indeed have hatched...

 

[zacharyb102]

whats ur filtration system they might be geting sucked up thats why they need sponge filtration

 

[rrcoolj]

Thanks for the comments guys. They have spawned in a cave so I doubt filters are sucking the fry although there is an inlet to an xp2 not far from the cave. I have no pleco or bottom feeder at all. I will say the cubans are extremely courageous and had no problem swimming right in front of the spawning par despite their size. I checked on the tank tonight and found my male still gaurding the cave which is wierd because usually he will harass the female once the eggs are gone. IS it possible dad has kicked mom out of fry rearing dutty?

 

[aclockworkorange]

Any way to check the cave? Flashlight?

 

[tinkz]

I used to have Sevs that used to eat their own eggs

 

[rrcoolj]

Well eggs are gone and no wrigglers . Male is back to harrasing the female up and down the tank. What I don't understand is the parents are extremely good at defending their territory especially the female. They are vicious and won't let anything into their cave. Although the cubans will pass by them there is no way they would actually be able to enter the cave. It's almost as if they just gave up. Both fish would sit in the cave together and watch the eggs. But I never get to see wrigglers...

Only good news is the male's nuchal hump has swelled and the cubans pair is getting along pretty well.

 

[cacichlids]

Try putting a divider (preferably an opaque divider) a after they lay eggs again, leave the female with the eggs on one side and the rest of your fish on the other side, see if they hatch that way.