Fish Spawning!? Need Advice, Quick!

[Gui101do]

I was going to add this to my journal thread, but decided to put it into a new topic...

55 Gallon, lightly planted
Aquaclear 70 filter, undergravel filter with 2 powerheads

1 Gold Severum
1 green Severum
1 Kissing Gourami
1 Featherfin Catfish (synodontis eupterus)
1 nerite snail

---------------
The 'couple'

1 Blood Parrot
1 'Jelly Bean' Parrot (i've read it's a cross between a BP & a convict?)

I was out of town for 3 days, so I had a family member feed the fish and turn their light on and off. They told me that the Jellybean had been chasing the other fish, which sounded odd because I do not normally have aggression in the tank right now.

So, I return today and go to feed the fish this evening to find all of the inhabitants acting regularly, except for the jellybean. She (in my limited knowledge of sexing) is sitting in the back corner by a rock wall, guarding it almost.

So I take a peak back there and this is what I find:

So, to say the least, I'm a bit worried and freaked out. The blood parrot sort of sits by them while the jellybean fiercly chases the others from this half of the tank.

What should I do? If I recall, I've read that parrots are supposed to be incapable of breeding? Also, if I recall, white eggs are actually dead eggs? I am concerned about the aggression level of the jellybean as well?

Is this a sign that I have a healthy aquarium or do I have a bunch of problems now? Thanks for any help!

 

[krap101]

The eggs should be clear imo. The white (cloudy) eggs are unfertilized. As long as nobody is getting physically injured, I'd imagine it will be okay.

A quick search says that parrots can indeed breed

About Signs of Breeding in Parrot Fish | eHow.com

I'd let nature take its course (egg wise) and see how good of parents they are. We couldn't posssibly give the care that the parents give (as in fanning eggs and removing fungus'd eggs.\

Looking more closely the yellowish eggs are fertile and the white cloudy eggs are not. The parents should be eating the white eggs soon, if I understand cichlids like this correctly.

 

[Gui101do]

OK, I am in 'let nature take its course' mode. I'll update as needed. As of this evening (second full day of egg observation), the parents still feerishly defend their eggs and have yet to eat any.

 

[krap101]

Have they started to eat the cloudy ones though? I think I might be worried about fungus in the eggs if not.

 

[toddnbecka]

Time will tell if the new parents are up to caring for the eggs and fry, but more likely they'll eat them. On the other hand, once they start spawning most cichlid pairs will keep going for at least several more broods. If you want to raise fry in the tank a mattenfilter divider would be the best bet. You could isolate the pair on one side of the tank (1/3 would be enough room) and allow them to care for their brood, or just separate the eggs/fry until they grow large enough to be of the menu.

On another note, I'd recommend getting another AC 70 and run one one each of the UG filter plates instead of the powerheads. I had a 55 set up that way for years until I switched it over to a 75 with sand substrate. Assuming you have the good-quality filter plates the hob intakes will fit nicely into the lift tubes.

 

[Gui101do]

Ok, at some point during the day, all of the eggs were eaten. I assume it was the parents. Saga over...until they do this again.

 

[DragonFish71]

" If I recall, I've read that parrots are supposed to be incapable of breeding?"

Just an FYI, they don't breed like livebearers. They spawn. The female will lay the eggs, the male comes by and fertilizes them. So even if the male is infertile (some hybrid fish can be) the female can still lay the eggs but none will get fertilized.




"Is this a sign that I have a healthy aquarium or do I have a bunch of problems now?"

It's a good sign when you have egg layers laying eggs. You're doing something right.

 

[krap101]

From that picture, I swear I see fertile eggs (the clear brownish yellow ones?)

 

[DragonFish71]

I wasn't saying if they were fertile or not, I was explaining that there could still be eggs even if the male is infertile. The female just needs the actions of the male to fill with eggs and lay the eggs.


Some fishes fertilized eggs are white, some turn clearish brownish. Cory eggs are white, ram eggs clearish. Some of those looked fertilized, some not. My firemouth male can never get all the eggs either.

 

[krap101]

Oh . I was under the impression once eggs get milky they are fungused, and clear is always better.

 

[Gui101do]

I'll have to try and get better shots if/when this happens again. I wish I had seen what happened to the eggs. I guess it's safe to assume they were never fertilized and that the parents ate them.

 

[toddnbecka]

From the pics it looked like about half were fertile. However, it isn't unusual for new pairs of cichlids to eat their eggs or fry before they figure out what they're supposed to do.

 

[Gui101do]

Interesting. Well, from all sources, it seems that this may become a regular occurence, so I'll update if anything happens again.