Looking for help with discus fry

[LostInFish]

I have wigglers and was wondering what should I feed the fry I took the parents out cause they keep eating them .

 

[Sillyfishies]

I have wigglers and was wondering what should I feed the fry I took the parents out cause they keep eating them .

First bites by hakiri I believe

 

[Sillyfishies]

Wait I thought discus fry ate the parents slime...

 

[LostInFish]

They do but I'm trying to do without parents cause they keep eating the eggs

 

[LostInFish]

I have some Rapashy meat pie. U cook it and it forms a gel but I'm not sure if that will be good enough

 

[Sillyfishies]

They do but I'm trying to do without parents cause they keep eating the eggs

I'd try hikari first bites...

 

[LostInFish]

Ok thanks for your help I will goto lfs and get some

 

[pcdebb]

the fry will not survive without the parents. it is vital for them to survive from the slimecoat of the parents. i'm still learning about discus myself so I could be very wrong about that, so I apologize if I am wrong on that count.

you honestly may get much better answers at a site like simpydiscus.

 

[Andy Sager]

Many years ago, Jack Whattley developed a food to feed the fry without the parents. You may want to research that and see if it is available in your local pet shops.

 

[pcdebb]

Many years ago, Jack Whattley developed a food to feed the fry without the parents. You may want to research that and see if it is available in your local pet shops.

see, there ya go I know from what I've read they make it seem like it's the holy grail to never separate the fry from the parents when it comes to discus, but then I was always told how difficult they are to keep, and I havent had any die on me yet

 

[LostInFish]

Thanks for all of the advice but eggs did not survive

 

[Andy Sager]

see, there ya go I know from what I've read they make it seem like it's the holy grail to never separate the fry from the parents when it comes to discus, but then I was always told how difficult they are to keep, and I havent had any die on me yet

Oh Deb, That was the kiss of death!!!! You don;t ever jinx your fish by saying how good they are doing or that you haven't lost any. I'd be keeping a close on on them for the next few weeks if I were you

As for the food, the only reason I knew about it was because I knew Jack personally. I haven't seen hide nor hair from him in years tho so I don't even know if the food is even available today.

That being said, Discus fry have been one of the most challenging because of this need for the slimecoat as a first food. That's probably still the same today but with all the new varieties that have been made, this may not be the case anymore. I don't know first hand. But if what you are reading is in regards to wild fish then they are right, it's virtually impossible to get the fry to survive past that first stage without the parents. At least that has been my experience

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks for all of the advice but eggs did not survive

Sorry to hear that but, here's a thought:
More often than not, fish know when their spawns will be successful or not. Many cichlids have bad first few spawns and the parent's just eat the eggs. It's possible that your fish have been eating theirs because they knew they would be duds. I know it's hard to see a fish eating their spawn but you might want to let the parents keep doing what they do for a few more spawns without pulling the eggs. ALSO, there is a very short window for the eggs to be fertilized so you really want to make sure that the PH is low and the water is very soft to have the maximum chance of the eggs surviving. Also, a good breeding tank should not have a HOB filter on it. That's too much water movement which can adversely affect the process. Look into some larger sponge filters before they spawn again.

Keep us posted

 

[LostInFish]

Thanks for all of your help I will try to just leave them for a while and see what happens next

 

[Scottyhorse]

Good Luck

 

[Kingcichlid87]

to raise discus fry artificially is no easy task . they are eating the eggs becaise they are stressed out . is there alot of activity near the discus tank where the fry and parents was ? the fry after hatching should eat the milk secretion off the parents flanks for 2-3 weeks then they should be fed on baby brine shrimp .

if you need discus advice dont hesitate to ask any questions . i have a few breeding pairs

 

[LostInFish]

Ok thanks for the help I will take all the advice I can. Probably is stress from my kids coming down here in my fish room all the time I will try something different next time

 

[Kingcichlid87]

no problem i like helping out people i can .

have they got a tank of there own ?

if not put them in there own tank with a sponge filter , heater and a spawning cone and they should do great . also whats your water parameters ?

reguards RICHARD

 

[LostInFish]

Ph is 7.2 no ammonia no nitrite no nitrate tanks been up and running for bout a yr no sure of hardness. I think I need to lower my ph to achieve victory

 

[Kingcichlid87]

ph for breeding discus u want really something like 6.0 -6.5 . my hardness is 3 my ph is 6.5 . and i try not to disturb them too much other then doing my daily 50% water change on there tank . feed them on beefheart and my fish mix. small amounts but 2-3 times a day and after each feeding ill leave it 45 mins then clean out the left over food and waste .

let me know how you progress with your discus . are you from uk ?