Surprise - GBR eggs

[neilanh]

So out of nowhere tonight I see my latest acquired female laying eggs. She's not even paired up, best I can tell. And the tank is not setup. She's laying on a leaf of my compact sword plant. One of the males is hovering around her, and brushing on the eggs, but these 2 have NEVER "hung out" before now.

[Zagz]

Hopefully he will fertilize the eggs. I say it again, spawning is in the air. Good luck

[bs6749]

Well, a pair has definitely formed now. I would clip the plant leaf and place it in a 10 gal grow out tank. Good luck!

[neilanh]

I literally just setup my grow out tank. That's what I was doing actually when I noticed her laying eggs. It's all cloudy cuz I didn't wash the substrate well, so I really don't think it's water quality is good enough for fry.

[Sidi]

I would guess the cloudiness might be ok for the eggs, since it's just suspended particulates and not dissolved matter. I suppose it's possible it might promote fungus growth though.

I've been having fun today watching my convicts move their wigglers into a cave. Nothing like watching a female convict chase off an oscar 5 times her size through sheer moxy.

[SparKy697]

Given my very limited experience, I would suggest waiting a day or two to see if the eggs are fertile. If they stay clear/white then they are not fertilized. If the male has successfully fertilized them they will turn a more brown color. My pair did not have any luck the first two times and I have learned that this is not unusual. This actually turned out to be a blessing as I was no more ready than you are now.

Looking back, I think that if they have a place like a breeding cave to hide safely in, you may be able to keep them right where they are.

At any rate, congrats on the new pair!

[Jchillin]

Originally Posted by SparKy697

Given my very limited experience, I would suggest waiting a day or two to see if the eggs are fertile.

Sorry, you cannot claim limited experience anymore.

Congrats on the new spawn. SparKy's post is spot on and hopefully, you will find that you have a pair that didn't manage to get your approval to marry.

[bs6749]

I would strongly recommend removing the substrate from the grow out tank. I made the mistake of putting it in with one of my batches of GBR eggs and it was so hard to clean. You will want a bare bottom tank for several reasons:

1. You will be able to see the fry move around (which is fun)
2. You will want to see any waste buildup so that you can promptly remove it (waste from overfeeding which WILL happen)
3. It makes it easier for the fry to find food and may increase survival rates (the fry swim on the bottom for the first 3-5 days or so after losing their yolk sacs, less surface area = greater chance of finding food on bottom of the tank)

Some may argue that some sort of media is required for bacteria to live but I setup the 10 gallon grow out tank (with a seeded sponge filter and distilled water) and my water params were near perfect.

You may want to paint the bottom of the tank or place white printer paper under the tank like I did.

[bgcheese]

Wow it really is the time for breeding I know a couple people that just had eggs pop up.

I have a pair of Sunshine Gouramis that I notice guarding a sword plant I left them alone overnight in the morning the leave of the amazon sword they where on and the eggs where gone.

Next time I am going to move the whole group to another tank right away. I guess you have to judge the risks, I am moving the pair to another tank in hopes that they try again.

[neilanh]

Forgot to update this thread. As I suspected, the eggs were never fertilized, or at least they never changed from their original white/opaque color they had. I read that they should turn a brownish color if they had been fertilized, correct?

Anyhow, I got home from work on Monday night and the eggs were gone, must've been eaten I assume.

There's always next time.