Who's Responsible For The Eggs?

[PABBY]

Greetings

Ok, here comes the first of many questions from this recent newbie, but first, some information regarding my setup .....

I've had my 47G/180L tank since Easter (Juwel Vision 180, with internal sponge filters). It cycled in a mere 13 days using 2 x Lemon Tetras, 2 x Black Phantom Tetras and 2 x Mickey Mouse Platies, along with a couple of liberal doses of Nutrafin Cycle. The tank also contains around a dozen plants of various shapes and sizes (don't ask for any names!).

Since the 13th day I've had continuous ammonia and nitrite readings of 0, my pH is stable at 7.2, the nitrate barely reaches 10ppm between the fortnightly 20% water changes and the temperature fluctuates occasionally from 76-78 degrees.

My current stock of fish is :-

2 x Black Phantom Tetras (1 male/1 female)
2 x Lemon Tetras (?m/?f)
2 x Mickey Mouse Platies (1m/1f)
8 x Neon Tetras (5m/3f ??)
2 x Bronze Cories (?m/?f)
2 x Salt & Pepper Mollies (1m/1f)
2 x Guppies (2m)
2 x Dwarf Gouramis (1m/1f)
2 x Pearl Gouramis (?m/?f)
1 x Sailfin Pl*co (yes, I am superstitious!)

Everything has been a dream so far. No fish losses. No bullies. No disease. Few (7) snails. They all get along extremely well and seem to be enjoying life to the full. I think I can proudly say that all the research I did before starting up has well and truly paid off.

My question is this: Who could be responsible for the 4 clutches of 30-40 eggs that have appeared over the last week or so?

Each batch has been similar to the others and they are definitely fertile.

After hanging around for a couple of days, the first batch disappeared completely overnight (a quick snack?). The next two I removed as I wasn't sure I wanted to risk unwanted fish surviving and overstocking the tank. But the fourth batch I'm now tempted to leave just to try and see who the culprits are.

Is it worth placing the eggs in QT to see if they hatch, or am I just better off letting nature take its course?

Regards,

Paul

 

[Diva]

Hi- Ive got a new Juwell 240 and it sounds just like yours - and cycled quickly as well! (course I lost some fishies after mine cycled.. )

Have your eggs hatched fry? You said they were fertile..

Cause..I was thinking maybe its snail eggs. The lay them anywhere - the glass, on plants, driftwood, etc.

They look like a clear jelly bubble in the shape od elbow pasta kind of (well, physa snail eggs do, at least)

People were telling me my corys were laying them maybe - but it was snails in my tank..

 

[PABBY]

Hmmm, Diva. You've got me worried now. I hope they're not snails eggs, as I've got quite a few established plants with lovely, whole leaves!

Purely out of curiosity, I think I'll invest in a breeding tank to QT the eggs and see what hatches. If snails are the culprits, at least I'll know what to look out for in the future.

 

[webmoose]

if the eggs are at the surface of the water and really small then they are probably snail.. The fact you describe them as clutches suggest snail to me..

If they are on the glass and plants and generally scattered around the tank then I would think they are cory eggs. Cory eggs are larger than snail eggs and generally are laid in the same area but there is a tiny bit of space and not a sac of eggs... A sac of eggs or group of eggs in what looks like a stickie substance is likely snail eggs..

Another thing to consider is snail eggs are often passed as food where as cory eggs are usually considered a snack by all fish....

If it ends up being lots of baby snails you will have to bait them with a lettuce leaf or something and remove the lettuce leaf with all your baby snails.

Either way I would take them out and put them in a small tank with an airstone and possible antifungus like methyl blue. Snail eggs hatch fairly quickly and depending on the cory the eggs hatch in a few days.

 

[PABBY]

Cheers Webmoose. My better-half vetoed the idea of a small tank to try and hatch the eggs in, so they had to go, just in case they were snails.

The last batch of eggs were located just under the surface of the water, in the main flow of the power head, towards the end of one of the 18-inch leaves of a long, thin, fast-growing plant whose name escapes me. It's been in the tank for a couple of months and I've never seen a snail anywhere near it.

Yesterday I found a small group of 8 eggs on the glass which were half the size of my original eggs. Snails eggs? They're gone, so I'll never find out!

On a slightly different note, I did spot my first fry this morning, darting between the plants shortly after the light came on. By the colouring of it, it looks as though my platies have been busy ....

 

[Menagerie]

Platies will always be busy Be prepared for more and have a plan for all your little ones!