Since February this pair of discus began to spawn. At first they ate the eggs almost as quickly as they were laid. After 3 spawns they began to finally guard the eggs. Each time the result was the same. The eggs would fungus without a single hatch.
The pair gradually became very predictable and spawned every 7 days. Not a single egg ever hatched. I tried switching breeding cones, adding a fungicide (formaldahyde), and mixing distilled water to lower the TDS but the result was always the same. I concluded that the male was probably infertile but decided to keep the pair in the breeding tank for one more week.
Yesterday morning, 15 wigglers . The pair had moved them to the top of the breeding cone. This morning all 15 are still there. They are so tiny I can barely make out the yolk sacs and tails (which are little more than wiggling threads). I now think that the male has been missing the eggs when fertilizing and is just now beginning to figure it all out. *LOL* I'm guessing that in time the hatches will become greater. Patience pays off.
Here are some pics taken this morning of the parents guarding the brood. The male is the Blue Diamond.
The pair gradually became very predictable and spawned every 7 days. Not a single egg ever hatched. I tried switching breeding cones, adding a fungicide (formaldahyde), and mixing distilled water to lower the TDS but the result was always the same. I concluded that the male was probably infertile but decided to keep the pair in the breeding tank for one more week.
Yesterday morning, 15 wigglers . The pair had moved them to the top of the breeding cone. This morning all 15 are still there. They are so tiny I can barely make out the yolk sacs and tails (which are little more than wiggling threads). I now think that the male has been missing the eggs when fertilizing and is just now beginning to figure it all out. *LOL* I'm guessing that in time the hatches will become greater. Patience pays off.
Here are some pics taken this morning of the parents guarding the brood. The male is the Blue Diamond.