Wigglers at last

[BrianNY]

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.

 

[Fluff]

congratulations!

 

[TankGirl]

YAY!

I know you have waited for such a long time for this, so fingers are most definitely crossed- the beginning of Brian's discus empire!

Congrats - you da man!

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Those are very beautiful discus!!!! Congrats!

 

[liquidelusion]

congrats! beautiful fish you have!

 

[lmw80]

Oh, how exciting!! You take such great care of your fish, and I know you have been waiting for this.

Congrats poppa!

 

[krap101]

but arent discus mouthbrooders? or is that angelfish?

 

[TankGirl]

Nope. Neither are mouthbrooders.

 

[krap101]

wierd...

 

[Menagerie]

Yeah!! I hope to see them while on LI!!

 

[webmoose]

Congrats!! Very exciting!

 

[cdawson]

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.

If they're tank bred that would explain the time it took for them to figure out the whole parenting thing. Often tank bred cichlids are removed as eggs and reared without the parents so they never learn the parenting skills off their actual parents and are forced to learn them on their own. Through trial and error. I'm witnessing the same thing with my angels right now, every time they spawn they learn something new. =)

 

[QTOFFER]

Congrats, Brian!!!!
Now you're going to have to get another grow-out tank! That will make HOW many tanks in your house...?

A question from us non-discus types: What is the deal with the breeding cone?

Congrats again - I'm glad to see all your hard work paying off!

 

[TankGirl]

I love that breeding cone - I'll bet that would work with angels, too. Terra cotta?

 

[BrianNY]

Thanks everyone . And yes, I'm very excited about this.

You may be right cwdawson but all the discus I own have been parent raised. I think it has more to do with the maturity of the discus (especially the male). Discus differ from angels in that they feed from their parents slime coat just after becoming free swimming.

Hopefully these fry will still be around when you and your sister visit in 2 weeks Menagerie .

Yep TG and QT, that breeding cone is terra cotta. I also have some in glazed white ceramic. When this pair first spawned it was on a sponge filter. I've had other females lay on the glass and heaters as well. There is something about the incline and shape which the discus seem to be attracted to. I tried to think like a discus but it gave me a headache!!

Keep your fingers and toes crossed TG. If there is a new discus empire in NY be assured that when you want some, they are yours

 

[Endgame319]

Do discus only lay a small amount of eggs or did only a small amount hatch? And have you tried methelyne(sp?) blue as an antifungus? Its worked for me.

 

[BrianNY]

Discus lay between 100 and 300 eggs. As the female is laying weekly, I think the number must be on the low side Endgame.

These 15 were the only one that hatched. It makes me think the male was missing all of the eggs on previous spawns. But.......he seems to be getting better at it. *LOL*

BTW. The fry have grown noticably in 1 day. Expecially the length of the tail.

 

[Endgame319]

At what age do they start looking discus-like? I know my brichardi fry didn't start looking like brichardi for a week or so.

 

[BrianNY]

that's a good question. I don't really know myself. Right now they're brown dots with thread like tails. I'll keep a pictorial for everyone.

 

[Menagerie]

Fry are just eyes with a tail