Bristlenose Eggs?!

[Wolfklaw]

Hey everyone

I introduced my female gold bristlenose to my brown male on Saturday (5 days ago), and yesterday I noticed that the male was in hiding down the side the driftwood. He has dug out the sand and created a huge mound, and pushed himself into the gap. I can see him waving his fins but he has not left his hidey hole, however the female i have seen against the glass. She seems to have a red mark just below her anus, as if she has laid eggs recently? I am so tempted to lift up the driftwood to check if he is in fact looking after eggs but I dont want to disturb him. I can't see any eggs as he is jammed in the gap and I cannot see under him XD

How long will it take the eggs to hatch if they are in fact there, and would it be safe to lift up the driftwood to see? There are no oter bottom feeders in the tank, but I have a large silver shark, young female mollies, male and females guppies and male and female sword tails.
Thanks for any advice guys

 

[xingumike]

I would leave him to it for now, you should know within a few days.

If he is a good father then he will do a better job than you can, if they have spawned and the first clutch doesn't make it (not uncommon) then you will know to removed the eggs in the future.

The fanning is a good sign.

 

[Liquid skills]

+1 altho my male fans for no reason and also doesnt come put very often as im aware he probs comes out when im sleeping tho

 

[Wolfklaw]

Hey guys, eggs still haven't hatched, have been there for perhaps 6-7 days. Dad is still under the log, hasn't left them alone much at all and is still fanning. I have seen the eggs, they are orange and in a big cluster. He is aggressively chasing other fish away including the mum!
Do you reckon perhaps they are infertile? I read 5 days is the norm for hatching?

 

[Liquid skills]

Hhhhm perhaps but eggs notm turn white when infertile
Or something could of gone wrong personally id wait one more day just to be sure

 

[Wolfklaw]

Curiosity got the better of me. I lifted up the bit of driftwood dad was under and couldn't believe it!! About 20-30 little wriggling balls of yellow!! Not a single brown bristle nose considering dad is brown and mum is yellow. What I mistook for the eggs were in fact the bristlenoses bizarre egg yolk belly, they look like little eggs with tails? Gently replaced the wood and dad scooted back under to make sure they were ok, he even rounded up one little adventurous fellow who tried to zip out from under the driftwood. This is a very exciting day for me, ive been trying to breed bristlenoses for 2 years now. And all it took was a few days together!

 

[Liquid skills]

Excellent congrats they sound good lol

 

[xingumike]

Sounds like a good Dad, leave them alone.

Are there any potential predators in the tank?

 

[Wolfklaw]

Are there any potential predators in the tank?
[/quote]

I have a big bala shark but he is a gentle giant, and too big to get under the driftwood. Im concerned about my mollies - one sail fin and 3 lyre tails, so I have added many plants and created more hidey holes in the hope the bristle noses will escape them. The babies have turned brown now and dad is still keeping them under the driftwood.

I have 4 guppies, 4 swordtails (removed one), bala shark, mum and dad bristlenose and the 4 mollies. Im not sure which you would class as potential predators?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Any fish with a mouth bigger than the fry would be a potential predator in my eyes.

 

[xingumike]

Any fish with a mouth bigger than the fry would be a potential predator in my eyes.

Agree

 

[Wolfklaw]

Fair call. I guess the next thing now is trying to decide wether they would be better in my fry tank, are they too fragile to move yet? Or should I wait until dad has stopped looking after them (which he still is :")

 

[xingumike]

I would leave them with Dad as possible, until they are out and about in the tank

 

[Dieses Madchen]

How possibly is it to move dad AND babies to the fry tank? If being with dad is the best thing, would this be a safe thing to do?

And congrats on your new additions! Hope it all works out with them

 

[Wolfklaw]

Yeah it wouldnt be an issue moving dad and the fry, im not sure if he would lose interest though after being given a new territory. But once the fry come out and about it would be worth a shot Also just changed the gravel in my fry tank to sand for my pygmy corys, so its all ready to go.