Discus Eggs

[keithg]

Hi all
Iv'e got a pair of blue discus in a community tank producing eggs every two weeks or so.
They lay them on leeves of my java fern, a few turn white and the others a browny colour.
After two days they eat them? Iv'e tried putting a section of plwant pot in but they still use the leaves killing them one by one. Iv'e considered putting the leaf in a floating isolation tank to see what happens.
Any suggestions or advice welcome. Would like to keep a community tank, currently neons, glowlight tetras two corys and one v small bristle nose plec.

 

[Fish_Mike]

There are three reasons why the parents may be eating the eggs:

1. The eggs are infertile, possibly because you have two females (i know of a few such instances), the egg's colouration is due to lack of oxygen, adding an airstone beside the eggs may help out.

2. The parents are too stressed out from other fish in the tank. You may want to move them to their own tank for a while with nothing but a filter, heater, good water a potted broad-leaved plant, or even a piece of slate.

3. The parents are still in the learning stages of their development into adults. At 4", i wouldn't say a Discus is ready to breed, unless it has been stunted. After a few more layings, you may see the parents taking greater responsibility over them.

4. (i'm not sure on this one) But it may be something with water quality that's keeping the eggs from hatching at all, and therefore the Discus just eat them.

What are your water stats anyways?

Do you actually see the Parents eating them?

If not, it may very well be the other fish in your tank.

I'd probably say it's 2 girls. My cousin raises Discus, and 2 paired up, but when one would lay the eggs, the second would, as soon as the first laid the eggs, eat them.

 

[John_Nicholson]

If you want discus fry you need to more the pair to their own tank. I use 29 gallon tanks for mine. The eggs that have not turned white after 24-36 hours are fertile. At 82 degrees they hatch in 60 hours. In another 60 hours they become freeswimming.

-john

 

[keithg]

Thanks for that. My stats are am 0, No3 0 - 5, No2 0, gh 5, kh 5, ph 6.5 Its definately the discus eating them always one first then the other helps.

 

[John_Nicholson]

A lot of young pairs eat the eggs when they first become wigglers. If they continue to do so after they have their own tank you can try covering the eggs. If it still happens after spawning remove the female. They are normally the ones that eat the eggs. Sometimes when young the their hormones are telling them to spawn back while they are still watching eggs. This leads to them eating the existing eggs ans laying a new batch in just a few days.

-john