Egg-eating female

[ottawadiscus]

Hi,

I have a pair that successfully had babies 3 times, now the female is eating the eggs after 48 hours. This happen last 4 or 5 times. Now it's prepairing to spawn again. Is there any reason for eat the eggs.

Thank you,
Loyed

[Carol_Roberts]

JimmyL has posted here that he believes egg eaters may have worms or other internal parasites.
Carol :heart1:

[Rod Coleman]

Hi Loyed,

I've been finding the same thing - 48 hours seems to be the critical time. They don't eat the eggs all at once though. They just dwindle away until they're all gone.

I've just watched two simultaneous spawns almost disappear over the last 12 hours until I decided to shield the few remainders with screens. The eggs all looked good with dark spots. Similarly, several preceding spawns have been fruitless.

Maybe they don't really mean to eat the eggs but they just knock them off the substrate. Any eggs falling off are obviously fair game in any fishies book!

I haven't been using a cone, just letting them spawn on the glass - maybe this is relevant?

Regards

Rod

[limige]

my male isn't making runs yet, so the eggs are fertilized.

from what people have told me they will eat the eggs if they are not fertilized as well, so i believe that's the reason for mine.

i noticed my female waits until the lights come on the following morning, then she eats them right away, wierd.

[mench]

Try either keeping the lights on all the time or maybe just a nite lite by the spawning tank..

Mench

[Carol_Roberts]

Mine don't eat unfertilized eggs. They fan them lovingly for days until I take them out and scrape the cone - big meannie that I am, lol
Carol :heart1:

[Trapper]

Loyed,
I have a few pairs that started off eating the eggs after a few days < the infamouse 48 hour window> and I kept changing different substrates to see if it made any difference, so they decided to do me one better and laid the eggs on the glass. I went to Home Depot and bought a gutter INSERT. It is an aluminum screen that fits inside the bottom of a gutter downspout to stop debris from coming out. It cost like $.65 and they keep a good supply. I took it from the package and stretched both the length and width and then folded over 2 x 90 degree bends at the top so it would ride over the lip of the breeding tank. It hangs down in front of the eggs and the pair can get up close and personal without be able to get to the eggs. The really interesting part is, for each pair of egg eaters I have had, they would devour the eggs eventually, but will not hurt the free swimmers once out from behind the screen. I have not lost one baby to the parents, but I lost many many spawns of eggs while trying to figure this one out. I am sure it will not stop all egg eaters, but it worked for me.. if anyone needs to see a picture of what I am talking about please let me know and I will post one.
Good Luck,
Trapper

[Trapper]

Here is the same piece stretched out

[ottawadiscus]

Hi All,

Thank you for your information. This time she didn't eat the eggs. It's good see some fries again.

Loyed