egg eaters!!

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi ,everyone,
ive got a promblem with my pair they eat the eggs after about 36 hours ,i was wondering what sort of material can be used safely to protect the eggs ? and will the parents still care for them.

thanks

[Carol_Roberts]

There is a plastic grid fabric that women use for needle work sold in fabric stores that works pretty good.
CArol :heart1:

[shamsoo]

hi Carol, can you post the picture of this "plastic grid fabric that women use for needle work"
thanks

[Coetz]

Hey thediscusguy and shamsoo,
I use plastic mesh from a gutter, as long as it is new, and also dip it in boiling water before hand. Also after the eggs have hatche and the babies are free swimmers for a while, still keep it on, I don't know why but it just helps?

Coetz**

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi carol and coetz thanks for the replies,could u please post a pic of ur egg protectors ,ive got a ceramic cone. and the plastic grid floats?how do i keep it down? do i cut it down to size ? i already have day old eggs on the cone help.

[DREW]

How many spawns have they eaten and how old are the pair? They could be too young and trying to figure out things.

Just a thought

[hunterbeav]

I think Drews right if this is there first couple times it takes a while. Mine did that for first 5 spawns. Give them some time to work it out then after 5 or 6 times I would try covering the eggs. :) Jim& Diane

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi thanks for the replies, the pair have been trying for ages.ive lost count of how many times they're tried :'( . i'm guessing around 20 times. i was told it can take up tp 15 times before they get it right and they have got it right a couple of times .the last time they did get it right the female wanted to spawn again so she at around 18 fry very quickly . ive learnt my lesson there,but i would of thought they would get it right the next time too ??? they eat the eggs around 40 hours old, and last time i saw the eggs there would of only been two or three white eggs :-\ im sure if i can cover them well enough so she can and will still look after them they will hatch .

ive bought whats called a plastic canvas i think it used for like those corny cotton picture things old grandmas do ? :P i think the holes might be a bit small . i need to come up with a way to keep it around my eggs on a ceramic cone please help. what metals can be used? :-\

[shamsoo]

my pair ate their eggs about 60 times and still they love to eat the caviar , thinking to get rid of this pair

[Coetz]

Hey guys,
Here is a pic of my spawning cone, it's pcv which makes it easier to fit mesh over adn also to see the eggs, it takes up much less room than a upside down pot. I recon the base of the pots take up the most room. Sorry about the dodgy pic, I took it real quick.

Coetz**

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi shamsoo,
have they ever got to the wriggler stage? if not they might not even be a pair? have you tried putting a protector over the eggs ? to see if you will get any wrigglers ? i would keep them .

[shamsoo]

hi DISCUSGUY, got babies from this pair twice, but they didnt survive, I think water is the problem, presently TDS is 70 ppm,ph 6.5 thinking to raise it upto 100ppm lets see what happens

[Dennis_Hardenburge]

I to use pvc and if the pair eats the eggs five times the screen goes over the pvc on the sixth spawn.
I use stainless steel screen, unless you live near the coast or a fishing industry stainless steel screen is hard to find. The gutter screen a vinyl screen is fairly easy to find.
I fit the screen so it is about 1/4 inch larger than the spawning cone, so the parents can still tend the eggs and yet not eat them.
I have broken all fish of the egg eating habit except one male I dearly wanted to bred and he ate over sixty spawns with three different females.
I also believe if the fish have a fluke or worm problem they will eat eggs, they need to feel well to raise a family.
So cleaning up a pair before spawming is important.
Good luck
Denis

[SSTurner]

I make these , I get the rod from a weld shop. Steve :)

[shamsoo]

hi all, is it good idea to feed raw mash clove of garlic to pair for removing internal parasites?

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi thanks all for ur great replys keep them coming.

i recently made a cover alot like coetz found on this page except mine is for a cone, for my new batch of eggs ,but the female tried everything to eat the eggs and by doing so gave herself a very nasty hole in her head . i moved her into another tank and all is well, it has cleared up very well in a day.

But the female is the one that did most of the caring for the eggs . so at the moment the male is in the tank by himself and not really fanning or blowing on the eggs .Have any of u guys experienced this when first introducing the egg protector? i only have about 20 fertilized eggs . when they start falling off the cone im unsure the male will put them back on the cone?

do the pair have to fan and blow on the eggs as much as they do when theres no protector covering them ? the male isnt trying to eat the eggs , i will see how he goes , the eggs will start to hatch tomorrow, so i will tell u all what happens.

[THEDISCUSGUY]

hi , as i thought the male ate all the wrigglers as they fell off the cone.
please help me . have as anyone out there had this happen to them? will the female get use to the idea of the egg protector? will they eventually look after the eggs ? when should i put the egg protector on ? HELP

[jesser]

hi there everyone,
my discus spawned in my community tank after at least a year in a bbtank. they spawned on the intake tube of my trickle filter. but the male ate them right up. now heres my question about the screen since they like to clean the smooth surface wont they go the tube instead of my spawning cone? or even the side of the tank?

[Carol_Roberts]

Jesser, you put the screen over the cone after the eggs are laid.

Discusguy, No one can predict when (if ever) you discus will figure it all out. suddenly a light must go on in their little brain. One time after uncounted spawns (and I'd given up on him) my big yellow male finally figured it out nad raised 80 babies (I just counted them) all by himself. So, there is still hope . . . .
CArol :heart1:

[jesser]

ok carol,
but as i said the male just goes right behind her and eats them, there is no time, sometimes he rushes her and pushes her out of the way. even if he waited tillshe was done when does he fertilize them???

[Carol_Roberts]

Oh . . . . well, if he is eating them and not fertilizing them I wouldn't bother with a screen at this point in time. I bet he is young - give him another dozen tries and see if he quits eating them.
CArol :heart1:

[jesser]

carol ,
i think hes the oldest one i have, he is about six inches and hes the surviving half of the guaranteed breeder pair of super red royals i purchased from cary at great lakes discus that i paired up with one of my cobalts. cary i guess has been busy and hasnt replied to me about him. but i purchased them guaranteed and at one point he told me to send them back but i decided to try some other methods of water chemistry and spawn triggers before i paid shipping for no reason but the female passed and now i have been successful when i finally gave up on them and put them in my community garden tank. so here i still am so wadaya tink.

[Carol_Roberts]

I think you have a male who has developed a very bad habit. . . . . Before you give up on him I would suggest worming him with flubendazole.

Carol :heart1:

[jesser]

ok thanks carol i am going to try that and i will get back toyou

Hi Jesser,

Ok its My turn so I hope You understand.


I sold You a pair for $300 that were breeding for Me. Both were top Quality and each alone was worth $150.
Anyways after 2 months no luck! You say you want to try a few things.
Now a few more months pass and the pair is very sick.
Again I help and together we get them better.

After another month Your still not haveing any luck. I offer to you to send the pair back to Me for another pair. You pay to send to Me and I pay to send to You! its simple.


So now more time passes and you decide AGAIN You want to try something else. I say ok and have not heard from you in a year. Since then You emial Me on Thursday telling Me you need a new pair. Am sorry but I have a big weekend planned My new son is getting Baptized I have guests from out of town and it's the super bowl ;D ;D ;D ;D cut Me some slack. :)

Anyways I know we talked I just wanted my side up!
Like I said i have a pair of Young blue pandas not PROVEN but mated.
There yours if You pay the shipping!
HTH
Cary Gld!

[chuck]

Sheesh, Not only are your fish SUPER, your the only person I ever heard of that stilll tries to make the customer happy with a fish he purchased a year ago!!! :o :o :o
It amazes me the @#$### some people have! ::) ::)
I have to hand it to you Cary.....
Yer one CRAZY DUDE!!!! ;D ;D ;D 8) 8)
All The Best
Chuck

[jesser]

ok cary,
were cool, it wasnt all that and i didnt blame you. and yes chuck cry has went above and beyondwithout his help i wouldnt have got this far , im grateful. i was just explaining my situation with this male is all . you arent obligated to do anything i wasnt asking for a pair for free i was just plea bargaining ;) but thanks sorry for the badrap but i was just trying to get carol familiar with the quality and maturity of this male. ;D. and it didnt seem normal to not have gotten back to me as usual. again my apologies go raiders.
happy baptismal. talk to you soon.

My Friend Not a problem At ALL!


My offer still Stands I'll call You Soon!
Cary Gld!

[jesser]

okay i have another spawning and it hasnt reaches the 24 hrs there must be 400+ eggs half ofthem lighter than the other half but not quite white i have already treated the tank with methylene blue i guess i will try and see without the screen first if they will eat them or not i hope not we will see. then i guess next time i will put a screen but my understanding was that only if necessary.

[jesser]

hey so i am preparing for my next spawn and i found some galvanized wire mesh boiled it it seems fine,,, wat do yallthink... and if they are prone to eat the eggs why wouldnt they eat the wrigglers . well i guess i should just cross that bridge when i get to it.

[jeep]

jesser, JME I would not use galvanized metal screen. Zinc is used in the galvanizing process and can leech into the water. Zinc is deadly to fish.

I have only had one problem with my discus and it immediatly after I used a galvanized screen. It may have been a coincidence but I can only relate the problem to the screen...

[jesser]

so here i am now with a fabric i acquired from the fabric store like carol had mentioned but i dont like it it floats and becomes soggy. there was a plastic fabric but i was afraid that the grid was too small at 5/32 of an inch where the fabric was a quarter of an inch. i guess i will go back and get the plastic and find a way of keeping it down.