Removing Mother

[slicksta]

Curious how many remove the female after hatching.

Reason I ask is that my current pair are blowing my mind with the team effort they are showing. I'm at about a week of free swimming.
I haven't seen them fight once.
When they male leaves the fry to eat she quickly slides in front to shield the fry.
She only eats after the male returns
She often passes by the male to help feed the fry, though the fry seem to prefer the darker pappa slime.
She's constantly looking around the tank for stragglers and returning them to the group
And the second I stick my hands in the tank she's darting at me hard and then pecking like... No you aint.

I have another pair that often fight and haven't gotten past a day or two of free swimming. This has been my typical experience if I leave momma in.

[RogueDiscus]

Yes, different pairs react differently. I've had parents do fine together for a couple weeks or more, but then one gets tired of it and needs to be removed.

[slicksta]

It's been a while since I bred last and I have seen some harmony before but this level of cooperation I've never witnessed.
Let's see if she makes it until they're on bbs and bw and I move poppa out

[CliffsDiscus]

I move the fry out as early as day one of free swimming, and this is actually late. I am a better
parent then the pairs. Ha ha

Cliff

[slicksta]

Cliff. . . I don't even wanna know what you do to mimic a slime_coat.. lol.

[Second Hand Pat]

John, this thread needs pictures......

I have been very lucky to have wild discus pair up and spawn for me. On all four occasions both parents were stellar. The fry remained with the pair until about four weeks of age. Generally the mom stayed with the fry and dad defended if I approached the tank.
Pat

[slicksta]

That's great to hear Pat
In my mind the longer both parents can stay with the fry the better. I like to think of it as mother and fathers milk :-D
Let me break out my camera and macro lens and see if I remember how to take a decent photo.

[Willie]

IME, dad is usually the better parent. Commonly, the spawn is feeding mostly from the male. More often than not, I’ve had to remove the female. No data, of course, just my perception. But when both parents get into it, it’s poetry in motion.

Willie

[slicksta]

I agree Willie. . my impression is that typically the male does a better job of rearing. That's why this female (pigeon) has me so enamored.

@ Pat. . .finally was able to get a decent photo. These two are so guarded when I approach the tank that they weren't having a close up...had to take this from a few feet away.
The fry you see is about 1/3 the total.

I realize they are not perfect specimens, but they are healthy and I have different goals then most. The smaller discus (4" - 5") in my opinion do better in my community tank. They fit in better size wise by not dominating the tank and are much less likely to start eating the tetras. The male (turq) when not dark from breading has some nice color.

P6026176.jpg

I do have another much larger pair that look similar that are from the same group..but have shown no where near the same parenting skills.
Last night after their batch became free swimming the male beat the piss out of her to the point she had a small scrap on her nose and coward in the corner
This morning the fry are gone and they're back in love.
After the current batch from the smaller pair are far enough along I will try raising a group from them removing the female at first wiggle.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi John, is dad a snake? With this particular pairing what is your goals with the fry? I am guessing you know the issues with pairing a PB to a non-PB?
Pat

[slicksta]

Yes Pat the male is a SS. He's really showing his underlying brown in the current situation.
I guess my goal is to go through the process as I really enjoy watching the interaction. Better than anything on TV.
Since I haven't bred in over ten years I'm hoping to remember and maybe learn a few things.
And yes I'm aware that I'm going to have more peppering than McCormick but as long as the fish are healthy that's fine with me.
In the end I'll hopefully end up with a dozen or so fish for my own tanks and the rest I'll give away to anyone that can provide a good home.

[LizStreithorst]

I sure do like the coloration of that male. He looks like a good brown based red crossed to a SS.

[slicksta]

Thanks momma b'
That you would know better than I.
Here's a pic of the pair showing a little more color with their wigglers before I moved them to a private room.

[Second Hand Pat]

So dad does have a full pattern. I really like him John
Pat

[slicksta]

Even in this photo he's not in full splendore.
His eyes are a little big for his body as he's only about 4.5in....but he's a good daddy so far so I'm happy