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Thread: Very low hatch rate

  1. #1
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Very low hatch rate

    I've been reading the forums of ppl's success stories about low hatch rates and would love to hear what the experts have to say about my pair. I got this pair about a month ago and they've spawned 7 times now upcoming 8th and always have a low hatch rate 0%-5%. I've had gotten wigglers from this pair so i know its a male and female but still have a very bad hatch rate.. I only use tap water which comes out to be a tds of 250ppm and the temp i have set on the tank is 82F. I feed my BH mix FDBW with PRO-more and frozen brine shrimp. I do WC daily for the pair about 50-70% with fresh tap water. I was thinking about using RO water but im not quite sure the step by step procedures. Scared to have a sudden pH drop which could cause a pH shock for the fish. I've also put a indian almond leaf inside their 30gal tank which i don't know will help or not. Any help is greatly appreciated!


  2. #2
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Looks like a good spawning around 30 to 45 %.
    Try the RO this will soften up the shell making
    it easier hatch.

    Cliff

  3. #3
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    I will report back with the results from the next spawn

  4. #4
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Anyone know how to add the RO water into the tank right before they spawn? I'm scared of a pH shock to the fish

  5. #5
    Registered Member Pardal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Brotoss
    I am not an expert , however I had bred a few fish from Kenny's ( including albinos) , a pair from Hans, and a pair from Ryan. and other not sponsors before my days of Simply.
    right now I am working with wilds including Heckel's if I get lucky I will them brag about being an expert.
    Now to go the point here.
    When breeding Discus the ph become secondary to the GH, KH. you should go for a GH of 4 degrees ,so basically you multiply by 17 each degree to get the ppm, the ph under 7.5 for domestics is good like aim for 7.2 and ideal a 6.8 to 7.0 . Perhaps the easy way to do is through TDS although is a rough estimated of your hardness is easier now days with a portable TDS meter. I aim for 75 in TDS but up to 100 is usually good. I add like to add 2/3 RO to 1/3 tap water since I leave near the beach and my tap water is really hard.
    around 300 TDS.
    Find your sweet spot , and maintain it constant, do the WC when you start to see the motions of courtship, same water parameters just a cooler temperature, to replicate a rain in the wild.
    This is what it works for me . I hope it can help you.
    what I recommend for you to do get a TDS meter and check your water, do the daily WC and bring it every day slowly to the TDS desired like a 75 mean will be good.
    Breeding , interest and goals Wilds Heckels and Cuipeuas and a few Domestics pairs with occasional fry as well as Angels fancy Plecos , corys and shrimps.

  6. #6
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Quote Originally Posted by Pardal View Post
    Brotoss
    I am not an expert , however I had bred a few fish from Kenny's ( including albinos) , a pair from Hans, and a pair from Ryan. and other not sponsors before my days of Simply.
    right now I am working with wilds including Heckel's if I get lucky I will them brag about being an expert.
    Now to go the point here.
    When breeding Discus the ph become secondary to the GH, KH. you should go for a GH of 4 degrees ,so basically you multiply by 17 each degree to get the ppm, the ph under 7.5 for domestics is good like aim for 7.2 and ideal a 6.8 to 7.0 . Perhaps the easy way to do is through TDS although is a rough estimated of your hardness is easier now days with a portable TDS meter. I aim for 75 in TDS but up to 100 is usually good. I add like to add 2/3 RO to 1/3 tap water since I leave near the beach and my tap water is really hard.
    around 300 TDS.
    Find your sweet spot , and maintain it constant, do the WC when you start to see the motions of courtship, same water parameters just a cooler temperature, to replicate a rain in the wild.
    This is what it works for me . I hope it can help you.
    what I recommend for you to do get a TDS meter and check your water, do the daily WC and bring it every day slowly to the TDS desired like a 75 mean will be good.
    Thanks for the reply Julian I will start changing them into RO water + tap tonight and report back with the results

  7. #7
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Update: my pair just spawned this morning and i've changed 50% of their water to RO water lets see in the next few days if i get a better hatch rate.. Fingers crossed

  8. #8
    Registered Member Pardal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Awesome. Do you happen to know your TDS. or GH by any chance.
    Breeding , interest and goals Wilds Heckels and Cuipeuas and a few Domestics pairs with occasional fry as well as Angels fancy Plecos , corys and shrimps.

  9. #9
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Yeah, the tds was around 350 ppm I'm not sure why its so high but I did accidently overdosed prime when changing to RO water. Out of the tap my tds is 250 and my RO water is 4ppm. Can prime give a false reading? My GH I'm not sure because my GH test kit expired.. Just ordered a new test kit on amazon and should be here on Tuesday.

  10. #10
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Should i continue adding RO water when doing water changes when they are sitting on eggs? Or just use tap water?

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    Registered Member rickmiles's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Should i continue adding RO water when doing water changes when they are sitting on eggs?
    Yes, I use straight RO water. But from just before egg laying to just about hatching my TDS readings are between (about 25 to 75), I get a good hatch rate. It works for me.

    Rick Mileski Sr

  12. #12
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    So it just passed the 24 hour mark and about 1/3 of the eggs have turned white. Looking better than last time

  13. #13
    Registered Member Pardal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Quote Originally Posted by Brotoss View Post
    Should i continue adding RO water when doing water changes when they are sitting on eggs? Or just use tap water?
    Just keep the same parameters, at which they spawn, once you get wrigglers you can slowly start to use aged tap water only for your WC, just make sure the temp matches. and you can be on aged tap water by the time they are free swimmers.
    Breeding , interest and goals Wilds Heckels and Cuipeuas and a few Domestics pairs with occasional fry as well as Angels fancy Plecos , corys and shrimps.

  14. #14
    Registered Member Brotoss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    Update: most of the eggs are gone.... not sure why theres only about 30 left from the 300. This pair are not egg eaters not sure what happened. Going to use a mesh next time they spawn

  15. #15
    Registered Member Pardal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very low hatch rate

    They will figure it out, mean while ensure they are eating well and varied diet. so you get a vigorous spawn. I used to have an old retired pair that were producing smalls spawns, and their trick was live black worms. I am not too incline to advise to do the same, as some people had problem with live black worms and diseases. but a good alternative will be to enrich Al's FDBW with liquid vitamins or SELCOM or any other good vitamin supplement. just looking for the kick. I know that you are using your BH mix FDBW . couldn't tell if you got it all together or they are individual meals. Frozen Brine Shrimp is kind of low in nutrients, although they are a good forage food ,and help with constipation . If you can find them alive , and them enriched them with spirulina or SELCOM for a few hours before to feed your fish will be great. I do raise my own brine shrimp specially in summer time the key is low salinity , good algae and brewers yeast,but that is another topic all together.
    To reiterate , try to improved their diet( not that your feeding is incorrect), just raise the bar a little bit and, maintain stable conditions for their water. remember too soft of the water is as bad as hard water so, watch your RO too.
    Last edited by Pardal; 08-22-2017 at 04:28 PM.
    Breeding , interest and goals Wilds Heckels and Cuipeuas and a few Domestics pairs with occasional fry as well as Angels fancy Plecos , corys and shrimps.

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