Breeding Bonanza

[MarktheShark3]

I have a pair of Discus where the female has deposited eggs on an inlet pipe every 5-6 days over the past 4 weeks and the male has fertilised them each time. I have a problem in that when the eggs hatch the fry cling onto the pipe and do not seem to leave it. They seem to succumb to fatigue and die.

On the 3rd occasion where the eggs had hatched I removed 5-6 fry from the inlet pipe and placed them in a floating breeding box. Boiled egg yolk was placed into this box but they would not leave the vertical surface they were clinging to. As a result the fry died.

I am beginning to wonder what I may be doing wrong, if anything, to cause the fry to die. I have never seen discus breed so often and be so dedicated to watching over their fry only for it to end negatively every time.

There is now a 4th round of fry (see attached photo). Could I get any tips for how to ensure that they have the best chance of surviving?

[coralbandit]

It helps if everything else in tank is very light colored as the fry are attracted to dark objects..
The pipe looks black? They don't feel the need to leave or no matter how dark the parents get it is not darker then the pipe ?
It took my discus 5-6 times to get it right so you may not be doing anything wrong and just need to let them get it right ?
I would pull the pipe and use a sponge filter and offer the pair a breeding cone to lay eggs on also ..

[MarktheShark3]

It helps if everything else in tank is very light colored as the fry are attracted to dark objects..
The pipe looks black? They don't feel the need to leave or no matter how dark the parents get it is not darker then the pipe ?
It took my discus 5-6 times to get it right so you may not be doing anything wrong and just need to let them get it right ?
I would pull the pipe and use a sponge filter and offer the pair a breeding cone to lay eggs on also ..

If they are attracted to black then that does explain why they will not leave the inlet pipe! The tip of the female seems to go lighter in colour, or maybe it is an illusion, and the rest of her is going darker, to attract the fry. I guess as the inlet pipe is darker they will not leave it in exchange for her!

I do have a spawning cone, which I hope they will appreciate as much as the inlet pipe so I'll put that in.

Is it practical for me to try and waft the existing fry over to a brighter surface like the cone if I put it in?

[coralbandit]

Not sure if you can move them successfully or not .
My experience is when they fall off the cone the parents spit them back onto it !
Some how they eventually find the parents if they are going to survive but I don't really know how ..I was just as shocked as anyone to see the parents spit them back on the cone and not on each other ?
Many even place white panty hose over the dark sponge filters and I myself move the sponges and heater [mine is black] as far away from the fry as possible before they attach to the parents .
IMO this is why so many paint their tans white on 3 sides and the bottom? I am fairly new to the round fish but my pair has finally raised two sets of fry successfully ..Took about 9 months after I got them at 3 inches to get it right with first spawn having 40 survivors and the second near 100 .