what should be the w/c routine in a breeding tank ?

[Yunus]

my breeding pair are very jumpy / edgy . every time i enter the room they run in the corner behind the filter .
now for the 4th time they have spawned ( they ate the eggs last three times).
i fear that doing w/change will stress them and they will eat the eggs again.
the eggs are now 12 hrs old.
any suggestions people?

[Alan]

Put a board to cover the front of the tank. That way, they won't be disturbed and spooked as much.

It may be quite late already since the practice of putting MB or Maroxy is usually done 45 mins. to an hour after the spawn. But since it's still in it's 12th hour, you can still try to put a wire mesh in front of the eggs. This will prevent them from eating them but still give them a chance to see them and "fan" them. The usual combination is to put MB or Maroxy to prevent a fungus outbreak on the eggs, then put the wire mesh. The mesh will prevent the fish from cleaning the eggs but the MB or Maroxy will prevent certain types of fungi, present in your water, to invade the eggs.

If you have to do a W/C, make sure the water parameters are about the same as what's in the tank.

[Yunus]

hi alan
do u mean METHYL blue . i have "Rrid All " make Mb .
how many drops to put in a 19 gallon tank ?
Thanks

[1977]

With a breeding pair I only feed once a day, sometimes 2 times but they should only need 1 change a day and when the eggs are laid I back off to just cleaning the crap off the bottom and moving on. That means little change and little disturbance(maybe 10% change). I use meth blue but never heard of rid it, I can tell you that after I use meth blue you can barely see the pair in the tank its so blue. It's very dark blue when I finish, better safe than sorry.

[AADiscus]

Yunus,

You have some choices to choose from. Everyone does their breeders different.

1. Feed them lightly, light wc
2. No food, no wc for a couple days
3. Keep everything as normal

#1 might work for me and not you. #3 might work for you and not me. See what I'm saying. Try feeding them lightly with a small wc. If that doesn't work, try a different way next time. See what works for you and go from there.

ps......I lightly feed with the light wc until the freeswimmers are a couple days old. Then everyone goes to normal feeding and wc's.

[Alan]

Yes, MB is Methylene Blue. I read somewhere that it's 1 fl. ounce per 50 gallons. I spray it directly on the eggs. Sometimes I only use half the dose.

To make it more complicated based on what AADiscus posted, different pairs require something different . What may work for you may not work for your fish. So, if it didn't work the first time, try something a little bit different the next. That's just how it is - a test of patience.

[Yunus]

thank u for the input.
sadly they ate the eggs again 4th time now .
i noticed that they fan the eggs and as the hours go by i see fewer eggs.
after laying eggs on day 2 the count goes down slowly but surely by the third day its all over , its not like they have a go right away .. more like they snack on the eggs little by little . i did feed lightly and do a 30% w/c on day two .
next time ill put in the MB and put a mesh or an air stone
what say u people ?

[lauren0626]

If they are a young pair they will need more practices. Just give them time and they will eventually get it right.
Good luck next time!

[AADiscus]

Do you know which fish is eating the eggs? If you can pull out the one that is the eater and place in your community tank, then maybe see if you get wigglers. Keep trying though. It takes lots of patience!!!!!!!!!!

[Pat]

Try covering the eggs to see if they are fertile. If they are fertile and are getting fungus on the eggs then treat with mb I always use a syringe with 2cc and put the dose right on top of the eggs. Then do small water changes to keep the bottom clean and slowly take the mb out of the tank. You may also want to consider where the tank is located if they are spooky. Best of luck and let us know how it turns out Pat

[Alan]

[quote=Yunus]
next time ill put in the MB and put a mesh or an air stone
quote]

...put a mesh and an air stone...

[Yunus]

thank u all for the in put.
i shall try to watch out for the "eater " and put an air stone and a mesh .
until next week hopefully if they spawn again .

[ShinShin]

I do not vary my routine because a spawn has taken place.It is still 40% daily, unless the female laid her eggs too high up on the glass. If so, I then lower the water level to just above the eggs.

Mat