Holy Canoli - I've got EGGS!

[ericNH]

Woooot! First time I;ve seen this - I just happened to glance at my tank and saw one of my discus acting funny, twitchy, by my magnet - I get closer and thought maybe it was sick - NO! She started running up my magnet laying tiny little orange eggs!!! She's still doing it right now!! There's another guy hanging around with her, eating the eggs, but that's ok - I'm not ready for breeding them. I'm just happy that they're happy enough to spawn!! Woo HOOO!

kyaw06, you rock!! The two that are pairing up in my tank are the two red turqs I just got from you!!! AWESOME!!! Thank you!

I guess cleaning up my tank was the way to go :)

[Jack L]

: )
it is cool to see this behavior, agreed.

[John_Nicholson]

Enjoy.

-john

[ericNH]

Thanks! I just can't believe it! The pair that spawned have been in my tank for 20 days now. Seeing this makes me feel like my tank is much healthier than it used to be. Planted tanks can be beautiful, but not for me. Apparently I need to keep it simple to be successful. I can only imagine what my original discus would be like now if I had removed the substrate and all the various stones and driftwood pieces a year ago!

EGGS! They spawned!! I still can't believe it! Who knows, maybe someday I'll even raise my own fry! Wouldn't *that* be a hoot!

ps - Moderator(s), if you get a chance, would you change the title of this thread from "Homly Canoli - I've got EGGS!" to "Holy Canoli - I've got EGGS!" I was so excited when this happened I just mashed out the post and typo'd. Thanks.

[Second Hand Pat]

Title fixed Eric, eggs for the first time is indeed exciting :D
Pat

[ericNH]

Yes it is exciting for sure! Thank you, Pat!

[Rudustin]

Yes it is exciting for sure! Thank you, Pat!Congratulations! Yes, I must admit the first time I had a spawn it was as if I had conquered a huge step in the caring for discus. Take care. Rufus

[rickztahone]

Watching it happen is awesome, but I give a lot of credit to those that go through with the whole process and actually breed/raise/sell. It hurts my head thinking of all that work, lol. That is why I raise discus, not breed them.

[ericNH]

Congratulations! Yes, I must admit the first time I had a spawn it was as if I had conquered a huge step in the caring for discus. Take care. Rufus

Thanks Rufus :) That's what I feel like! My tank is such a joy for me these days, now that it's all cleaned up and all my discus seem happy and healthy. All those water changes (55g/day x approx 475 days = approx 25,000 gallons water, literally out the window) are finally paying off!


Watching it happen is awesome, but I give a lot of credit to those that go through with the whole process and actually breed/raise/sell. It hurts my head thinking of all that work, lol. That is why I raise discus, not breed them.

Totally awesome whatching it. She wasn't shy at all, I had my face right up to the glass when I was checking out what was happening. And Ricardo, if you ever do breed discus, I'm sure they'll be some of the best discus around :)

[John_Nicholson]

It is amazing how healthy fish behave. Congrats again.

-john

[ericNH]

It is amazing how healthy fish behave. Congrats again.

-john

Thank you John! I mean really, thank you. It was your advice most of all that I was following when I first broke down and started doing real water changes, so I owe my tank's health to you. I take your words here as gospel.

She laid more, and her mate did not eat them this time. There's still a bunch of eggs on the magnet, and the parents are guarding them. But my clown loach keeps hovering around near them, waiting for his chance to strike! I should strike before he does, and remove him from the tank. But I've got nowhere else to put him. I don;t think it really matters though because I don't intend to raise the fry at this time.

[John_Nicholson]

Thanks. I just hope you have continued success.

-john

[ericNH]

I should re-phrase my last post. I owe my tank's health to all of SimplyDiscus. But it's your posts John that stand out most in my mind :)

Couple of pics:

The eggs:
92487

The parents:
92488

Full tank shot:
92489

[fishguy456]

Congrats! that is awesome to hear!!!

[Filip]

Congratulations Eric. I'm sure you enjoy it.
The pair looks very nice.

[ericNH]

Congrats! that is awesome to hear!!!

Thanks, David :) One day I'll be posting in one of your threads, congratulating you on your own spawning pair.


Congratulations Eric. I'm sure you enjoy it.
The pair looks very nice.

Thank you Filip; and yes, I am still quite pleased with this development. Discus laid eggs, in my tank - the tank I did wrong from Day 1! I'm just happy that I'm finally getting it right.

The pair is still guarding the eggs, hanging out by the magnet. The eggs are still orange. I don't know if they're supposed to be orange at this point, or if they were supposed to turn white. Doesn't matter - I'm not at all ready to raise fry. But I wonder of I'll get the so-called "wigglers" before this is all said and done...

[ericNH]

Well, eggs are gone. Eaten by the parents. It was fun while it lasted :S

[John_Nicholson]

It will happen again in few days.

-john

[Pardal]

They will go again for it:)

[fishguy456]

Thanks, David :) One day I'll be posting in one of your threads, congratulating you on your own spawning pair.

I hope so! maybe we will have to do some trades if it ever gets to that point :p

[ssevasta]

If you do decide to give raising a batch of fry a shot, your first step would be to go out and buy yourself a piece of egg crate so you can separate the pair from the rest of the tank inhabitants. That would allow you to keep them in the same tank but at the same time have 75% of the rest of the tank for your other fish and giving your pair some privacy. It's nice doing it that way at first because you don't have to set up and cycle another tank just for your pair. Your also going to need to buy yourself either a teracota pot or a breeding cone for them to lay their eggs on. The magnet isn't the best surface for them to use lol. I have a pair in one of my tanks that insists on trying to lay their eggs on the power cord for my heater that's right next to my bubble wand. Suffice to say the eggs end up getting blown all around the tank.

[ericNH]

I hope so! maybe we will have to do some trades if it ever gets to that point :p

When that day comes it will give me great satisfaction. I'll hold you to it!


It will happen again in few days.

On one hand it would be great to see reinforcement that I may have a true pair, a pair that might one day successfuly spawn fry for me. On the other, the pair have camped out in their corner of the tank, and I wish they were a bit more part of the group, swimming all around. If they lay eggs again I woinder do I have to do anything special for them in terms of feeding? They seem so pre-occupied when guarding the eggs that they're late to the feeding party.


They will go again for it:)

Thanks for the words of encouragement! We'll just have to wait and see if this a fluke, or if they'yre truly comfortable enough to engage in more breeding activity.


If you do decide to give raising a batch of fry a shot, your first step would be to go out and buy yourself a piece of egg crate so you can separate the pair from the rest of the tank inhabitants....Your also going to need to buy yourself either a teracota pot or a breeding cone for them to lay their eggs on...

Thank you for the tips, ssevasta! This is going to sound ridiculous considering the state I let my tank sink to previously, but I would hesitate to go that route as it would disturb the aesthetics of my tank. But you can be sure that when I am ready to try raising fry I'll toss aesthetics out the window with my old fish-water, and that egg-crate and breeding cone will be the way I go!

[Jack L]

i have a pair that keeps spawning, and then eating caviar. happened about 8 times, neat every time. eat time the seems to go longer w/o eating. this last time they didn't eat for several days, all eggs became covered in a white fuzz, then they ate them at about day 4 or 5. which i think from reading here that they would have hatched by then if they were going to.

[ssevasta]

Jack have you ever checked the hardness of your water?

[Jack L]

Yeah
GH, kh and TDS
I've never tried to breed them but i was just discussing with another non discuss hobbyist if that may play role in hatch

[mkng07]

Congrats Eric! I am waiting eagerly for mine to show eggs. I hope I am lucky like you :) Gluck!

[ssevasta]

There is a relationship between water hardness and hatch rates. Basically higher hardness results in lower hatch rates. I think past a certain point you won't have any eggs hatch. A lot of breeders will dilute their water with Ro when they have a pair in a 20g breeder tank. Raising the discus in hard water isn't a problem but breeding them is.

[Jack L]

I was doing RO with expensive add backs and was running tds of 250
Kh 2 and GH 4
I've since switched to 50/50 and it now runs 150tds, kh 3-4 and gh around 5-6

[ericNH]

Well I think my water must be very hard because minerals calcify like crazy here. More eggs were laid a couple of days ago and have since disappeared. So it looks like y'all were right - they've done it again, and look like they'll keep doing it. Probably fattening up my clown loach...

[ssevasta]

Yea jack that's the general idea to just use a mixture whether it be 75/25 Ro to Tap or 50/50. Using additives isn't necessary and it's gonna put a major strain on your wallet over time. This isn't a cheap hobby to begin with lol

[Jack L]

Well I think my water must be very hard because minerals calcify like crazy here. More eggs were laid a couple of days ago and have since disappeared. So it looks like y'all were right - they've done it again, and look like they'll keep doing it. Probably fattening up my clown loach...

the mom was eating the eggs in my case
they just age another huge batch the other day, and it looks like they are about to spawn again.

i'm not going out of my way to try to get them to hatch yet. i'm hoping they do it solo

[Jack L]

Yea jack that's the general idea to just use a mixture whether it be 75/25 Ro to Tap or 50/50. Using additives isn't necessary and it's gonna put a major strain on your wallet over time. This isn't a cheap hobby to begin with lol

it also got annoying measuring out 3 different powders.

i'll see how the plants do w/ the 50/50 mix. i don't think fish care either way.