My Bulldog Rafflesia pair spawned!

[AlphaFins]

Hello guys, been thinking of registering since a while now but today i finally did because my Rafflesia pair spawned and as a discus newbie (two month since i got my first Discus) i do not know a whole lot than what i have learned through research and youtube, got some help from experienced hobbyist as well.

Anyways more into my project introdution regarding Discus later, the matter at hand is my bulldog rafflesia pair that i have had for 45 days laid eggs 6 hours ago. The male did not exactly followed the female after she spawned and it did not seen like he went up the cone fertilize it, looked more curious and kept blowing at the eggs. After 3 hours i put a protective cover around the eggs (with the best i can come up with a plastic bottle at 3 in the morning) because he really started to aggressively nibble at the eggs and ate some.

I have been keeping fish for 15 years but never kept discus, complete newbie. Any advise would be highly appreciated regarding water changes, temp, feeding, filters, airstones etc. Also, assuming the eggs are infertile how long before they all go white and what's next? Here are some pics and videos.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1A9RKwy1es


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMRl7xtqwcw

[AlphaFins]

So all eggs turned white and were eaten the next two days :(

Guys any advise on what went wrong and how to fix it?

[warblad79]

I like giving advice to fellow hobbyist when it comes to breeding. But in this case I rather not because to be honest I don't like that fish get reproduce.

[LizStreithorst]

I will advise you. Discus enthusiasts do not approve of Bull Dog's so ignore the flack that people will give you.

I need to know about your water. What temp do you keep their tank at? What is your TDS? Do you age your water? How much and how often do you change water.

[Ryan925]

Nice of you to offer advice to someone in need Liz regardless of the feeling on the fish

[AlphaFins]

I like giving advice to fellow hobbyist when it comes to breeding. But in this case I rather not because to be honest I don't like that fish get reproduce.

Do share as to why.


I will advise you. Discus enthusiasts do not approve of Bull Dog's so ignore the flack that people will give you.

I need to know about your water. What temp do you keep their tank at? What is your TDS? Do you age your water? How much and how often do you change water.
Cheers for the reply.

Ok, so i honestly have no idea why the hate towards bulldog discus, so do kindly enlighten me on the subject since im a discus newbie.

Also this pair was given to me by my tenant who had to move overseas and he noticed me being a hobbyist for years and recently 3 months ago i started discus keeping, so he thought i would be the best person to take care of his babies.

The water temperature without the heater is a steady 26, i was using a heater at 30 for a month but some hobbyist suggest i remove them because the temperature here is very hot. I use RO water with 20-40 TDS, i do not age it (though for my other discus, NONE bulldog, i use tap water stored with hypo and areation for a day or two). I do 3 times syphon and 20% water change every day and 50% water change weekly.

[LizStreithorst]

26 is fine for most tropicals but Discus should be warmer. Bump the temp up to 28. A cooler WC won't do you any harm. I actually think that the Discus like it because it simulates the change in water temperature after a good rain. It wouldn't hurt to put an airstone in the container where you keep your RO. It sounds like you're doing everything right. The male is likely young and stupid. He's wise up. Just give him time.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi AlphaFins and welcome to Simply. Some people like bulldogs but many don't. Please do not take it personal. There is a spinal defect which gives a discus the bulldog look. The spine is shorten and it can be quite drastic and can make the fish look really weird. Since some people like the bulldog look some breeders have breed for it and this defect has shown up is some strains today.
Pat

[warblad79]

I don't hate the bulldog but I do dislike the breeder who breed and sell them out in the market. It degrades the true aspect of discus fish. Trust me I'm still nice, some people will tell you to cull it because they looked ugly and boomerang shape.

[kunaldiscus01]

All aquarists are naturalists in the first place,we appreciate nature and its creation.As a purist(my personal opinion) I disregard anything that is not present in nature and has been created with human interference.This is the case with bulldog discus too.There might be a few bulldogs in nature as well,which might be because of deformity,but fish shaped like these should not be endorsed.I and many people,as Pat stated,believe the bulldogs have a severely deformed spine which makes them ugly(no offence please) and they suffer a great deal of pain through their life,as is the case with deformed mouth of blood parrots.Lastly,the name discus represents a fish with disc like shape.Calling these bulldog shaped fish,as discus isnt contradictory? just saying.
I have seen bulldog craze in India,all the new comers get very appealed by their shape(I do not have a clue why).But if you dig a little more you will find,no 'reputable' breeder in Malaysia or India breeds or promotes this kind of fish.

[hollis]

I and many people,as Pat stated,believe the bulldogs have a severely deformed spine which makes them ugly(no offence please) and they suffer a great deal of pain through their life,.

How can you possible know that these discus suffer a great deal of pain throughout their life ?

[AlphaFins]

26 is fine for most tropicals but Discus should be warmer. Bump the temp up to 28. A cooler WC won't do you any harm. I actually think that the Discus like it because it simulates the change in water temperature after a good rain. It wouldn't hurt to put an airstone in the container where you keep your RO. It sounds like you're doing everything right. The male is likely young and stupid. He's wise up. Just give him time.

Yeah i think the male is not mature enough, thanks for the advise :) Let's wait and see.


Hi AlphaFins and welcome to Simply. Some people like bulldogs but many don't. Please do not take it personal. There is a spinal defect which gives a discus the bulldog look. The spine is shorten and it can be quite drastic and can make the fish look really weird. Since some people like the bulldog look some breeders have breed for it and this defect has shown up is some strains today.
Pat

Got it! Ah well i cant put them into the community tank because they will breed there as well if they want, not gonna keep them isolated in seperate thank, wont kill the either. i'll just wait and see what happens :)


All aquarists are naturalists in the first place,we appreciate nature and its creation.As a purist(my personal opinion) I disregard anything that is not present in nature and has been created with human interference.This is the case with bulldog discus too.There might be a few bulldogs in nature as well,which might be because of deformity,but fish shaped like these should not be endorsed.I and many people,as Pat stated,believe the bulldogs have a severely deformed spine which makes them ugly(no offence please) and they suffer a great deal of pain through their life,as is the case with deformed mouth of blood parrots.Lastly,the name discus represents a fish with disc like shape.Calling these bulldog shaped fish,as discus isnt contradictory? just saying.
I have seen bulldog craze in India,all the new comers get very appealed by their shape(I do not have a clue why).But if you dig a little more you will find,no 'reputable' breeder in Malaysia or India breeds or promotes this kind of fish.

I get what you mean. Any strain other than the wild is created by human interference though.


How can you possible know that these discus suffer a great deal of pain throughout their life ?

Im curious about that as well.

[LizStreithorst]

Don't make the excuse that they'll breed in the community tank, too. They will but the fry will be eaten as soon as they free swim. If you want to breed them, go for it! I'd be curious to know how many of the fry are bulldog types.

Personally, I'm a purist. I think that a Discus should be round and that everything about it should contribute to it's round appearance. Not everyone shares my taste. Big deal...But as far as Bulldogs go, yours are pretty nice. There are some with a bent spine. Watch out for any of those in the offspring.

[AlphaFins]

Don't make the excuse that they'll breed in the community tank, too. They will but the fry will be eaten as soon as they free swim. If you want to breed them, go for it! I'd be curious to know how many of the fry are bulldog types.

Personally, I'm a purist. I think that a Discus should be round and that everything about it should contribute to it's round appearance. Not everyone shares my taste. Big deal...But as far as Bulldogs go, yours are pretty nice. There are some with a bent spine. Watch out for any of those in the offspring.

It's not an excuse, of course I'm going to breed them because of 9 tanks of discus that i have now already this is the only ones to try and breed. I was only trying to say that these is no right way to stop them from breeding unless you do something nasty like put in the community tank and let the fry be eaten or put them in isolation. Also i did do some research after some helpful posts here, as long as it does not cause pain or discomfort i dont mind. Ive kept blind and dying fish before because no one wanted to go through the trouble.

Also, like you said i like the patterns and colours of this pair as well, any chance some of the fry will turn out to be round?

[LizStreithorst]

I have no idea. I have never bred them nor do I know anyone who has. It's up to you to tell us what you get.

[AlphaFins]

Will do :)
I have a community tank of 2 blue turquoise two red pandas and two snow whites all breeding sizes, would be interesting if they paired up different.