I'm trying again

[LizStreithorst]

Some of my crew in the 100 gallon Discus tank started acting in the family mood. One female choosing from among 3 determined suitors. These fish play at wanting to breed all the time, but suddenly things got serious. A pair spawned and I did nothing. The pair guarded those eggs until well after they turned white from my hardish water.

It happened again last week and this time I couldn't deny my heart. I get so much quiet joy in seeing tiny babies attach to their parents. Some of the wigglers are trying to break free now, but they're not quite ready.

I expect the great insurrection to take place tomorrow morning. The parents will try to stick the tiny ones back on the cone where they think that they can take care of them properly. But the tiny ones need their parents in a different way. The insurrection is most successful when their are so many kids breaking loose that the parents don't have a chance. I only have 50 to 75 and the albinos among them don't stand a chance. But if the kids are healthy and vigorous as they should be I will see them attach.

[dwilder]

Awesome

[danotaylor]

Shweet Liz :thumbsup:

[Shan_Evolved]

Get it mama bear!

[Second Hand Pat]

Hope it all works out Liz, I get that same quiet joy out of watching fry with their parents. I am working with the third batch from the F1 Cuipeua pair. The first two ended in dismal failure. With the first batch I made some changes and am hopeful they make it pass the five week mark. Four weeks old today and all is well.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Good luck with them Pat. As for mine, it's not looking good so far. Kids scattered all over the tank. But we'll see. They only mutinied a couple of hours ago.

[Second Hand Pat]

Good luck with them Pat. As for mine, it's not looking good so far. Kids scattered all over the tank. But we'll see. They only mutinied a couple of hours ago.

Thanks Liz, I know that feeling Liz. Guessing you know this but I found lowing the water to just above the height of the cone really helps. For the really wayward ones I would suck them in a bit of airline tubing and squirt them next to the parents.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

I lowered the water level last night when I did WC. Right now I have their tank light and the overhead lights turned off. If that doesn't help I'll start sucking them up as you suggest.

[Second Hand Pat]

I lowered the water level last night when I did WC. Right now I have their tank light and the overhead lights turned off. If that doesn't help I'll start sucking them up as you suggest.

Crossing body parts Liz that it all works out.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

The parents aren't even dark for them. It won't be a great disappointment if it doesn't work out. They have some younger siblings that aren't far from breeding age. I might get lucky with a pair of those when they get a bit older.

[seanyuki]

What discus strains are you breeding these days ?

[LizStreithorst]

The same old ones that I've been breeding for years. They go back to a domestic RSG male and a spotted blue scorpion female.

[seanyuki]

Thanks for the updates Mama Bear.


The same old ones that I've been breeding for years. They go back to a domestic RSG male and a spotted blue scorpion female.

[CliffsDiscus]

Liz, good luck with this batch hopefully the babies will attach. Try forcing the parents to shimmy by taping on the tank wall this will signal the fry back to the parents, also cut off the air for a few minutes.


Cliff

[LizStreithorst]

I'll try the tapping, Cliff. I took the sponge out and replaced it with an air stone bubbling slowly. I'll take it out for a bit. Dad does seem to have attracted a few kids.

[pastry]

You've got my interest, Liz! Would love to see how it goes :) Hope all's well!!!

[LizStreithorst]

I'll know more tomorrow. There are very few fry. Some of them take a bite from their parents some of them are still swimming aimlessly around the tank. It's much easier when you have multitudes and they swarm the parents in one fell swoop. When you start with few sometimes you end up with very few or none.

In a way it's strange because mom was tending to the cone and dad was attacking me through the glass whenever I came near the tank. Things changed once they started to swim free.

[LizStreithorst]

This morning I have maybe 5 fry pretty well attached. Back in the day I wouldn't even have bothered messing with just 5 but now is not then. As long as the parents continue to accept these I will take care of them.

There are several reasons I have not given up on these fish. Firstly I am very pleased with their quality. Also, I have an emotional attachment to them. The original fish came from a group of show fish that Ryan imported that I won here from an auction he put up on Simply. They were the most beautiful fish I had ever seen offered for sale. I would like to buy more, and keep looking but I have not seen anything that really rings my bell except for some wild RSG's that are way more that I can afford.

I have a group of 7 that are getting close to breeding age and another group of 3 1/2" juvies that are growing out. Hope springs eternal...

[LizStreithorst]

I still have my 5 little kids. They're growing so I know they're getting enough to eat even though they're not constantly stuck to the parents. I tossed them a tad of BBS this morning even though they may well still be too small to eat it. I want to get them eating ASAP because if the pair decides to spawn again I'll feel OK about moving the them to their own tank. I have a 5 gallon tank I can put them in.

[LizStreithorst]

Naw. They ate the 5 kids and spawned again without warning.