Increasing Spawn size

[tom.s]

I just got my first pair of Discus spawning. The pair is Cobolt Blues. I am getting a good hatch rate. Getting around 80 to 100 fry each spawn. But after reading the other posts on this site. I have been reading that others are getting alot larger spawns. Is this common with the Cobolts, or is this due to them being a young pair? In Angelfish, I have bred for many years, I get very large spawns. Sometimes 400 to 500 per spawn. Thanks for your advice.
Tom & Linda
Angelfish World

[Carol_Roberts]

If your female is laying 200 eggs, but only 100 are hatching then your water may hard or male young, not doing his job, etc.

If your female lays 100 eggs and 95% are hatching then your male is doing his job and maybe the female needs a break from spawning or maybe more live food or maybe has worms or maybe she is getting old

[BLUEKNIGHT]

Feeding Live CBW will also increase the spawn size.

[bmrin1]

Live food and some time off may be all that is needed.
Brian

[tom.s]

Hi Carol,
This is a young pair. About two years old. I have raised them from babies at dime size. I bought these and others from a breeder back in Febuary of 2001. I feed Beefheart, Frozen brine, flake,And some red worms. My PH is about 7.5, MC is 220. She is laying around 100 eggs, with 85 to 90 are hatching. And I have been thinking of feeding some black worms too. But I'm worried about picking up something bad from them. Thanks All
Tom & Linda
Angelfish world

[Carol_Roberts]

I started feeding CBW daily last summer and have not had a problem with disease or parasites.

[Brad NC]

Tom,
There was a post from Dan at Aquatic Foods a while back. Look in the food section. Somewhere there is test evidence of the cleanliness of cbw's too.

Brad -

[Rick_May]

Tom & Linda,
I worried about the same thing. All I can say is try it. IMO I don't think their is a better food for discus, short of screening the Rio Nigro for food. True, I'd guess the chance of getting some nasty is higher if you feed BW but the benefits far out weight the risk. I've never had anything occur that I could track to feeding Black Worms, in fact my fish are so much healthier with them in their diet.

[tom.s]

Hi all,
I just ordered some black worms. How many times, a day, a week, or a month, should these be feed?

[Brad NC]

I feed once a day, others do twice. The more you feed the more expensive they get and I just don't have the resources being a student and all.

Brad -

[limige]

feed them as much as they like ;D

they don't pollute the water or die, so they just crawl around the bottom waiting to get eaten!!!!

i've had no problems with this method. my fish all get 95% CBW diet.

[Carol_Roberts]

You have to be careful Limige. The discus will eat the cbw until they are all gone. They don't save them for later.

Everyday at noon I fill a Nyquil cup up with cbw and go from tank to tank forking them in. A few weeks ago a big clump fell in one tank . . I thought, Oh well, what will it hurt. . . . Five hours later when I returned from work, they had turned dark and were breathing rapidly in the back of the tank. Epsom salt and no food for 24 hours brought them right back . . . . but I'm not going to give them another opportunity to eat themselves to death

[April]

Carol.....im proud of you...using the fork. lol.
hope its colour coded.
for fish use only.
works great right?
my fish never overeat....if i give them too much.
also gotta watch if high heat.they turn white.
and white worms are deadly. pure ammonia. i know someone who killed her fish like this.
so...what they devour in one sitting is best.