A Good Sign?

[Pick]

For 6 months my RT/PB pair have been laying eggs and eating the 1 day old freeswimmers about 3 times a month. I just moved the 1st of October and got more serious about daily 30% W/C's and feeding 2 or 3 times a day. They laid when they had been moved only 4 days but the pH had crashed prior to moving and I had only gotten it up to about 4.5 when they laid.

They ate those right on schedule. They laid and ate the next right on schedule. The pH is not stable yet but runs about 5 to 6. They laid again on Friday but this time there were more like 150 eggs instead of the usual 100. After feeding I began to clean the tank and do the W/C and in addition to the pushing around the PB (female) does as I get close to the eggs, after I was all the way in the opposite corner she flew over and knocked the crap out of my hand. Perhaps she won't be as interested in eating these. There were about 5 eggs that had turned white so it could be a large spawn.

TC

[Discus_KC]

Got the fingers crossed Terry !!!!!

Jack

[DarkDiscus]

Terry,

Good luck! Hopefully it just took a while and she's ready to be a mom now!

John

PS. OF course the reason she was so hostile to your hand might be that she was afraid YOU would eat the eggs first!

;D

[Pick]

Yeah, theres enough to put on a couple of crackers with some horse radish mustard.

They're still there this morning. Probably be free swimming Friday evening/Sat morning. She bit me last night! They raised several spawns off their sides for 2 - 3 weeks back when they first started. Hoping they remember!

TC

[Pick]

Well, it looked great for a while. Over 100 fat wigglers, 20 or so free swimmers going between the parents and the parents spitting them back on the cone.

All gone the next evening.

I think I'll have a beer. ::)

TC

[crazy4discus]

goodluck

[paulmat]

All I can say TC is patience my friend, just when your ready to give up on them they will suprise you !!!!!!

Paul :guitarist:

[April]

the fact they got further this time is a good sign....and...they are being protective.
now...see if its just one eating or both. quite often its the female....in that case you can remover her..and let him raise.
my fish when young got jealous over who carried the fry...then the mother ate them and they had a big fight. so i pulled her...and he happily raised them.
so see if you can watch.....and pull one. worth a try.

[RyanH]

This is exactly the problem I've been having with one of my pairs. They will fight over who takes care of the fry and the mother ends up eating them. I intend to remove her after their next spawn, once the eggs become wigglers, and let the male raise them. If that doesn't work I'll try to remove him. I guess all we can do is tinker until we find a system that works. :)

[April]

my mother got better after a few times. well actually i pulled that mom and used my other female with him and they got along way better. but hed nip at her fins till she gave him the fry to carry. then a few times after....no more nipping and they got it downpat. so....sometimes time also.
yes lots of fiddling.
then..at 2 weeks the mother got really irritated when they started exploring the bottom and got mad at them. so out she came. so they have different tolerance levels. all are different. at about 2.5 weeks..he was getting stressed looking so out he came. lots of watching .

[limige]

you know, it's funny, none of my pairs have attacked me or the syphon tube when they have eggs down or fry on their back, sometimes they come to investigate or they just stear clear but never attack me. i've heard many people say how aggressive they get but i only see them aggressive toward other fish. it seems some females will be allowed near but some not. weird...

anyway, are you sure it's not something little bothering them into eating the wrigglers....
do you leave the tank light off and a room light on 24/7?
do they have a veiw of any other tanks and/or fish?
anything else that might distract them or make them uneasy?

good luck, sounds like they almost got it down!

[Pick]

Yeah,

Cary told me to pull her 3 months ago but life has been and still is just to crazy for me to fool with it. Maybe later this month.

TC