Can't get my pair to breed

[hunboy]

first of all, hi from Scotland folks..... I'm new here but not to Discus.......

I'm wondering if any of you can help with this problem I have.....

I've got 2 Discus to pair off after a while....I'm trying to induce spawning by the usual methods of colder water changes, but I'm getting no luck. One fish is 100% male (the female died), and the other I'm almost 99.99% sure shes a female.

Thing is they just won't breed....tried everthing I can think of. Can anyone else shed light onto this subject?

Willied

[Barb Newell]

Hi Willied, welcome to Simply Discus!!!!

In answer to your question, I'd place them back in the community tank where they will hopefully re-pair.

Barb

[hunboy]

Hi Barb, way cool name by the way....

Theres a problem with your method barb, my community tank is now cardinal only. (about 1000 of the lil blighters).

What I'll do is put the pair into a tank in my f.h that has some of my 'projects' in. Maybe the extra competion will trigger the old instincts.

Willied

[fishman]

willie, are you sure they are a pair? if so, and you really want the ultimate trick to spawn them, wait until a storm begins to pass over your house, that will lower barometrick pressure, do about a 50-70% water change with cold water, this will simulate in some ways the natural rainy season. beforehand make sure the fish have plenty of good food preferably live. if that doesn't do it nothing will.

[american breeder]

willie, are you sure they are a pair? if so, and you really want the ultimate trick to spawn them, wait until a storm begins to pass over your house, that will lower barometrick pressure, do about a 50-70% water change with cold water, this will simulate in some ways the natural rainy season. beforehand make sure the fish have plenty of good food preferably live. if that doesn't do it nothing will.
DONT EVER DO WHAT THIS MAN SIGGESTS

never use cold water

getting discus to spawn does not need such extreme measures and is a sure way
to cause your fish to crash

lower water temp by a few degress is what is meant
not dumping cold water onto your fish

never lower temp more than a few degrees

if u condition your fish correctly
no need for all these old wives tales

M

[Green Country Discus]

:D

[hunboy]

Hi folks....

Your advice is much appreciated. I've sat watching my 'new' pair for the past few hours (my woman thinks i'm mad), and just noticed the 'bowing' ritual begin its first stage. Its definately a male checkerboard p.b and a female blue diamond. The male is an old hand at this, while I've grown on the diamond so I'm putting it down to her inexperience.......hopefully he'll show her the ropes soon enough....

I reckon my impatience got the better of me.......

Never mind thou a nice checkerboard pigeon blood x blue diamond cross sounds very nice to me.

Willied

[hunboy]

[QUOTE=AMERICAN BREEDER]DONT EVER DO WHAT THIS MAN SIGGESTS

never use cold water

Emmmmmmmm Mr American Breeder, If I was to divulge some of my breeding techniques/methods to you, you'd say the same about me, ban me from ever posting again and well basically ridicule me........

I know your going to hang me for writing this, but when do water change's I just
open the valve on my sump, drain the water and pour in water straight from the
cold water tap. No RO's, no carbon, no heating. Ever since I did this, (due to me being Scottish, having a bad hangover from watching too much football and drinking beer, and being soooooooo lazy due to the ill effects, I did a quick change via the tap.....)

Basically I ditched all my expensive, high tech equipment and used the KISS method. Now, disease and fungus are a thing of the past, my death rates are practicallly zero and I have more time......

Willied (waiting for the aftermath to hit after that post)

[american breeder]

[QUOTE=AMERICAN BREEDER]DONT EVER DO WHAT THIS MAN SIGGESTS

never use cold water

Emmmmmmmm Mr American Breeder, If I was to divulge some of my breeding techniques/methods to you, you'd say the same about me, ban me from ever posting again and well basically ridicule me........

I know your going to hang me for writing this, but when do water change's I just
open the valve on my sump, drain the water and pour in water straight from the
cold water tap. No RO's, no carbon, no heating. Ever since I did this, (due to me being Scottish, having a bad hangover from watching too much football and drinking beer, and being soooooooo lazy due to the ill effects, I did a quick change via the tap.....)

Basically I ditched all my expensive, high tech equipment and used the KISS method. Now, disease and fungus are a thing of the past, my death rates are practicallly zero and I have more time......

Willied (waiting for the aftermath to hit after that post)
the hour has come
and all the finery has been put away
the beer mugs have been washed
and hung to dry

the fish still swimming in icey soup
the moors are laden with maggots and flys
Willied the scott, the eyre down dandered

[hunboy]

We've even got Rabbie Burns posting now....:D

I use pretty unorthidox methods MR A.B, but its a collection of alot of peoples hardwork, and I've borrowed some bits form here and some from there....

I've recently started to type up my discus diarys (logbooks) and I'm starting to wonder bout certain things... maybe one day I'll publish my 10 page join the dot discus book....then again, maybe noo :angel:

[tpl*co]

Hi Willied, welcome to Simply Discus!!!!

In answer to your question, I'd place them back in the community tank where they will hopefully re-pair.

Barb


LOL, Barb

I've tried this on discus that weren't pairing like I wanted. I have a red turq. that seems to prefer red heads (pigeon based). From posts I've read that crosses of barred to pigeon are bad with peppering so I tried to break my RT habit of picking red girls. Well, I split up my tanks so that all my pigeons were in one (very boring all that red/orange though in the community tank :)) and my barred in the other. Well it seemed like my girl pigeon paired off with a white pigeon so I thought it was safe to put in my RT again. The pigeons were even chasing the RT I reintroduced in the tank like they were a pair.

Until the next day...

Sampson, my RT, became head of the tank again (he originally grew up in this tank), bumped the white pigeon and paired of with a red fish again and they are both keeping the other discus in a corner :(. I may have to move Sampson again for good, but of course he's a lot happier in this tank (colors brighter, bars not out and of course he's head fish with red girlfriends, LOL).

So, I guess I have to keep my RT away from pigeons? Does anybody else have fish that show color preferences in mates?

[Willie]

hunboy;

We don't breed discus. They breed themselves and they do it when they feel like it. Lots of old wives' tales out there: low pressure, cold temperature, etc. If fish don't breed, then none of those work. If they want to spawn, you can't stop them. If you have blue diamonds, they will not spawn for 24 months. Chances of having only two discus and they pair off is slim to none. Have patience and enjoy your fish. If you want breeding pairs, start with a lot of discus.

Good luck, Willie

[fishman]

i wasn't suggesting dumping icy water into the tank! when i said cold, i'm talking 5-10 degrees colder, just to simulate the colder rainwater that would be falling into the warmer water like in the amazon.