My fish spawn hahaha

[architect1]

Yeah if ever my baby blue dimonds spawn.

I just got home and theres a cluster of eggs all on the intake for my aqua clear filter. How can you tell if there furtilized to?

All I have to say is there all red theres some white but no fungis. Any suggestions? Its in a 55 gallon comunity tank. They protect them and all. Please help.

[AmberC]

Congrats on the spawn! :D

If the eggs turn white, they are not fertilized. Good luck with the spawn and fry!

Amber

[Timbo]

co-inkydinky...my bd's spawned last week too, also on an aquaclear intake!

[AADiscus]

You will see a little black dot in the middle of the egg if they are fertile. Your chances of survival in a community tank are very little though.

[mickeyG]

My bd layed a ton of eggs this week and then ate them all. So it looks like you already got farther than I did!!

Congrats!!!!!!

Michael

[architect1]

Ok I notice she fans them but not up close like my angels. I put a barrier in the tnak so its just the 2 of them. I also put a big chunk of redish orange slate.

The eggs are orange now not whit not red but orange. Any more suggestions and input. I'm surprised that theres not fungis on them like what happend to my Angels eggs and the Oscars. So thats a good sign.

If anyone has a pic from frist lay to the day they are abou hatch that would be nice. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch 24 hours? like with angels?

[AmberC]

It takes about 3 days. The color of the eggs can vary depending on the colors of the fish. Mine were always pink.

Amber

[architect1]

I also forgot that barb told me to put a spunge on my filters inlet to keep crap out. I noticed the water is alot cleaner and the filters stay cleaner longer to.

I might be aquireing a new 120gallon tank so what I'm going to do is strip the 2 tanks I have now when the other ones set up and clean them both down and have 1 tank as a show tank, one as a breeding bb tank and the other as a grow out. Its all hopes and dreams but back to spawning. lol

How can you tell whos the male or female? I have bd thats normal color and another one who fades to a black tinge? I thought I heard that the female is blacker than the male or the other way around.

[architect1]

OK Insted of starting a new fourm. I was wonding for a cuple thinkgs. I have my pair of blue dimonds alone. There in a 55 gollon tank. these eggs lasted the whole 24hours. Its the first batch to do so.

They just finished eating them. The eggs where clear till about 18h then one by one they turned yellow. The discus are about 14 months old. I think I have had them for a year and they where 2.5" when I got them.

Is the male still to young to fertilize them? Or what? What do you Pros think.

[killerchevelle]

What were your water parameters ??? and what do you do for water changes ??? Temp....

[architect1]

30% 2 times a week. Ph 7.4 nitrite 0, Nitrate 15, amonina 0. The eggs don't even get fungis on them they just turn white.

[Elite Aquaria]

How can you tell whos the male or female? I have bd thats normal color and another one who fades to a black tinge? I thought I heard that the female is blacker than the male or the other way around.

The female will have a thicker tube and the male will have a shorter pointy tube. When in breeding form the color of both fish should intensify.

Look at this post ==> http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=49805

See how the female has a thicker more blunt tube. The males is not visible in these pictures but it is thinner and pointed.

Also your PH is to high. You will want to keep it around 6.4 to 6.8

Good luck
Dan

[architect1]

How do i lower my ph I'm not using any cemicals. Its naturally at 7.2 - 7.4. I also hear using cemicals to lower it is not healthy. Thank you for the link and help. Any more Ideas.

[Elite Aquaria]

I use Muriatic Acid...and yes it is dangerous but so is driving a car if you are not careful. My PH out of my tap water is 7.9 and one capful lowers a 40 gallon breeder (about 50 gallons of water) tank down to about 6.4. Since my water is very soft I use a handful of Crushed Coral in a box filter to buffer and stabilize the PH.

[architect1]

Oh wow. Now do you do this with the discus in it? and how long does the PH stay like this? Crushed coral is it dead or alive? Got any pics of the coral.

[Elite Aquaria]

I never add the Muriatic Acid directly to the discus tank. I use a storage tank. PH is very stable in my tanks. The Coral is dead...it is just used to add some hardness so the PH does not crash. Coral looks like tank gravel. You can buy it at any Pet shop that sells salt water fish.

Dan

[pcsb23]

Before you go messing with the water parameters, measure your GH and KH. A ph of 7.4 will be fine provided your water is not too hard. KH is more relevant than ph. A kh between 3 and 6 will be fine, higher than that and fertilisation rates start get lower. There are plenty of people here who breed with ph in the 7.6 to 7.8 range.

[architect1]

Wow more work then I really want to do. I don't have the room for the storange tanks. I will need a house to do this. Or I guess i could use a rubermade tub and change the water in there but what would I do to hold the discus and slowly introduce them to the lower ph?

[Elite Aquaria]

Before you go messing with the water parameters, measure your GH and KH. A ph of 7.4 will be fine provided your water is not too hard. KH is more relevant than ph. A kh between 3 and 6 will be fine, higher than that and fertilisation rates start get lower. There are plenty of people here who breed with ph in the 7.6 to 7.8 range.


Good Point...I agree...I have not had much luck at Higher PH Levels. As you stated it depends on how hard your water is...

Dan

[architect1]

She just laid some more egggs. And she is becomming a real good parent. Him on the other hand he rather eat. I eally don't know what to do. I don't have any tanks to put them in to lower there tanks ph. Poor baby she works so hard only to fail at the end. What if My watter is soft then could that be a possiblity fer them to hatch?

[Elite Aquaria]

As per Paul, Just go buy a hardness test kit and find out if you have soft or hard water. It would be better to buy a conductivity meter but if you do not want to make the investment go to your local pet shop and pick up an KH/GH test kits. It does not cost that much.

Good luck
Dan

[architect1]

Alright I will Up date till then they can keep laying and eating the eggs. Thank you for your help.

[pedsdoc]

Architect1,
It sounds like you have the same problems I did...I have my discus at work, and don't have a lot of storage space. I used 20 gal rubbermaid container with heater and airstone to "age" water and then a pond pump to do my water changes (about 2x/wk). Works great! I am "blessed" with soft water (0 Kh/GH, pH6.8) and I have had the best luck with temps between 84-86 degrees F. If you can set up an aging tank and use some coral and acid, you should have happier fish. My BT's have spawned 2 times since I bought them (4-5 inch BT pair and 4 inch Leopard wilds) using my driftwood (which also lowers and stabilzes(?) my pH. I have had them less than 2 months, and previous owner had not seen breeding behaviors before.
Now...whatever to do with the poor fry. So far they have been "dinner". I just don't have the space/time to raise them.