Can you stop discus spawning?

[zigster999]

Hi all.
I have a breeding pair of [bd x red checkerboard] raised from pups. They are brother and sister. They share a community tank with another breeding pair (blue diamond and gold crystal), tetras and various catfish.

They paired off back in January (at maybe 10 months old) and have been laying eggs constantly since then. The fry (generally round 20-30 tops) never get past the free swimmer stage as the tetras like the taste of discus. So they lay, hatch, have the free swimmers eaten and within 2-3 days of that are back to laying eggs. The other pair have laid maybe 4 broods in that time but don't have a clue about raising kids, so their fry rarely make it to the hatch stage.

Tank parameters are pH 6.0, ammonia 0.2, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, temp round 29C. 20% water change every five days. Heavily planted tank.

I'm not all that concerned about raising fry but it'd be nice to stop the constant fights between those defending their eggs and those wanting a carefree swim. So, how do you stop discus breeding? :confused:

I've tried dropping the temp to 26 but that didn't make any difference. I'd appreciate any advice at this stage. :crazy:
Thanks
Adrian

[Roxanne]

...guess you'll have to split them up....pull the girls to another tank or vice versa....if you raise the ph the eggs won't hatch but it won't stop them breeding as far as I know..


Roxanne

[mmorris]

Are any of the discus struggling or stressed because of the fighting? For example, not eating, hiding, shoved tightly into a corner for long periods of time? If not, I would let them be and see if they sort it out on their own.

[Roxanne]

... but if they are going to keep spawning, they will continue to defend, hence the aggression.....

Roxanne

[poconogal]

At one point I had 3 spawning pairs in my 75, with a total of 10 Discus. When one pair would spawn, they took 1/2 the tank, the rest learned to stay in the other half until the wrigglers got eaten. When all 3 pairs were spawning at the exact same time, the remaining 4 Discus found a place to stay to avoid being beat up. They'll work it out. But this is exactly why I don't want any of that hanky panky going on in my tank, either. Unfortunately, there's no way to stop it! :D

[zigster999]

I only have the one tank so shifting isn't an option.

The fish have worked it all out to a degree...there seems to be a line drawn in the sand where you won't/will get bashed, and the diamond and crystal rarely cross it. But I really wanted a nice display tank with a few discus parading majestically back and forth and it's not happening.

Annoying extra is that the [bd x rc] pair have magnificent blue colour veins, vivid red eyes and quite noticeable stress bars so they look lovely. But they are always clustered round their eggs in a back corner. Instead I have the crystal (which is quite spotty) and the rather plain (if well coloured) diamond at the front of the tank.

Ah well, thanks anyway all.

[Patr1ck]

Hi all.
I have a breeding pair of [bd x red checkerboard] raised from pups. They are brother and sister. They share a community tank with another breeding pair (blue diamond and gold crystal), tetras and various catfish.

They paired off back in January (at maybe 10 months old) and have been laying eggs constantly since then. The fry (generally round 20-30 tops) never get past the free swimmer stage as the tetras like the taste of discus. So they lay, hatch, have the free swimmers eaten and within 2-3 days of that are back to laying eggs. The other pair have laid maybe 4 broods in that time but don't have a clue about raising kids, so their fry rarely make it to the hatch stage.

Tank parameters are pH 6.0, ammonia 0.2, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, temp round 29C. 20% water change every five days. Heavily planted tank.

I'm not all that concerned about raising fry but it'd be nice to stop the constant fights between those defending their eggs and those wanting a carefree swim. So, how do you stop discus breeding? :confused:

I've tried dropping the temp to 26 but that didn't make any difference. I'd appreciate any advice at this stage. :crazy:
Thanks
Adrian

Where is your water source?

Pat

[zigster999]

Water source is straight from the tap. It's pH 7.0, 0 nitrites and ammonia and about 2 nitrate. Adelaide tap water, which is supposedly world renowned; Adelaide and Aden are the 2 major spots in the world where visiting ships don't take on drinking water.
Reasonably hard (140?) and about the same in the tank, but I haven't softened the water for them for over a year, especially since the several lfs that I frequent all tell me they use unsoftened tap water as well. Certainly hasn't affected anything in the tank adversely, and the bulk are Amazonian species (3 rosy, 5 rummynose and 4 cardinal tetras, 1 Farlowella, 1 bristlenose, 2 Corydoras Julii, a siamese fighter, and 2 siamese algae eaters which I'd rip out if I could catch them).
Adrian

[Darren's Discus]

Show them a picture of my Ex wife !(worked for me).:D



cheers

[Mr Wild]

I suppose you could always trade the male or females back in and try a couple of others? No real way of knowing what you might get though???? Someone in your area might be willing to swap, they may want to breed?

[Muzammil]

Dropping the temp. will increase spawning. Whenever I need to stop my pairs from spawning I increase the temp. to 30+ centigrade. It always worked for me.

But It may not help you to stop fighting. For that youl will have to separate them.


Muzammil

[Patr1ck]

Water source is straight from the tap. It's pH 7.0, 0 nitrites and ammonia and about 2 nitrate. Adelaide tap water, which is supposedly world renowned; Adelaide and Aden are the 2 major spots in the world where visiting ships don't take on drinking water.
Reasonably hard (140?) and about the same in the tank, but I haven't softened the water for them for over a year, especially since the several lfs that I frequent all tell me they use unsoftened tap water as well. Certainly hasn't affected anything in the tank adversely, and the bulk are Amazonian species (3 rosy, 5 rummynose and 4 cardinal tetras, 1 Farlowella, 1 bristlenose, 2 Corydoras Julii, a siamese fighter, and 2 siamese algae eaters which I'd rip out if I could catch them).
Adrian

Darn! I was hoping you were going to tell me that you were using ro at some percentage. I was going to tell you to harden up the water alittle. Mine paired off and bred every week to 10 days using 25% tap and 75% ro. I switched to full tap and they quit. The plants didnt like that very much though and I see you have a planted tank. The tap here is really hard @ 640 ppm. Maybe, and this is just a thought, you could use ro right to harden it up a bit and see if that will make them quit. Otherwise you could use Darrens advice.:D
I myself am trying to acomplish the same thing as you because I dont want to see tiny wigglers become food and I dont have anywhere to put them as my growout tank is full of juvies. Im going to switch to pure ro and use ro right to reconstitute it. Ive used this mix in the past and had no pairing, however, that may have been due to other possibilities going on in the tank at the same time that have been corrected since I found this awesome forum. Im trying to find the balance between having non pairing discus and healthy plants.

HTH

Pat

[Northwestcoastdisc]

Try temp lower at 78 or 80 they will stop to spawn . let them to keep together. When the temp raise they will spawn.

It always work for me.

HTH

Duncan

[Roxanne]

There's a picture of me somewhere that may scare them out of spawning:D...try showing it to the most dominant fish in your tank lol

Roxanne

[poconogal]

Got to be that pic that was just posted couple weeks ago.... scary! :D

[jeff@zina.com]

So, how do you stop discus breeding? :confused:

Same way you stop teenagers from breeding -- never let them be alone together. Except that discus make lousy chaperons, so you have to put the potential lovers in separate rooms.

Or do what my wife's dad did and clean your guns whenever I come by to visit... :D

Jeff