Advise needed

[Marywouters]

Hi

I have 3 breeding tanks on top of a sump, with on top of the breeding tanks a dry filter to bring the water back to the breeding tanks. I have tried to breed with different couples, but they always eat their young. I have tried changes in the µS from anywhere between 250 to 80 µS, with no result. The PH however always goes back up to 8 or even 8.2 after a day. I think this is the reason for my lack of succes.
Would it be advisible to take the dry filter out of the system and to let the water flow back into the breeding tanks through tubes that bring the water to the middle of the tank or even to the bottom?
That way I would also be able to shut off one of the tanks from the system to filter over a sponge filter or to let the level of the water down.
My sump is sterilized by a UV sterilizer to avoid spreading of diseases.

Mary

[Dutch dude]

Hi Mary,

I'm rather new to breeding discus so I can only share my expirienses so far.

I have 3 pairs out of 6 fish and 2 pairs turn out to be good parents. The one pair always eat eggs or the male just refuses to properly fertilize the eggs. The two good pair need quit a number of spawns to get it right. They have eaten at least 10 spawns each. So if your pairs are young inexperienced or have been moved to the new breeding tanks recently they might just need more time.

I think it is always a good idea to have the possibility to short cut the pump driven filtration or at least have the possibility to run it very slow like 100 liter an hour. A sponge filter would be perfect! Remember to shut down air stones for the first 3 day's of free swimming.

Your PH might not be the problem nor the conductivity. I have 2 spawns with Stendker fish at PH=8, GH=9 and conductivity around 550micro Siemens. I was been told by experts it is imposible to keep and breed Discus in such a condition. I know 2 pairs successfully spawning is not coincidence. So you might want to try just your tap water. One thing I do have top point you at,.....I keep domesticated Discus and wilds have different needs. Yours are domesticated as well right?

Groetjes,

Ruurd

[Marywouters]

Hello Ruud

My breeding couples are domesticated, not wild. One couple has already raised fry with the former owner, so it must be the PH. The former owner's PH was 6. The couples are not to young either and they have laid eggs a dozen of times now. The other couple that has already raised fry is a pidgeon blood blue couple that I bought in Papendrecht from a hobby breeder a few months ago. They have laid eggs 2 times now but without the eggs getting to the stage that they might hatch. The man I bought them from was breeding on µS 150. The third couple has had fry, but has eaten those. I am beginning to lose hope that I will ever succeed.

Groetjes

Mary

[Dutch dude]

Hallo Mary,

I see no reason tho bring the PH down to 6 for domesticated discus unless they are bread and used to water that soft. So the history of the fish is important as well. My fish are raised on the local tapwater and I know from Hans and Jorg Stendker they raise the fish on PH=7, GH=15 and KH=6. If your pairs are raised in the soft water with low PH I would also try to breed them in the same conditions.

Don't lose your hopes to soon. You have at least one pair that managed to wigglers so thats good. Sometimes fish need a lot of time to get used to new situations. I don't know how long you poses these pairs but if it is shorter as 3 months I would give them just more time. You might want to check some things if they are oke like no stress (lots of movement around the tanks, shades of people walking by, lots of noise), nutrition (do they receive what they need and does their diet contain enough vitamins and proteins), water qualety and water changing regime.

Now,....the fish have all raised fry are no young fish,.....how sure are you they indeed have had fry? Or,.....did they raised a lot of fry and are they happen to be "old" breeders? Were their spawning skills the reason the previous owners sold the pairs?

Did you seen them spawn? If so,....did the male do his job like he should be,.....female lays string of eggs, swims away and signals the male that go over the eggs immediately.

Imo the drawback of buying pairs is you just don't know the history and the reason why the pair is sold.

Being cramped abouth breeding only make you frustrated when they mess up an other spawn. So I suggest to be more relaxed abouth it and just enjoy your pairs.

Maybe this was not much of a help but I hope I at least gave some things to think abouth and to check. I would start with contact the previous owners and ask them abouth water qualety, age of the fish, what they feed the fish and water changing regime.

Groetjes,

Ruurd

[kaceyo]

Hi Mary,
Speeking about the dry (trickle) filter alone, they do have a tendancy to flash off (remove) Co2 from the water which may be affecting your pH. Generaly, the less Co2 in the water the higher the pH. Disconnect or bypass the trickle section and see if your pH drops any.

kacey