Some what a newbie needs a lil help

[wendy9722]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading pritty heavily for a couple of months now. Yesterday I got my first breeding pair of Discus. They dont seem to like the light yet but are eatting fine and moving around good. They are 5.5 and 6.5 inches big. I've only delt with juvies so far and these ones scare me a bit. I've fed them so far fbw and flakes and added tablespoon of salt per gal. The questions is:

How do you know that they are spawning?
What does stickies mean?
Why are they shimmy and shaking side by side?
When do you turn off the uv sterilizing light with powerhead?
Why are they picking at the thermomiter and banging it against the glass?
They are in bare bottom tank without anything but uv sterilizing light with powerhead all in one, two heaters, bubble strip, 2 thermomters 1 top of tank and 1 at bottome and aqueon power filter.
What would they lay eggs on and if they did should I turn anything off?
I know I need to get a sponge over my powerfilter and uv sponge and a cone but what else do I need to keep the fry safe?

Thanks and God bless,
Wendy

[wadewc]

I've been reading pritty heavily for a couple of months now. Yesterday I got my first breeding pair of Discus. They dont seem to like the light yet but are eatting fine and moving around good. They are 5.5 and 6.5 inches big. I've only delt with juvies so far and these ones scare me a bit. I've fed them so far fbw and flakes and added tablespoon of salt per gal. The questions is:

How do you know that they are spawning? When you seem the female laying her eggs.

What does stickies mean? Not sure what you are asking. Stickies are what people post.

Why are they shimmy and shaking side by side? Stimulating each other.

When do you turn off the uv sterilizing light with powerhead? I only use a spong filter. You don't want alot of water movement.

Why are they picking at the thermomiter and banging it against the glass? Might be cleaning a site they are wanting to lay their eggs on.

They are in bare bottom tank without anything but uv sterilizing light with powerhead all in one, two heaters, bubble strip, 2 thermomters 1 top of tank and 1 at bottome and aqueon power filter. Again I only use a sponge filter don't want to much water movement.

What would they lay eggs on and if they did should I turn anything off? They will lay their eggs on anything. [Side of the tank, heater, HOB inlet tube...]
I know I need to get a sponge over my powerfilter and uv sponge and a cone but what else do I need to keep the fry safe?

I recommend a 29 or 30 gallon tank for breeding. Please remember I consider my self a novice. There is a great thread by David Rose, very top, in the breeding section. This might help you.

I would recomend looking in the food section and start making your own beefheart mix. Cheaper and better for you fish. IMO
Wade

[wendy9722]

Oh by the way they are a Leapord pair. She is a LSS not sure what that stands for and he is a LS same there too.

Can anyone answer my questions????

[wendy9722]

Thank you Wade!!! I'll contact David and see what he has to say.
Wendy

[rickztahone]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading pritty heavily for a couple of months now. Yesterday I got my first breeding pair of Discus. They dont seem to like the light yet but are eatting fine and moving around good. They are 5.5 and 6.5 inches big. I've only delt with juvies so far and these ones scare me a bit. I've fed them so far fbw and flakes and added tablespoon of salt per gal. The questions is:

How do you know that they are spawning?

--the pair will drop their tube and the female lay eggs.
What does stickies mean?

--stickies as in forum stickies? They are threads considered to be very valuable in information. Find them at the top of each section with a small paperclip.
Why are they shimmy and shaking side by side?

--normal breeding behavior
When do you turn off the uv sterilizing light with powerhead?

--you can keep it on i suppise but if the power head might be creating too much current
Why are they picking at the thermomiter and banging it against the glass?

If you do not provide a cone or something to breed on they will lay eggs on anything
They are in bare bottom tank without anything but uv sterilizing light with powerhead all in one, two heaters, bubble strip, 2 thermomters 1 top of tank and 1 at bottome and aqueon power filter.
What would they lay eggs on and if they did should I turn anything off?
I know I need to get a sponge over my powerfilter and uv sponge and a cone but what else do I need to keep the fry safe?

Thanks and God bless,
Wendy

Sry, im on my phone so I couldnt add color to my replies but i put two hyphens before my answers ;-)

[rickztahone]

Oh by the way they are a Leapord pair. She is a LSS not sure what that stands for and he is a LS same there too.

Can anyone answer my questions????

LSE=Leopard snake skin

[Eddie]

How do you know that they are spawning? As Wade said, you'll see them laying eggs but there is a bit of routine prior to them spawning. The fish will shake or shutter and peck the spawning site. They may also do some dry runs prior to the actual lay.

What does stickies mean? Stickies are threads in each section that have a lot of important information. Everyone should read the stickies.

Why are they shimmy and shaking side by side? Part of the breeding process.

When do you turn off the uv sterilizing light with powerhead? As Wade mentioned, little to no water movement is best. There is no need for UV on a breeding tank IMO.

Why are they picking at the thermomiter and banging it against the glass? Might be a site they are wanting to lay their eggs on. Ditto Wade's comment.

They are in bare bottom tank without anything but uv sterilizing light with powerhead all in one, two heaters, bubble strip, 2 thermomters 1 top of tank and 1 at bottome and aqueon power filter. Again I only use a sponge filter, don't want too much water movement. Ditto Wade's comment and sometimes I don't even have a filter, just an airstone.

What would they lay eggs on and if they did should I turn anything off? Get a spawning site, like a cone, PVC pipe or slate.

I know I need to get a sponge over my powerfilter and uv sponge and a cone but what else do I need to keep the fry safe? You just need a cone and if you plan to use the powerfilter, get a fine prefilter for the intake. I dont recommend powerfilters in breeding tanks though, preferably a sponge or no filter.

I also recommend a 29 or 30 gallon tank for breeding or 20s work well too.

Make sure you have a good plan for performing water changes daily, and when you start feeding BBS, think about multiple changes each day to keep the tank super clean.

Eddie

[wendy9722]

Thanks for letting me know your thoughts Eddie. Are you sure that you would use such a small tank for such big fish? I could possibly see a little bit smaller but not a 20gal. Would I reduce my air bubbles from the air strip to a little air stone or not at all. I'm uncomfortable with just having a sponge filter. I was thinking about getting a bio filter or getting a couple of them for this tank. I dunno maybe I'm just over doing it in my mind of what it is supposed to be like. I've been told many of times that I like to make things a lot harder than what it really is. Why cant I get either of my heaters above 80degrees. They both are 200w.?
Tomorrow I'll go out and get some pvc pipe and some other stuff for them to choose what they want to put the eggs on.

Thanks Wade and Eddie

[wendy9722]

Thanks for letting me know what the abbrevations too!!!:)

[Eddie]

Thanks for letting me know your thoughts Eddie. Are you sure that you would use such a small tank for such big fish? I could possibly see a little bit smaller but not a 20gal. Would I reduce my air bubbles from the air strip to a little air stone or not at all. I'm uncomfortable with just having a sponge filter. I was thinking about getting a bio filter or getting a couple of them for this tank. I dunno maybe I'm just over doing it in my mind of what it is supposed to be like. I've been told many of times that I like to make things a lot harder than what it really is. Why cant I get either of my heaters above 80degrees. They both are 200w.?
Tomorrow I'll go out and get some pvc pipe and some other stuff for them to choose what they want to put the eggs on.

Thanks Wade and Eddie


Yes, a 20 is fine, you would just have to maintain clean water. But, it also depends on the size of the spawn. If its a HUGE spawn, then a 29 will be better for you. I didn't even have a biofilter going in my last breeder, up until 2 days after attachment. Keeping the water clean with water changes is important, it kind of MAKES you keep bacteria levels low.

You can just go with an airstone.

What brand heaters do you have?

[wendy9722]

The one heater that I bought is a Top Fin and the other heater that came with the tank it just says All glass Aquarium.

I think if they go to lay eggs they are gonna up it on my uv light system. They have been really cleaning it this morning. :balloon::):balloon: