Is this normal?

[konceppt]

Hi all,

I have had my discus for a grand total of 4 weeks now and i posted recently saying that i thought they were displaying breeding behaviours.Well today they spawned.Unfortunately they waited until i was on my way to visit my mother for the bank holiday weekend.I got a call from my mother in law as i was barely 3 miles from home saying that my female was laying eggs on the plant pots.

I then got a call 10 minutes later saying that the male had gone and eaten all the eggs.She told me that as quick as the female was laying them,The male was eating them.
both male and female have been shuddering in front of each other and they have both been cleaning the pots so i am surprised that he decided to eat them all.

She did manage to get some pics of the eggs on the pot (estimated 100+) but they have definitely all gone now.

Is this a normal occurance?

[Joker43]

Sorry to say but Yes it is "Normal". I've went through the same thing over and over. I haven't actuall saw the male fertalize the eggs yet but he is slow to start making runs after she lays the eggs. She will lay 50 or more then he will actually pay attention. None has made it to wigglers yet but each time the eggs last longer and longer before they are all gone.

Good Luck and give them time...

Tito:jester:

[Melissa]

Yes, completely normal.

Sometimes it takes a few tries for them to get breeding right. Especially if they are young. The key is to be patient. :) if they are in a community tank and you are serious about trying to set them up for breeding, you could look into getting them their own 29 gallon breeder tank.
Some people use wire mesh to screen the eggs after spawning to keep the pair from eating them... That way you can see if any hatch to know you have a true confirmed male/female pair. But if the suspected male is running up right behind the female and eating the eggs she is laying, it may take a while before he gets it right and fertilizes them.... OR it could be another female just displaying pairing behavior with another female which happens sometimes.
Fun stuff huh!

[konceppt]

He wasnt eating the eggs straight away because i was told that he was running up and down the pots as well.Apparently he ate the eggs once there were 100+ eggs on the pot. I am certain i have a male and female so i suppose i will leave them to it and see what happens.How often will/can they spawn?

[Melissa]

If they're young and in love, maybe once a week but I've heard it can be more. Sometimes after consistently spawning weekly for me, my pair will take a few weeks off for some reason. Maybe someone else can answer your question better than I can :P I'm pretty sure its like a weekly thing...

[Eddie]

Yup, the male doesn't want to get tied down yet, he's still having fun.

On the other end, it could be 2 females, never know until you got wrigglers.

[konceppt]

I suppose i should be grateful that she is comfortable enough to spawn in the tank with 4 other discus and 12 rummy nose tetras.Think i might set up a tank up for the pair to be on their own.

Is that advisable?

I was reading that fighting off other fish actually strengthens the pair bonding?

[Eddie]

Actually, separating them isn't generally advisable due to the fact that if it were 2 females, it may strengthen their bond and it will be tough as nails to get them to switch partners. They'll hold there own in the main tank. I'd wait for wrigglers. ;)


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