Bristlenose Catfish Eggs - What to do?

[tukituki]

hi,

we've just been feeding our fish and noticed a clump of orangey coloured eggs just beside one of the caves. i am pretty sure they are bristlenose eggs. a few of the other fish were quite interested in them so we have put them in a breeding net at the top of the tank, we have a filter that circulates water over them. did we do the right thing? the very large male (who i'm sure must be the father) is still in the cave but it was only the golden bristlenose (who would be too young to breed i would have thought maybe 7 months old) who were paying an interest.

what should i do with the eggs? they couldn't stay where they were as there are gouramis, loaches, golden apple snail, bolivian butterflies, female fighters etc that would probably eat them, unless the male was being subtle in guarding his eggs (that weren't in the cave!).

thanks.

[MarkLB]

I think you did the right thing 8)

The father fans the eggs to stop fungusing and thats what you're trying to replicate with the water flow.

They may be fine where they are as long as it's a net and not a plastic ''guppy trap" because they could get through the gaps in one of those. Good luck and well done. :bounce:

[peanuts]

yes the eggs need constant movement, and it is possible that the "father" was fanning so hard that he has knocked them out of the cave - I have had this happen.

To raise eggs, I put them in a container with water from the tank a small airstone to keep the movement or fanning going - I also add a drop of meth blue to the water. as any eggs not fertislised or that go bad can end up with fungi - the 'father' would remove these if left in his care. however it is too hard for us to remove individual eggs.

[tukituki]

thanks. i've just noticed a few more eggs with the big male inside the cave. i think you're right that he fanned to hard and some flew out! should i return the eggs that i've put in the breeding net back to the cave? or just leave them where they are?

from what i've read they take 5-6 days to hatch, then they eat their egg sac for the next 5-6 days and need fresh veg, is that right?

its very cool that they've bred at long last i've had them almost 2 years i think! once they've hatched i can put them in with my siamese fighter fry (i think i have 4 or 5) in a separate tank.

[lmsmith]

I wouldn't put them back - dad might object and eat them all. I'd leave the ones he has with him, and try to raise the others yourself.

I'd start feeding as soon as you can see their yolk sac absorbed. The net isn't large enough for them to be sucked out through the net is it?

Good luck!

[tukituki]

the net is quite fine so i can't see them being sucked out. we have raised fry in it before but just guppies who might be a bit bigger. how big are the bristlenoses when they hatch? i'll probably move them to the other tank once they've hatched, i haven't done this at the moment as i'm paranoid the snails will eat the eggs if i move them now!

[Tsarmina]

no more than 1cm long. once they are eating normal foods, you should be able to let them loose in the tank with the parents (providing you have plants and hiding places so any other fish won't get at them)