Discus Breeding..or trying to almost weekly.. advice please

[Aftaburn]

400 litre community tank 2 Discus, 11 Boesemani, 10 Rummynose, White Clouds, Guppies, Raspbora, Black Neon, Danio, Corydoras School, 3 Whiptail cats.

Pump throughput approx 3000 litres 1 at 2200.

Heavily planted tank with fair volume of wood.

The Discus are laying eggs very regularly which seem to be mostly viable about 4 cm up from the main filter intake.. they hatch then disappear very quickly.. the most I've seen is 12 hatched at one time.

I suspect one of 2 things is happening.. when the lights go out the newly hatched fry drop down a bit and get sucked in by the filter or the parents are eating them possibly due to a fairly busy tank.

Any thoughts??

I am considering options for moving some of the other fishes out of the tank however have not really anywhere for them to go without dropping fish somewhere along the line.. and I've too many Rainbows (mostly female).

Since they started spawning a few months ago the Discus have been going hard.. each time a batch of eggs disappear the next batch is in the same place in a matter of days.

[Dave+Amy]

I don't think that any fry would have a chance in your community tank, you should put the pair into a 2foot cube on their own and use those sponge filters.

[Dixon1990]

when the lights go out the newly hatched fry drop down a bit and get sucked in by the filter or the parents are eating them possibly due to a fairly busy tank.

Well when cichlids are protecting fry you should ALways leave a light on their tank so they can see them at all times

[Aftaburn]

Thanks.. survival!!

They survived the first night.. small lamp on that end of the tank worked.. the parents have moved them up a foot further away from the intake.

I'd love to put them in a tank of their own with sponge filters if I had a spare tank and somewhere to put it.

http://www.clickbelow.co.nz/newhome.htm

The link shows what space I have available there is another tank now on the bookshelf where the dragon is.. leaves just enough room for the dragon on the end.

If it weren't for 2 angels 10 keyhole cichlids & a black ghost knife fish I'd transfer something (probably the rainbows) across to the other 4 foot tank.. for a fair price & pick up I'd consider selling those.. I also have 5 or 6 surplus boesemani rainbows.

[Aftaburn]

Well when cichlids are protecting fry you should ALways leave a light on their tank so they can see them at all times

Good point although I've bred some Africans in the past I never did this.. thanks it seems to have helped the discus.

[Dixon1990]

I ment Egg gauding cichlids

[Aftaburn]

I had thought that.

Take a look

http://www.clickbelow.co.nz/discus.htm

Mum & babies.. not sure if all fry were in the photo but most.. more than I thought there were I counted 38 or 39.

Next issue.. food.. I have heard they feed off the slime coating on the parent.. any idea how far away before I need to worry about food specifically for them and any idea at what stage could they be removed to a small tank of their own (minus parents).. this does assume they can be caught of course.. they're pretty well inaccessable at the moment.

I may be able to clear a small tank but its not big enough for mum & dad too.

I have brine shrimp.. larger variety but they're not up and running at the moment. Going on holiday in less than a week too.. but have a well trained person looking after them for me who I can school up on artemia.

[lmsmith]

Discus need a pretty big grow out tank. For 38, you'd need a 3ft to start with.

[Dave+Amy]

No the best size tank for breeding Discus is a 2foot cube, you can't have it too big because when wrigglers leave the wall they sometimes have trouble locating their parents, you remove them into a larger tank when they're big enough to eat BBS or decap brineshrimp eggs then the parents get a rest.

[johnny]

Discus need a pretty big grow out tank. For 38, you'd need a 3ft to start with.

Agree, he said "grow out tank".

[lmsmith]

:oops: She.

I agree that they need a smaller tank while they're with their parents, but once you move them they need a big space to grow

[Aftaburn]

They're too hard to get to to move & I don't want to freak everything out by dismantling the main tank.. even if I could free up a 2 foot x1 x1 tank which is a bit small anyway.

At this stage I've found someone with a 3 footer who is happy to sit fish which might help a bit but he cant handle everything from the other 4 footer which gets too much traffic close for the discus.

I need to prioritize what comes out of the main tank to give them room seems the most likely plan at this stage which would keep them with the parents and provide by far the most space its approx 1200x550dx650h.

A likely idea seems move half the rainbows and half the keyholes to the sitters tank & put the remaining rainbows in with 5 keyholes, 2 angels & knife fish (which would be better finding a new home he/she is about 25-30cm and going to be a problem).

If I do this it leaves:

Discus, white clouds, zebra danio, black neon, corydoras, whiptails, guppies, rummy nose, raspbora in the main tank.. I cant remove them all not the space but I can probably remove one species maybe 2 depending on numbers which would you expect to be the biggest problem (hopefully not rummynose or corydoras which are the 2 largest groups).

[Luke*]

If I do this it leaves:

Discus, white clouds, zebra danio, black neon, corydoras, whiptails, guppies, rummy nose, raspbora in the main tank..

Sadly the fry will get picked off even if they make it to free swimming on the sides of their parents. They may not get this far though as the fast-swimming fish such as danios and rummynose will freak out the parents. you could put a pair in a 3 foot tank and to help your chance of success put white paper around the outside. (the fry are attracted to dark shapes aka the parents). looks like nice blue cobalts from the pics?

[johnny]

:oops: She.

I agree that they need a smaller tank while they're with their parents, but once you move them they need a big space to grow

My Bad :oops:

[Dave+Amy]

what about tinted glass dividers into your existing tank?

[Aftaburn]

Yeah lovely blues, the parents are different from one another but not massively.. I have a photo showing both parents on this page.. about half way down.. this was taken a few months ago they've both put on noticeable size since then.

http://www.clickbelow.co.nz/newhome.htm

I cant see a glass divider happening.. nice idea though.

When I arrived home tonight no sign of the babies so probably another batch down the tubes although I'll leave the lamp on again just in case.

So far as them getting picked off I dont know if thats why I cant find them now but had figured it'd be very likely to happen except by the corys & whiptails.. my problem too many fish.. not enough tanks & nowhere to put more I'm at my limit of 5 (supposed to be 4 I already cheated).

I'll look at options in future though.. what I might consider is emptying out the other 4 foot completely and reducing the community size then just having discus in the main tank (perhaps catfish also & maybe something like kuhuli loaches if I can get away with it).

Is 100 litres of a size to do a single spawn in?? I've a tank of guppies that could possibly go much easier than anything else.. also in the photos its the top tank of the double.. dimensions 740mm x 460 x 320mm.. might be too tight.

Currently its got a heap of not terribly impressive guppies & 3 large Ansistris females (haven't got a male).

Not sure what to do with what tanks exactly maybe its time for a major change around but they're all pretty cool.. I've 2 tanks that are easier to free up but that leaves me with odd things I don't know what to do with & I still need to find somewhere for the fishes in them to go.

White Clouds.. easy to breed.. great give away fish for beginners but thats about it for what I'm doing with them.

Guppies.. nothing impressive there but breeding toward improvement in lyretail snakeskin slowly could do with an injection of a wow snakeskin male.

Knife fish.. hes very cool but getting bigger.. angels.. they eat things but are great company.. same with the keyholes.

[Aftaburn]

They've reappeared.

The fry are on the wood beside where they were, dunno where they went but I know where they are.. am working on ideas for clearing the tank of other fishes & have in a couple of days somewhere for at least the larger fish to go & am working on the others.

I have a Black Ghost Knife fish for sale if anyones interested.

[Dave+Amy]

you should seriously look into buying a 3foot L x 2foot W x 2foot H, doesn't cost that much if you go to a glazier and get it made and you'd only need one of those cheap sponge filters that works off your air pump.

You'd make the money back easily enough on it when you sell off your Discus juvies

[Aftaburn]

you should seriously look into buying a 3foot L x 2foot W x 2foot H, doesn't cost that much if you go to a glazier and get it made and you'd only need one of those cheap sponge filters that works off your air pump.

You'd make the money back easily enough on it when you sell off your Discus juvies

You're probably right about the cost I have glass cutting & edging tools & could build a tank but the problem is I have nowhere to put it.. I already had to put my queen sized bed 2 foot from the ceiling with desk beneath and there is barely walkway left there. The lounge/kitchen is just about as busy. I'd love to have more tanks here there is simply nowhere to put them I have no choice but to work with what I've got.

The crays which were in a 2 x 1 x 1 foot are gone today.. that tank is the maximum size for the space already.

I have somewhere to move the rainbows out to.

I have 2 options as I see it for now.. either move the Discus to the 740mm x 460mm x 320deepmm tank where the Guppies are currently or leave them where they are and move the smaller fishes around leaving less threatening species with the Discus hopefully getting it down to Corydoras & Whiptails only still in the main tank (heavily planted & wooded).

I appreciate the comment re they're attracted to the dark colour of the parents could be why they went from the tube to the wood the only fix I have for that is to shift the Discus.

Unfortunately I've gotta work with what I've got which includes other fish.. I may have the loan of another tank coming which I can loan to someone else (2 foot.. no room for it here) who can take some more fish out of these systems for a bit.

I think the fry are gone now probably the rainbows.

Re pump intakes.. I have 2 canister filters on the main tank.. I should be able to rig some sort of sponge gauze over the inlets.

I probably need to leave here on holiday by Friday afternoon.. Thursday I have for rearranging fish.. Friday morning for some maybe.. supposed to be somewhere else Friday evening.. should've been Thursday but that was less important.

So with what I have what would you figure is the best option for a not ideal situation?

[Luke*]

move the Discus to the 740mm x 460mm x 320deepmm tank where the Guppies are

do that. tho it would be better if it was 460 deep. they'll be ok. that's an ok breeding tank to get one batch of fry started in. but look at getting a better one later.