aaaaahhhhhhh they just spawned

[G_TAMMA]

hello all,

I got a proven pair of cobalts a couple of weeks ago and they have just spawned on the flower pot :D . Just wanted to know if i can i still do a water change now they have spawned??? Also they were previously know to eat their eggs, is ther anything i can do to help prevent them munching on the eggs???

Any help would be appreciated, thanx.

Cheers
GT 8-)

[EccentricDiscusLuver]

Hi mate,

I fully aware and understood your anxiety should this be your first spawn and I just had my experience recently. It was a truly magnificent one if you would allow me to express my recent experience. In fact, you still could read through my experiences on my post (sad to say, no reply thus far) and it was really a BIG dissappointment.

If you may allow me to enlightened you:

1. I am a firm believer of letting the nature to take it course in order not to play God. I didn't use netting on my eggs before and I truly believe that should they eat their eggs, they must have a valid reason to do so. Of course, unless you are a full time breeder (ie, you need to protect your ROI, which as a hobbyist, I choose not to do so). Should they eat their eggs, I choose to believe that the environment must have triggerred them to do so. Hence, we as a hobbyist, have a need to fullfil those needs, IE water parameter, environment and lightings (you could easily gather info of their needs in lots of posting here). Alternatively, should this be their first few spawn, please do allow them some time to acquire the skill and knowledge to raise the fry too. Just like us, we use to make lots of silly mistakes when we are inexperience... Henceforth, through my experience of ONE male snakeskin that used to eat his fry (might be due to his anxiety to the surrounding disturbance) but now on the 4th spawn he had displayed lots of maturity and acquired the skill of bringing up the spawn. My first successful spawn were made through the removal of this male and had app. 35 pcs of 1 cm sized fry now.

Alternatively, you may actually use a net (practiced by most breeders here) to protect your eggs. Any stainless steel wire mesh should be able to help you to protect your investment (but not addressing the root cause). Effectively, the choice is yours.

As for water changes, you too have the choice as I have experiment to successfully had the eggs hatched though I changed water when they had eggs. The key is, water parameter should be the same (ie. temp, aged, softness and most importantly the PH). Should you be able to have aged water with the right parameter, you are free to do water changes during eggs. When there were changes in the water parameter, it may be a source of thread to the pair!! FYI, during my experiment, I DID NOT stop changing water from eggs till today ...the fry is about 11 days from the date eggs were laid.

Parting words: You just need to monitor and understand the pair behaviours to truly react should you sense any minor changes in their behaviour to avoid losing the eggs again. Just a simple example, right after free swimming the pair would be busy picking up the fry back to the school of fry action may differ from the action of having the intention to eat the fry!!! It is a truly a fine line between protecting and harming the fry.

I have just tried to pair up a HUGE female snakeskin with a MALE golden half the size of the female. Wish me luck ok...and all d best to YOU.


Wish you all the best...

Eccentric ...signing off

[G_TAMMA]

Wow what a reply.

Thanx for you comments and goodluck with trying to pair up your snakeskin and golden.

Ill keep you up to date on their progress.

Cheers.

[elvip]

Hi G_Tamma,
I have been through the trials and tribulations of getting to the wriggler stage and then watching the parents eat the fry - it is extremely frustrating :evil: , and although I know that they will probably do this for a while before they settle down- but then again they may not!!
I reached the point last weekend where I could no longer bear to see the babies eaten and rescued the last remaining few and I am artificially rearing them at the moment (day 2) - I figured that they had at least half a chance of surviving this way, as opposed to no chance of survival if I left them with mum and dad. So far it has given me great pleasure in seeing them survive, and if they do make it - then it will have all been worth the while (wish me luck)!!! :D It will also have given me some experience in this new and unknown area of artificial rearing of discus!

Whether you decide to intervene or not is ultimately up to you - whether that be covering the eggs, removing one of the parents or artificially rearing them - it is all some form of intervention. See how you go- it may take one, two or more trial runs before you end up deciding what, if any, action to take. That's the thing with discus - it is an ever changing and evolving area of learning and experience, which can differ with each and every fish! There is so much differing information avail out there that the thing to remember is to take as much of it as you can on board and try and try again until you find what works for you and your fish. Remember don't give up if it doesn't work that time - try and try again, perhaps altering the method a little to improve the outcome, until you get it right - eventually you will!! :D
I am still working on getting it right myself!! :wink:

Hope this helps
Cheers
Elvip

[EccentricDiscusLuver]

Hi Elvip,

I like your "Never say die" attitude that reminds me of Abraham Lincoln speech that had only 9 words:

"Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!"

Repeat this mantra and you should be able to see some light at the end of the tunnel...

Eccentric ....signing off