meth blue versus UV

[TimboS]

Hi All,

My discus pair have spawned twice and both times I have added meth blue to prevent fungus but it happens anyway.... Neither spawn worked but I think the male was too young.

The question is - is there a need to add any anti-fungal agent when eggs are present if a UV system is used?

I hate using meth-blue - it stains everything from the substrate to the bacteria deposits on plants so everything looks dirty. Yuk !

TimboS

[samir]

you'ld want to use MB in a bare tank with just a heater and airstone

[ILLUSN]

a uv will help but it wont stop fungus growing on the eggs, if you can try and remove the unfertilized eggs yourself if the fish cant.

also try adding some multivites to the diet to give the boys seed some extra kick, should help you get more fertile eggs (and hence less fungus).

[TimboS]

Umm, multivites being multivitamins I presume ?

Can you recommend a good product?

I feed my discus a swag of frozen PosAqua products - complete cichlid, total beefheart, discus deluxe, community feast and daphnia. I also feed frozen bloodworm of another brand (Kongs - since it's about all I can source at the LFS).

You know, my two discus won't touch the spectrum stuff - they're food critics I think !

What about those Sera Discus granuales or whatever they are called? They are colour enhancing or something.

[TimboS]

Oh yeah, and another quickie, what does one do with spawning discus in a planted tank? Treat with anything other than MB at the first sign of eggs or just cross fingers and pray?

[ILLUSN]

i use fishtamins cause i have it and pro more + pro growth, a few people have had good results with crushed human multivites.

you chances or breeding in a planted tank are slim to zero Samir is the breeding genious, he's 100% correct that you have the best chance in a bare bottom tank with a heater (mounted horizontal) and an airstone (or white/pale colored sponge filter)

[TimboS]

So, I shouldn't expect any spawns in my planted tank to work? They will lay and fertilise the eggs but it won't procede any further?

My male and female are currently seperated so she doesn't lay eggs and thus can concentrate on growing. I wonder, if I put them back together, and if they spawn a number of times without success, if they will "get the point", give up and just grow to adulthood ?

Now you have told me that I more or less need another tank to breed these lovely creatures, my credit card has just grown legs and is trying to run away....

Fishtamins? Who is that made by?

[ILLUSN]

lol dont you just love these fish, so good at keeping you poor :)

fishtamins is made be sera, norto on the forum is the distributer for pro more and pro growth.

you'll get eggs, you'll get wrigglers, buts its hard work for mum and dad to protect the fry in a big tank with other fish, also with plants and other dark objects its easy for the fry to get lost and swim themselves to death.

[TimboS]

Searching the forum I found the link to Sera and have looked at the web page already. If using human multivitamins like Centrum, what sort of dose do you go by?

You know, I had a thought. What about placing a terracotta pot in a corner and enclosing mum and dad with it when there are eggs by a rounded, darkened piece of perspex or something? That way the discus see no other fish and the fry don't get lost. But, it would restrict them a fair bit and I would have to find a way to let water flow the barrier yet not have the fry swim out.

Alot of work I know.... Perhaps a second tank is best. Seems a shame. Makes you wonder how they do it in the wild.

I have had eggs but no wrigglers or fry yet. Maybe I should get more concerned once I get to the stage of having fry. Maybe then I'll have the money to buy another tank...

[ILLUSN]

look through a few beefheart recipies i think chris uses them in his.

as for discus in the wild, you'd be lucky to get a 1% survival, iat home i expect atleast 80%

[Griffin]

Hi

once i put my post on here that the fertile rate is poor and i did ask questions like you.

and I think illusion or someone suggested me to try R/O unit which i hesitated by looking at the price.

Anyway i bought one and i used R/O water
Guess what i just have Successful 80% eggs hatched and wiggling right now which is about 200.
I'm so thrilled that finally i'm watching the moment that i've been waiting for.

no need uv light no need m blue. just R/O water it works


However i cannot say whether it's purly because of R/O water or not .
because it's not the same pair used to lay the eggs.

but it seems to me that it works better than using tap water.

it's the new pair one turk M pigeon blood F

anyway i would like to post some pic how i go later on

cheers

[ozarowana]

I don't use either. IME Fertilised eggs will not grow fungus. I've put a screen on eggs before and have had fertilised eggs hatch in between fungused ones.

Are the eggs fertilised? Agree with griffin try some RO.

[cityguy]

agree with ozarowana..