can shortsighted discus breed?

[madaboutfish]

Hi to all,

I have a pair of discus that seems to have paired up. However the male fish is terribly inaccurate in picking up food (must be shortsighted). It simply struggles to get any food into its mouth. As such I was wondering if I should remove the male and hope the female pairs up with another. Wouldn't the male end up destroying the eggs while cleaning/mouthing them? or would the female end up doing all the cleaning? Has anyone had any experience with such a fish and had still successfully bred them?

Nick

[Merrilyn]

Interesting question Nick.

I have read an article on that very thing, because a lot of discus have poor eyesight. Laying their eggs is no problem. They tend to use their ventral fins to 'feel' their way along the breeding cone.

The article I read concluded that while the male may crush a few eggs in the beginning, they soon learn how to manage and compensate for their poor eyesight, and can successfully raise their own fry.

[madaboutfish]

Thanks Merrilyn

Good to know that there's still a chance that my pair will breed successfully.

Nick