Okay, you are the pro's...

[Annie]

I need info on breeding. I know I can look up the info, but I want to hear it from all of you.
I have 5 Blue Diamonds in my 55. Two of which before I got them were stunned all to hell and are not much bigger than when I got them a year ago. Then I have the other three which are growing quite nicley. Anyway, it seems as if recenlty two of them have paired up....so what I want to know, is.......should I be expecting eggs soon...or do they go through a mating time? I did not think this would happen for at least another 6 months.
I am good at medicating and growing fishies....but not yet experienced at all in the Discus breeding dept.. :oops:

Any input would be great..... :wink:

[Merrilyn]

Hi Annie - there are so many variations it is impossible to give you anything definate. However mature fish between 1 and 2 years will pair bond even in a community tank. They will begin to hang together, feed together and copy each other. The next step from this will be to guard a corner of the tank, keeping all others away, followed by cleaning a surface in preparation for egg laying. The time frame for this can take anything from 1 week to 6 months. Others may well have different methods of managing pairs, but I'll tell you what works best for me.
I leave the pairs in the community tank for at least their first three spawnings. This is usually three weeks or so. I find this strengthens the pair bond and they are less inclined to eat the spawn once in the breeding tank on their own. You really want them firmly fixed in the breeding cycle before you move them, although sometimes just the move alone can be enough to put them 'off'. In this case they may not spawn again for several weeks, till they feel more comfortable. Just give them time and plenty of clean water.
Getting eggs and wrigglers is the easy part. The challenge comes in raising the fry to a saleable age.

[Annie]

Thanks Merrilyn,
Is a 20 gal tal goingto work for a breeding tank?

[Merrilyn]

if thats what you have available- use it but I think its a bit small. Some use that size and believe it helps the free swimming fry to find the parents. If it's a really large pair I'd use a bigger tank;. You can use the smaller tank in the early days of raising the fry after leaving the parents. You need to do lots of waterchanges each day when the fry are young, as even the slightest trace of ammonia will wipe them out. In a small tank I change water 50% 4 or 5 times a day in the first weeks.

[flukes]

20gals is doable but as LR stated you will have too keep an eye on the bioload. If you do want too go bigger most breeders use 29's, which i was told is 24x16x18.

If when you seperate them, it will take them time to get used of the new surroundings. Ive moved pairs and they havent spawned for a couple of months because of this. Some triggers too get them going again are cooler water changes (max -3c) and live foods.

The eggs and wriggling stages are mainly up to the parents, other than keeping clean water. Once they become free swimming its a real chor.

Also if the eggs become fungal then you might want too add some meth blue. But although it does help the eggs from becoming fugus, i have been told that it effect the fry attaching too the parents. I dont as yet as i havent tried meth blue with the eggs.

LR basically summed it up nicley for you, let them get plenty of practice in the community tank and dont be discouraged if the eggs get eaten or turn too fungus. It just takes time..