# Help!! Discus male eating eggs



## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Hi all, need some Discus experts here. I have 2 Discus breeding in a 40 gallon tank. This is their 3rd attempt. Twice before the eggs were all eaten just hours later. This time looked like the male was looking after the eggs. I figured that I should feed them b4 they eat all the eggs. The male ate the blood worms and then went back to the eggs. I then saw he started going nuts on the eggs and were polishing rows of eggs. I quickly panicked and then threw one of the media bags with a draw string over the breeding cone. I guess I spooked the pair. They kind of hid away from the cone. I then decided to separate the male by putting a divider (used a rubbermaid lid). The female went back on the side with the cone. I removed the media bag from the cone and she is hiding as she is still stressed. 

I am wondering....

1) when the pair are breeding, is it a bad idea to feed them or should I feed them after I get wrigglers? 

2) Did I just screw up a potential litter of fry?

3) My PH is higher than I like it to be as I did a water change before they laid eggs and the PH is now sitting at approx 6.8'ish. I usually like it to be 6.5/ 6.6. Will 6.8 affect the eggs from hatching?

4) What should I do next time they breed. The male was with the eggs for a few hours. Not sure if the eggs are fertilized yet, but I would assume so. Should I separte the male nquicker next time and see if the female will do her duties or should I just leave them alone altogether and let them sort things out. I panicked as I read a few sites saying to separate the problem parent and others saying to drop chicken wire type things around the eggs so that they will fan the eggs still but not eat the eggs....

Help..Please...


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

*Help still*

Still needing help....

Update... female was Quarantined from the male and the female was left with the eggs. I lifted the media bag which acted as a barrier to the eggs. She finally went on guard again...then BAD FISHY!! she started snacking on them. I restored the media bag back onto the cone and then left the two together and hoping of wrigglers or fungus eggs. Waiting for round 4....UHHGG!!


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## aln (Jan 26, 2010)

whats your temperture in your tank? is it planted? what other fish do you have in there? did you check your nitrite, nirtate, and amm>?

normally cichlids makes great parents and will guard and protect the eggs as best they could. the only ready they would probably eat their eggs from my experience is that the breeding conditions are not meet.(streesed, unfert eggs, low temperture,etc)

also discus needs really clean water and a healthy enviorment to grow in and care for frys. 
i'm, pretty sure your ph is fine tho.
keep us updated


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for the response. As for the water temp....I had it around 82 and then I brought it up to 85/86 degrees before they bred. They were in a 120 gallon planted tank by themselves...well with the exception of corys and bushynose plecos. I since moved them to a 40 gallon bare bottom breeder as I though they maybe less stressed. 

Just a thought, if you watch them while they guard the eggs, could that trigger stress and cause them to panic and eat all the eggs? Do people just stay away till you see wigglers? I am new at this as well as the pair. It is their third attempt and everytime they eat all the eggs.

Thanks again


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## aln (Jan 26, 2010)

You probably can keep temp at 83 to 84. Test you water for nitrite and nitrate. You can leave then in the 120 if it's heavy planted. The discus should be able to protect the eggs from your other fish. At night just get a dim light and shine it on the batch so the parents can guard them during the night too. I wouldn't move the pair to the 40 since it will stress them slot befre they breed. I think that's the biggest problem. You can move the frys after they become free swimmers to the grow out tank. (best to leave the free swimmers for a few day cause the parent will feed it - discus milk) let them grow then move them.


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Actually they are in the 40 and they have bred and that caused some chaos for me as they started eating the egss. I just checked and the eggs which are covered up by the media bag has been pretty much abandoned. sigh....waiting 1 day to see if they are all fungused.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

What is your Ph? you will need to use RO water to get the eggs to hatch properly. If they are in breeding mod then feed them well and do 50% WC daily.

you should have sponge filter in the tank so water is well aerated. Black water extract is good to use and low lighting. discus tend to like low light. 

They will breed like clock work every week or so many days. I would watch them and make sure you do not have two females. This can happen and you get eggs but they are never fertilized. I leave a light on all the time day and night after they have laid eggs seems to prevent them eating them. Also allows them to guard them. You can use methanol blue so the eggs don't get fungus.

The biggest thing is to relax and let nature take it's course. putting your hands in the tank all the time and pestering them just does not help. let them try a few times. Discus are just hard to breed period.


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for the response again. I think I'll just walk away and leave the lights on day & night next time. 

Here is the parameters of my water etc...

- Using Peat Moss floating in a media bag made of women's nylon pantyhose. (I think this gives them the mojo's)

- 84/85 degree temp

- PH 6.6-6.8 tryiny to keep stable st 6.6 ...may be 
bouncing a little due to daily water changes. I change 
water about 1/4 daily 

- Ammonia 0

- Did not test the rest of the parameters. 

- 40 gallon Bare bottom with breeder cone


Question:

How do I know which is the male/female?

LFS owner said the female was the bigger one and male is smaller in my case. I read opposite on many forums as male is usually bigger. Also I only see the little guy rubbing up on the cone after the eggs are laid. He is also the one that keep doing the shake to signal the other one. I think he tell her his mojo is ready or something. He has a longer tube than the other one. When I see him rubbing up on the cone, I don't see eggs sticking so I am presuming he is the male. Does this sound right?


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

wiifish said:


> Question:
> 
> How do I know which is the male/female?
> 
> LFS owner said the female was the bigger one and male is smaller in my case. I read opposite on many forums as male is usually bigger. Also I only see the little guy rubbing up on the cone after the eggs are laid. He is also the one that keep doing the shake to signal the other one. I think he tell her his mojo is ready or something. He has a longer tube than the other one. When I see him rubbing up on the cone, I don't see eggs sticking so I am presuming he is the male. Does this sound right?


Sounds like you are correct and have a pair by what your saying about behaviour. Some times Discus have been injected with hormones and this will leave them sterile. Some Discus just are egg eaters.

good luck


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

I hope his boys are swimming! lol.... a few LFS advised I should try to switch out the male as his "boys" may be sterile. Now the problem is how the heck do I tell a male/female apart?


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

here is one link I found worked

http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~davidr/discus/articles/sexingdiscus.html

But that being said the only true way is seeing them breed. I have seen 2 females pretend


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Sometimes it takes a pair of cichlids a few tries to get themselves synchronized and coordinated. Sometimes it takes many tries, especially for young fish. Egg-eating sometimes means that the fish "don't believe" that they will be able to raise a spawn, so they recover the nutrients -- in nature it can take a lot fo time and effort to accumulate enough surplus to make a batch of eggs. It may help to reduce activity around the tank or cover most of the sides with paper.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks again all! I did look at that chart before and was not sure how accurate it is. I know the female doesn't "spread" her fins out all the time whereas the male is always fanned out. Oh...my tank has a blue background covering all sides except the front....So I can peep in from time to time.


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## aln (Jan 26, 2010)

i would still advise you to keep the discus in your 120 and let them lay there eggs in there. then wait until they're free swimmer and then net them out into the 40 and grow them out.

but yah natural discus are hard to breed and takes alot of time and paitents 
but dont give up!  practice makes perfect right?  
keep us posted


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

I did 2 water changes today as I noticed the Ammonia level jumped to 1.0...YIKES! So now everything is back down to 0. I did notice the female is a bit dark...I assume she is like that as she is in breeding mode. Also I noticed her right fin has a white size which I am not sure if it was from the ammonia being so high....gonna give her a few days to recover. 

The 120 gallon tank now has 40 cardinals and 2 2" blood reds. Thinking of getting more similar size ones and grow them out.

Oh... floated a big bag of PEAT Moss and now they are starring into the breeding cone again...These young studs don't seem to run out of MOJO. I think the Peat is my secret Discus marital aid.....I think it's sexy time again. .... Hoping this time it doesn't turn out to be breakfast in bed again!!


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

If your getting small Discus to put in the 120 it would be best to get over 6 of them all close to the same size. 

They are cichlids and their will be a pecking order and one will always get beat up. 

I have thought since I have tropheus that Discus are very much like them. They need to be kept in large groups for them to not have bad aggression problems.

If you ever go to a breeder they will have over 12 mature discus in a 125 bare bottom or even bigger tank. Waiting for pairing or just growing them up and breding only the best.


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## wiifish (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for the tip...I know about their aggression and pecking order.....I lost a few in the past that way. I plan to get a few more but seems no one has much around. I am going to my LFS tomorrow and grab maybe 2 small 2" Cobalt's.


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