# Mysterious Clutch



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

I just found a clutch of clear eggs on an anubias leaf and have no idea how might have left them there, they are unguarded. In the tank are the following:


Nothos Killifish
Panda Corys
BN Plecos
Flag Fish (very small juveniles)
Honey Gouramis

Immediately, we can rule out the Flag Fish and Gouramis, I'll also rule out the plecos as they aren't yet adults and the male would typically guard, I can't imagine them spawning on a leaf anyway. I might guess that they belong to either the killifish or corys, anyone else want to take a guess?


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

I'm going to hazard a guess that it's the pandas. Notho's are generally peat divers.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Westender said:


> I'm going to hazard a guess that it's the pandas. Notho's are generally peat divers.


Hmmm, I think I might take the leaf off the plant and put it in a net (in the tank) to hatch.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Oh arg... I gingerly removed the leaf from the plant and when I went to put it in the basket, making sure that the eggs weren't exposed to air, they all fell off.


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Tabatha said:


> Oh arg... I gingerly removed the leaf from the plant and when I went to put it in the basket, making sure that the eggs weren't exposed to air, they all fell off.


My money is on the killies, if they fell off they probally weren't panda eggs, cory eggs are extremely sticky I find. You can roll them right up the glass with your fingers.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Katalyst said:


> My money is on the killies, if they fell off they probally weren't panda eggs, cory eggs are extremely sticky I find. You can roll them right up the glass with your fingers.


Interesting, I just put the killies in this tank yesterday, I had them at work since I got them. The females are so tiny, it's hard to imagine they'd produce more than 2 or 3 eggs!


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

Killies can be fairly prolific spawners, but as far as I know, Nothobranchius spawn in bottom substrate. They don't attach their eggs to anything. Plant spawning killies eggs are quite sticky though so I doubt they'd roll off either (I spent 20 minutes last night trying to remove some F. gardneri eggs from a spawning mop and my fingers!)

I think your Nothos are annectens? Lovely fish. There is very little out there as far as breeding records go, but information I have says they are most definitely not batch spawners even though there are reports of a trio laying up to 500(!!!) eggs in a single week. They're in the small Nothobranchius group, all of which are classed as peat divers... so I really don't think the eggs you found belong to them.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

It's an interesting mystery. I know for sure it wasn't snails either, I know what their clutches look like! LOL! 

I have peat in the filter but none in the tank, they do like the java moss though and enjoy diving into that.


----------



## Pleconomous (Mar 7, 2008)

My guess would be on the killi's as well. Cory eggs, as mentioned earlier, are extremely sticky so they likely wouldn't fall off, BN pleco eggs are yellow and rather large, gourami's generally build bubble nests where they lay their eggs in, and since the flags are still juvies, process of elimination = killi  

Curious to see some picts if you can get em once they hatch!


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Pleconomous said:


> Curious to see some picts if you can get em once they hatch!


The eggs were a decent size for a small fish -- the Nothos females are so small, it's hard to imagine. As I mentioned, the eggs fell off the leaf and into the substrate. There are also apple snails in the tank so I'm thinking the eggs would most likely become someone's dinner.

I can't remember what conditions Nothobranchius annectens eggs require to hatch; whether they need to dry out in peat or if they'll hatch in water...


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

http://www.nothobranchius.de/assets/images/Nothobranchius_annectens_eggs01.jpg

Only thing I could find with a picture of the eggs.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Yup, those are exactly what they looked like!


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

Well, if they _are _annectens, they can be water hatched. According to what I've read, it takes a while and has a low success rate, but if they fish are laying up to 500 eggs per week, even a low hatch rate should produce something.

I'm still far from sure though. One thing I forgot to ask - were they on top of the leaf or under it or on the stalk?


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

They were on the top of the leaf.


----------



## Fishfinder (Feb 17, 2008)

100% sure they are not snail eggs


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

200% sure they are NOT snail eggs. The only types of snails in the tank are MTS, Apple and nerite.


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

Well, I'm stumped.

Obviously, you need to breed all of the fish in your aquarium and closely examine the eggs of each species to determine which species are spawning in the tank.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Westender said:


> Well, I'm stumped.
> 
> Obviously, you need to breed all of the fish in your aquarium and closely examine the eggs of each species to determine which species are spawning in the tank.


LOL! Okay, when will you be over to bind and gag my husband while I set up a fish room???


----------



## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> LOL! Okay, when will you be over to bind and gag my husband


Woah, there. Just what kind of forum IS this?


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

Tabatha said:


> LOL! Okay, when will you be over to bind and gag my husband while I set up a fish room???


I'm not so sure I should be involved in attempting to subdue anyone named the Dogfather. Anyway, surely he realises that a fishroom is the rational way to handle this problem.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Westender said:


> I'm not so sure I should be involved in attempting to subdue anyone named the Dogfather. Anyway, surely he realises that a fishroom is the rational way to handle this problem.


I couldn't agree with you more! Today he's taken off to install an air exchanger to bring fresh air into the house (too air tight, we discovered, after an energy audit). There's also an unused vent right where I want to put the fish room so it would be the perfect to control humidity!

I'll have to talk to him again after he's had a few this evening!


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

It sounds like once he's finished those little jobs, he'll have lots of time free to build a small fishroom. Of about 500 square feet or so. Make sure he puts in two sinks and a decent counter workspace.

Boy, if I only had the space for a fishroom again. And the funds. 

My wife thinks it odd that I often put myself to sleep at night mentally building the perfect fishroom.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Westender said:


> It sounds like once he's finished those little jobs, he'll have lots of time free to build a small fishroom. Of about 500 square feet or so. Make sure he puts in two sinks and a decent counter workspace.
> 
> Boy, if I only had the space for a fishroom again. And the funds.
> 
> My wife thinks it odd that I often put myself to sleep at night mentally building the perfect fishroom.


Do you think our basement is big enough?


----------



## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

I'm not sure - perhaps if you can move the dance floor and cut back on the bleacher seating a bit... 

Seriously though - you need a fishroom. In fact, I think it's the only responsible step you can take. There are thousands of fishkeepers out there who, due to means beyond their control, cannot have a room for their fish. You owe it to them, Tabatha.


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Would you please send a letter to my husband??? LOL!

Not to mention the entire floor is tiled with CERTAMIC (non porus) tile AND there's a DRAIN in the middle of the floor!!!  There's a vent on the far right wall above the ceiling tiles and the ceiling is about 6'5" (I know b/c my son is 6'4" and he can stand up straight in the basement)!

Yeah, we've been arguing about this for awhile, can you tell???


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Westender said:


> You owe it to them, Tabatha.


Seriously you do!

I'd be happy to tell TDF next time I see him...Tell him to get his eye rolls down pat.


----------



## Fishfinder (Feb 17, 2008)

you know... with a big basement like that, you could say;
We will have a 300-500g tank to seperate the space about half way through the room, so i have a fish room, divided by a massive tank and on the otherside is ur home threatre side


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Unfortunately he's decided to make my fish room into a storage area.   I am not having a good day.


----------



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

awe no.. comone! There is tonnes of room!


----------



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Ciddian said:


> awe no.. comone! There is tonnes of room!


I told you I was having a bad day!   

He's also afraid of the moisture (potential) problem. However, when we were over at Klaus', his humidity was only 50% b/c all his tanks were covered. We live in a wood house, no drywall whatsoever.


----------



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Lids  And a good dehumidifier


----------

