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  1. #21
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    239
    Hi Jon, Rob, Nev, All,

    I succumbed to the pressure! : )
    I've taken another pic this evening. Its the best after many attempts. Luckily in it you can see all the larger fry, 6 still. A total fluke as usually you can only see 2 or 3. I think the younger fry have been thinned out yet again by the parents, It's really hard to tell conclusively. It gives you an idea of the size difference.
    We noticed today that the parents are becoming really protective. When you approach the tank they are not so mellow. One will come out quickly and get between you and the fry. So we have been backing off and leaving them be. They were NOT happy having their pic taken.
    Today for the first time I really saw that classic view of a parent swarmed by fry. Both sides covered in a small cloud. Also one is really now giving a good flick of its body when cruising up along side the cone to signal time for a feed.
    One thing I also noticed was the first sign of very slight peppering. A few pin pricks of black against the bright white below the dorsal fin. It got me thinking.... I covered my black sponge filter cube in white filter material so as not to have anything in black as recommended so the parents are the darkest thing in the tank. But my fish are white, are highly reflective and the brightest thing in the tank? A bit like the sponge filter...... lol : )


    Cheers,
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails discus_fry_high_res.jpg  

  2. #22
    Free Swimmer
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    488
    Hi Hooked,they look good.Peppering can b caused by many things,any fish that is pigieon based with dark background and substrait will pepper more quickly,the ph can cause them to pepper up also.I personally think pigieon based discus pepper up more than other discus,but Im no expert.

  3. #23
    Tiny Fry
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    newcastle NSW
    Posts
    369
    Looking really nice mate. My breeding pair also do the same thing as yours when they don't have fry can clean the tank very easy. Mine also will block my sight so i cant see the fry,i just put it down to good parenting.
    Jon

  4. #24
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    239
    Hi Gang,
    There's conflict in the tank as of today. I'm not 100% sure which is male and female as I've missed the spawns. But the larger one which I'm guessing is the male and the slightly smaller, less attentive one the female, are lip locking now and again and having a "push me-shove you" over the fry. The larger one happy to attend to the fry and try's to move off the smaller, less attentive one.
    I'm thinking mum may want to lay again and if that's the case I'm concerned for the fry. Or perhaps they are fighting over the care of the fry. I've researched and there's opinions over splitting the parents with a piece of egg crate or just leave them be. I'm inclined to at least leave them be, to sort it out on their own and only intervene if the fry start to disappear, if I'm there to see it. If I wake up in the morning and they are all gone I'll kick myself but probably best to let them learn to do it all by themselves? Any thoughts? : )

    Its been quiet the last couple of hours. The larger main care giver seems to have won out. The slightly smaller one is right there a few inches away calmly hanging out, feeding some of the fry at times but no where near as popular a feeding station as the larger one. Fingers crossed!

    Also the breeding cone is the only thing in the tank besides a large cube sponge over my canister pick up. I have not removed it as it seems to be the home ground. The fry congregate on it and travel across to mum or dad, an inch or two away, then travel back after a feed. Is it best to remove it? I'm concerned with the conflict it may upset them to much if its taken away as they are happy to keep it between us and the kids when we are around.

    The original fry now about two and a half weeks old and starting to look like little fish, filling out in shape a bit now. I notice the growth more now each day with them.

    A very happy Australia Day to you all! Time for a beer!

    Cheers

  5. #25
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    239
    Hi,
    everything settled down after their dust up. They seem to be sharing more in the carers roll now. So far so good. There's about 70 odd at this time. Still to hard to count. The remaining six from the first batch still in there too. There's usually a few groups of the babies around the tank and the parents gather them all up from time to time in passing. They are now feeding on micro worm as well as the parents. The micro worm seem to stay in suspension well. I tried the bought bottle of hatched baby brine shrimp but they are not interested. They will have some live brine shrimp to try tomorrow. The three week mark seemed when this lot started to eat from other than the parents.
    Finally a clearer pic with about half the fry visible. You can see one of the older fry to the right of the pic. It shows the difference a week makes between these two lots of fry.

    Cheers
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails dsc00001_204.jpg  

  6. #26
    Free Swimmer Nev's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    420
    I wouldn't stress too much about the young feeding, just get the frozen bbs, they love it, and feed the parents as usual. Get some beetheart from the lfs, the bad stuff that disintegrats as the're eating, the fry love it!

  7. #27
    Tiny Fry
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    newcastle NSW
    Posts
    369
    Fantastic job mate. I agree with nev mine feed on the frooze BBS at the 2 week mark.Just hope the flukes dont get you like its done to me even though i treated the parents but obviously the prazi treatment was'nt in the tank long enough.Check around week 6 as soon as you notice any getting dark or swimming wierd they will have flukes.

    Jon
    Jon

  8. #28
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    239
    Hi Nev, Jon,

    I've looked here for the frozen bbs. I cant find it? I'd seen you guys recommend it to others recently, I think to Mrs D and have been looking since then. I also found it hard to get the eggs too, but have some now and have live baby brine as of today hatching out. Phew! They love it! : )

    The parents hardly eat. Any usual type food goes in and gets sucked back out later. I've had to use black worm as its live and doesn't pollute, which can be left in. But they hardly seem to touch them unless they crawl right under their noses? I guess they have their minds on the job at hand.

    Thanks also for the flukes tip. I'd noticed you talking about that recently too and was concerned. I asked a few questions (Thanks Illusn for info!) to try and be ready and can use the Potassium Permanganate after about 3 weeks age at the recommended dose in the sticky. I think that would be the gentlest method at this small size IF I have any turn up. It's good to know what specific signs to look out for now though, thanks.

    They are doing a great job.... I'm just the cleaner! : )

    Thanks for all the good info you are putting out there,

    Cheers

  9. #29
    Tiny Fry
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    newcastle NSW
    Posts
    369
    Flukes are the biggest hate for me. I have prazi all tanks and to be certain i have repeated the does after a few days so treating 3 times in a week to break the cycle so far so good for my adaults but loosing a few fry but i think the damage had already been done before i started treatment, going well now after treating them.

    I just hope your parents was clean of gill flukes before they laid because i treated mine before breeding but they must have still had some so now i'm at the stage of treating them again but doing more treatments to break the egg cycle, fingers crossed for next spawn.

    Looks like your fry are progressing really well if i was in perth i would be grabing some juvies of you for sure

    Jon
    Jon

  10. #30
    Wrigglers
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    239
    Thanks Jon,

    They laid within 3 days of arriving so I didn't get a chance to treat. They (parents) are not showing any signs but that doesn't really mean anything. I'm ready to go with a PP treatment and am watching for them like a hawk. It was your recent posts about your fry that alerted me to the threat so a big thanks for that.
    I hope your fry settle and the next spawn is free of the flukes.
    I may be sending some young ones back to Sonle the Melbourne supplier, depending on how many survive, ratio of potential Pidgeons to spotted Butterflies etc that I'm told may arise, "how many I can bare to part with" : ) He will then have for sale and he's an excellent shipper. I reckon there's some good genes in this pair. He's had some excellent stocks coming in recently. He doesn't advertise much, I guess he doesn't have to.

    Cheers

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