Free Swimmers to Parent feeding advice.

[DiscusMan]

Just thought i would post up the things i have learnt so far as there is a lot of trick that are out there adn this forum is about putting htem all in the same place. So if anyone else has some breeding tips and hints then please share.

Ok here goes,

My first batch of babies were laid by suprise in a 3 foot by 18 inch by 18 inch tank that was the home to 9 goldens. Upon getting to the free swimming stage i found that the babies were not really to attracted to the parents. I made sure that all the dark objects were removed from teh tank etc, but this still didnt seem to stop some of the babies from appearing to be like free spirits roaming the whole tank.

Ok 2nd batch of babies parents now in a 2 foot by 18 by 18. This time when they got to the free swimming stage i dropped the water level down in the tank to the point were the parents were only just able to stay upright. I left the tank in this state until 99% of the babies were constantly swimming with the parents in the expected way. This took 3 days to acheive but the fry stay with the parents. In the first batch the babies would go to the parents and eat but would then swim away still. so i think the losses were probably higher.

So once the babies are acting like i wanted i now have raised the water back up to normal level and they still hang around the parents int eh totaly awesome discus raising way.

This is so cool to watch.

Hope this helps someone out in someway to get some babies to get onto the parents.

Wayne

[Majesticaquatic]

One problem with spawns in a community of Discus is 'confusion'....
Discus babies learn to recognize the color and/or patterns on the parrent fish almost immediately (like Zebras. the animal)... If they see other Discus after hatching out they become confused about WHO the parents are.. they then go from fish to fish trying to feed. Sad thing is ones not thier parents will usually quickly EAT them.
When spawning in a Pair environment they only see the parents and have no problems....
This is one reason why Discus (and some other fish and animals) segregate themselves from others during spawning. :wink:

[DiscusMan]

My comments are more aimed at pairs of lighter bodied coloured fish.

Goldens for example can only make the peppering if any on there body more pronounced when they are trying to feed. The fry are attracted to any dark object in the tank. Be it a thermometer or a airstone.

My comments are based on what i have done in a breeding tank with only the fry and parents present. If left with a full tank of water of 18 inches deep in my case. The chance of babies even seeing the parents is much lower than if you drop the water level down as this causes the babies to huddle in a corner in a more condensed area. Then the parents move in and the babies in a short period of time realise that the light coloured object is actually the parents instead of the usual dark.

Of course most commercial breeders would have a surrogate parent on hand and use that but us mere hobbiest must try other things.

This works and i recommend doing it to others in the same situation.

Wayne

[Majesticaquatic]

I am not saying that what you suggest would not work as typically Discus spawn in water that is at least about double thier hieght (ie. 6in. fish 12/14in. of water would likely suffice.)... [min. space of about a cubic foot]
When Discus spawn thier colors intensify for the specific purpose of being different/more noticeable than non-spawning school members.. this provides a recognizable difference for the hatching fry... It is also one of the main reasons why the spawning fish segregate themselves from the school community to further allow fry to find them for feeding and care.
And of course pairs will/can vary in ability to spawn and rear the young..
This subject is well worth the time as perspectives on this vary and many have a misunderstanding of this part of Discus behavior.