Breeding pairs

[Plane]

I have a tank with 6 discus. There are two pairs in this tank who have, on their own in a separate tank, successfully laid eggs. However, now that they are in a communal tank only one pair is continuing to lay.

Does one pair become the dominant pair and the only ones that breed?

Is this normal or just peculiar to my fish?

[goldenpigeon]

yes this is quite normal. there is always one dominant pair and they maight not be alowed to lay sometimes. switch them into different tanks if you can.

[Merrilyn]

Just to illustrate what GP has said, I'll tell you about the fish in my community tank. There are around 8 pairs in my 5 foot tank, at varying stages of maturity.

I don't have any spawning cones in there, so everyone seems to want to lay eggs on the filter intake pipe.

I had a mature pair who were just forming a pair bond. I allow them to lay eggs in the community tank a few times before I move them to breeding tanks and this seems to strengthen the pair bond, and you get better parents.

Well they took over the filter pipe to lay their eggs, and this time I thought it was time to move them into a tank of their own.

Even before I had them settled into the new tank, another pair formed, and were busily cleaning the pipe at the very place where the first pair were cleaning just moments before.

Seems that they were ready to spawn, but having to wait because the dominant pair had control of the only suitable breeding site. As soon as the dominant pair were removed, the sub dominant pair took over and laid eggs LOL

So yes, there will be a dominant pair in a tank, and depending on the size of the tank, will stop the others from breeding. In a very large tank, there would be enough room for two pairs to spawn, one each end, but in a small to medium tank, only one pair will usually breed.

[Plane]

Thanks Merriyn, You have just confirmed what I had suspected. I will separate the two breeding pairs into different tanks and keep persisting with the ones that keep eating their eggs.

I read what you said in another article re egg eating as one of my pairs continues to do this (probably 8 or 9 times). Will keep trying for success!

Regards, Irene