help me please

[discalicious]

hi all me again, 3 out of my 8 pairs have laid but every time the eggs are not fertile.
i watched the male go up the eggs both time and still the eggs all go white after 2/3 days.
what is wrong and what cani do.
thanks
if you can call me on 0410652499
if you cannot call please reply here.
thanks
Shane & Ashley

[sharn]

either hes infertile (is that the word where their sperm isnt right, i get than confused with fertile lol) or your filter may be too strong and is blowing his little men into oblivion hehe. im sure theres other reasons but those seem to be the two most common from what ive read. HTH

[Merrilyn]

Some males are very slow to mature, so you may need to wait a couple of months for him to grow up a bit more.

Anther thing that affect the fertilization of the egg, is that the water may be too hard. Discus need very soft water to breed.

Can you do a pH and GH test and post the results.

[discalicious]

hi, the ph is about 6.6 and i did a gh test but lost the paper that tell me what the result says.
all i know is that the water is very soft.
i only had to drop in 1 drop in and it changed the water yellow.
which i remember is the end of the cycle.
water is around 27/29 degs
water current is very very slow, i adjusted all the ball taps in the breeders tanks to a minimal
i have found that all the second round eggs are infertile and i have had another 2 pairs lay, 1 male ate the eggs as they were coming out and the others are the 1s that laid first for me but all were infertile.
thanks
Shane

[Merrilyn]

They sound like very young pairs Shane. Some males don't mature till they are 18 months or older.

I think you've just got to wait it out.

I've had fish with 12 attempts at breeding before they got it right, and that's not unusual.

[discalicious]

thanks very much.
i got them all as breeding pairs so i thought there might be something wrong.
thanks again
Shane

[mcloughlin2]

There may also be a problem with the female, but as it sounds your pairs have only recentely started to lay so i wouldnt worry about it atm...

Sam.

[discalicious]

well another one laid 2 days ago and all the eggs are infertile again.
i have 8 pairs and 4 of them have laid and i watched the male run over them as soon as the female had laid them. i dont understand it?????
if any1 in syd would like to come over and help me out i would be very greatful. you can contact me on 0410652499.
if your not in syd a call to tell me what to check would be great.
thanks
Shane

[jim from sydney]

Shane......try to be patient.......i have tried for 2 years to just get them to ley eggs, and only once was i lucky.......only to be eaten within the next 24 hours........young pairs or old pairs all need time to adjust to their friends and even then mother nature takes a strong hold....so dont worry let it be as it is ....the more you want them to, the more fustrated you become..........check water etc and if all is well....one day soon you may be pleasantly surprised....good luck....Jim

[discalicious]

well 1 pair have laid 5 times now......
and we noticed that the male was eating the eggs that went white that was this afternoon, now its 11:30 and there is another 12 white eggs.
all the rest are yellow with a light brown dot in the middle but all the eggs look like that but still seam to go white within 72 hrs.
the pairs were all susposto be proven breeding pairs from mylasia so i dont understand that its now beed around 6 weeks and 3 pairs are laying like mad with no sucess and the rest dont seem interested at all?????
can some1 help PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shane

[Merrilyn]

Hi Shane,

There is no such thing as a sure breeding pair. Just because they have bred for someone else, does not mean they will breed in a different tank. If breeding discus was easy, then everyone would be doing it, and discus would be the same price as goldfish.

Truth of the matter, is they are difficult to breed, and even more difficult to raise. Even if you have bred other fish for years, there's no guarantee that you will be successful with discus. Discus are definately different.

With angels,, if the parents eat their eggs, you simply remove the eggs and raise the fry on their own. You just can't do that with discus. They rely on their parents for their first food and you can't raise them away from the parents.

I've seen pairs go off breeding, and not raise eggs for 12 months. Then suddenly, they will begin breeding again.

So as I said, there are no guarantees with discus. I doubt you'll ever make money out of selling the fry. At best, you'll cover costs, unless you go in for a huge breeding operation.

I understand your frustration, as the pairs you bought were supposed to be proven breeding pairs, but as I have already said, there is no such thing as a guarantee with discus.

I don't think it's anything you're doing wrong, it's just that the fish aren't ready to breed.

All you can do is provide them with the best conditions possible. The cleanest water, warm and soft and slightly acid, and the best foods you can find, and leave the rest up to nature.

[goldenpigeon]

hey Shane,
im with ladyred on this.

to me it sounds like you have a few young and inexperienced pairs there.

i have a few fish which have bred for oterh people which im still trying to get to breed. (i havnt given them a very good chance thoagh lol. need to get lots more tanks!)...

i think give them some time and basically just wait it out. you could possible try dropping the ph down to 6.0 and see if that has any affect.

the next time they breed see if the males breeding tube is actually showing. i have had males go over the eggs before without them having the breeding tube down.

cheers
David

[marg]

Hi G.P.,

What in your opinion is the best way to lower your P.H. in a Breeding tank - the Tank is a 4 ft. barebottom divided into 3 sections and has a Breeding Cone and a medium Sized Sponge Filter in each section. The PH in the Tank is currently 6.8.

I think maybe that is what is causing me my problem - My red Pair spawned Monday Night (Male missed a few Eggs) however they fanned them and carried on instead of eating them as usual. I left a night light on with them and kept my fingers crossed - thought I'd won the battle this time, however - Yesterday I noticed that the Egggs were starting to Fungus over, and last night Chomp Chomp Chomp!!.

I do have some Methylene Blue but am reluctant to use it (worried about Parents Slime Coat).

The Breeding Cones are Terracotta - I am thinking of approaching the local Potters Club and perhaps getting them to make me some New Cones and Glazing them also.

I am thinking that I should lower the PH in an attempt to counteract the Fungus problem, and would like opinions on the simplest and most effective way to lower the PH. From what I understand no-one uses PH down even though the LFS tries to push it at you.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.,

Regards,

Marg.

[jim from sydney]

Marg.......keep your eye on this link..


.....Jim


http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=55371#55371

[marg]

Jim,

You and I must have the same problem hey!

Thanks for that, I will keep my eye on that link.

Have a good Easter won't you, and not too many chockies!!!

Regards,

Marg.

[goldenpigeon]

hey marg.
i got the box and bags for the fish today BTW :D

ummm you could use ph down or peat to make the water softer and a bit more acisic. i hear cattapa leave to the job aswell. all are good IMO.

[jim from sydney]

Have a good Easter won't you, and not too many chockies!!!

Regards,

Marg.

Marg. you and your family too, have a great Easter........Jim

[marg]

G.P.,

So you don't find PH Down a problem?

I seem to recall reading somewhere that PH Down is not a good idea with Discus - maybe I have been having another of my "Blonde Moments" :lol: :lol: .

I have some Miracle Leaves on order with Ben - ordered them Tuesday along with a heap of other goodies for my "Kids".

Will give you a call in about an hour.,

Regards,

Marg.

[goldenpigeon]

yes some people have had problems with it.... i havnt...... personal choice i guess.

i just keep a peice of drift wood in my tanks and it keeps everything in check for me.