How long does it take to breed?

[madaboutfish]

Hello everyone,

I have 3 yellow melons, 1 red melon and a rose red (I think) in a 60" x 24" x 18" tank. For the last 3-4 weeks the red melon and the rose red have been busy shimmering and cleaning the spawning cone at one corner of the tank (this happens only at night when the tank light is on)while the 3 yellow melons have been staying at the opposite corner only to be attacked by the pair if they leave that particular corner. I am pretty sure that the melon is a male while the rose red is a female. I estimate that their ages are approximately 11 - 13 months and 16- 17 months old respectively. I have bred pigeon bloods before but I have never seen shimmering and cleaning go on for so long without any egg laying. Is there anything that i could do to induce spawning? Also should I remove the 3 yellow melons since they aren't allowed to swim around?


thanks

Nick

[mcloughlin2]

I would leave them to it....

That tank would be far to large IMO to breed discus successfully, im not saying it isnt possible but it would be very hard for the fry to attach to their parents.....

As this is the pairs first time, i would reccomend letting them spawn in the community tank as learning to defend the eggs is a important key IMO to developing a strong pair.....

In regards to your question, this shimmering/ shaking etc could go on for a few more weeks/ possibly even months!!! :shock:

To try and encourage them to spawn, next time you change some water fill it back up with water that is cooler to get the water temp. to drop a few degrees...

Or, give them heaps of live or frozen food...

Best way to get them to breed is keep the water changes up ( At least 3times a week ), feed them heaps of good food eg brineshrimp,bloodworms,beefheart...and keep your water quality good...

Try and keep the ph about 6.5 and make sure its soft...if you have hard water try filtering some peatmoss through the water...

Could you also post details of your tank?

Such as Ph?
Hardness?
Temperature?
Are there other tankmates?
Etc etc :D

HTH... :P

[madaboutfish]

Hi,

My tanks pH is between 6.5 - 7, KH is 1, for GH I can't seem to get a reading, Temp 28 degrees. I change about 30% of the water daily with water which is at room temperature. After water change temp in tank drops to approximately 25 degrees. I have used this method for the pigeon blood strain but they used to spawn every 4 days and had never taken this long to spawn. Other than the 5 discus in the tank there are are no other tankmates. I was considering the removal of the 3 yellow melons as the pair has been so fiercely guarding the spawning site that the 3 other fishes are only able to swim up and down in the opposite corner. The pair also seems to try to stop the others from eating. I have read that breeding pairs try to protect their corner of the tank but this pair wants the whole tank.

Do different strains have different breeding habits?

Regards

Nick

[Merrilyn]

All pairs are different Nick and take different amounts of time to begin spawning properly. Your pair sound very new at this breeding game, and may take a few more weeks to get their act together.

Give them time, they're off to a good start. :P