Tropical Fish Discus Forum Questions Answered!

After two days parents are eating eggs,or if we are lucky they go to rigglers put parents still eat them would be most greatfull for any help.Have tried covering cone with mesh but still no joy.

Reply:
By nature, parents will not eat their babies.
If they do, there must be some reasons.
a) The babies are not healthy.
b) The babies are sick.
c) The parents feel their babies are not secure.
d) They have been disturbed or frightened.

Sometimes you may have mistaken that they eat babies:
a) Parents clean or bathe their babies. They swallow into mouth and blow them in certain spot.
b) Parents shift their babies to a better or ideal location with mouth. Don’t panic and nervous and do anything to frighten them.

My question to you is put the wire mesh after discus lay eggs then when should I remove the wire mesh or should I leave it until they take care of frys.

Reply:
You cover the eggs with wire mesh after they lay the eggs.
Leave the wire mesh. The larva will stick on the wire mesh after they have hatched out.
You will remove the wire mesh after the fry free swimming.

We have gotten as far as the 2nd day after hatching the young began to cling to their parents sides then the next morning they were eaten, they also eat eggs before they hatch should i remove eggs or babies into a separate tank?

Reply:
Under their normal behavior, the parents seldom eat their babies. They will protect them instead.
Of course they have exceptional cases. They will eat the babies:
a. They feel the babies are not safe.
b. The babies are not healthy.
c. The babies are sick.
d. The parents are fighting.

Inexperience parents or a new pair will eat their eggs or babies as the parental love have not developed yet. Interchange a new pair and the old pair may help. Then change back.
Be patient. You will succeed.

I work in breeding discus fish in tabriz Iran. I hatching eggs discus artificial after 50 hours. When fry swimming I had food for fry .after 24 hours fry died. I would be glad of any advice.

Reply:
When you want to do artificial hatching you need to have a complete set of equipment and food to start. How do you do it? You can’t simply leave the fry in the breeding tank to hatch. What happen to the parents? Why can’t they nurse their babies?

My guess to why the fry did not survive …
a. The babies not taking bath; no clean body after born.
b. They died because of no proper food.
c. Water becomes polluted.

Is it true you have to keep the fry with the parents for an extended period of time? If so, why is that? I thought cichlids as a general rule dont like to be crowded with their own kind.

Reply:
If you keep the fry with the parents for an extended period, they will grow faster and more healthier. When the fry still small in size they would not crowd the tank but look harmony.