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My discus pair,
Fierce Husband and Headband's first breeding experience... |
Male - Headband
>>Strain - Unknown
Female - Fierce Husband
>>Strain - Turquiose
21st June 2001 - Spawning (10-11.30PM) :: Didn't
get to catch this spectacular sight, because I was out doing
some star gazing and observing the planet, Mars. When I got
back to look at them, WHA LA! There they were fanning their
eggs already. Luckily I changed 50% of my water today.
22nd - I was real scared that fungus would set in, but
well-fertilised eggs wouldn't get fungus that easily. What's
more it's the pair's first spawning and I had read that others
take more than 10 spawning to be successful! Talking about fertilising
the eggs, my male is only 8 months old but my female is about
6 months older and more mature. I told myself to relax and let
nature and their instinct to guide them. The female turned dark,
as her maternal instinct made her form more mucus. They look
dark and sickly, but in fact it's the creation of "Discus's
milk" that caused the darkening. The mucus is a food source
for the fries to feed on, in their first week of their life.
After the first week, they would start accepting brine shrimp.
23rd - The male followed and turned dark. This morning
was very surprising. No eggs had fungus on them at all. Today
I did a 20% water change twice. Only three eggs on the extreme
ends of the spawning site turned white (Perhaps the males sperms
didn't get to them). I could see black dots in the eggs, thus
I pronounced that they may be more successful than I thought!
24th June 2001 - Hatching :: This morning was
full of anticipation of whether the eggs would hatch. I peered
into my tank and I saw wrigglers, so many of them. Perhaps 60
or so. All had hatched except the three white eggs that were
eaten away. I was real shocked. I said to myself "What! They
managed to have fries??? That's great, their instinct was astounding"
Later today, I saw the parents transfer all the fries that hatched,
lower down the PVC pipe. I could see the little traces of fungus
feeding on the "egg shells" left behind. May be the parents
don't feel safe with those little fungus growing. I did a 25%
change of the tank today.
25th - Building of barrier :: It all happened
in a communal tank. Therefore I had to build a barrier in between
the tank. I use malleable aluminium rods and bend them into
shape. Then sewing the filter bag material onto the frame, I
got a barrier! I started to make out two dots that I presumed
were the eyes of the young. The parents continued to fan and
blow their hatchlings.
 >>
Fierce Husband, a dedicated monther. She would ate all the eggs
in her previous three spawns with Monster.
Because Monster was not interested in taking care for the eggs.
26th June 2001 - Free swimming (4-5PM):: One
by one they started to stray around and the parents have to
retrieve them by gobbling those naughty fries in their mouths.
Then placing them back gently by blowing them back onto the
spawning site. The female had no problem doing that, but the
male was too forceful. He blew them back too hard and more started
to wriggle away. The female got all of them back in the end
and then the process of straying and catching repeats itself
again and again. Another 25% of the tank was changed today.
27th - Catching the other out :: I decided that
it was unwise to leave the rest of the Discus in there. As I
saw Black Head (one of my Pigeon blood) ate one of the fry that
made it through the side of my barrier! So I transferred them
into another tank. Leaving the pair with their spawn alone.
Err... Not really alone. I left a clown loach there. Hehehe...
29th - Fries doubles in size since free swimming I am
changing 50% of my tank's water everyday.
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