Discus Pair Breeding

[kashifmasud]

First of all I have 4 Discus (2 Female & 2 Male) along with 1 Bolivian Ram, 5 Tetras & a Pleco. I am lucky enough that 2 discus have formed a pair and laid eggs. It's super exciting for me as having Discus pairing up and breeding would be like golden prize for me. But since I am new to the process I am not sure what steps should I take for successful breeding.
First & most I am concerned about other fishes including other Discus eating fry, So I should I separate them ? I don't have an extra tank at least not big enough for now and if I get one it will take sometime to setup. Secondly after eggs hatched and fry swimming freely, will I have to remove parents too? Lastly do I have to adjust flow of my filter and use some nylon in front of the filter intake to protect fry?

All based on the assumptions that eggs hatch successfully off course and what are the chances they will do ?

Thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

The other fish, especially the plec, will certainly eat any eggs or fry they can get near.

You do, really, need to set up a breeding tank and, yes, you do need to cover the filter intakes, unless you use a sponge filter in the breeding tank (which is the best option).

Discus should not be separated from the fry; they actually feed their fry on a special slime they secrete from their skins.

Personally, I would not worry too much about this spawn; once fish have paired up and spawned once, it's pretty much a certainty that they'll spawn again, so you have plenty of time to get things set up properly, even if this lot of eggs doesn't make it.

It's impossible to guess whether the eggs will hatch; there are too many variables that we can't/don't know (the hardness and pH of your water, temperature,age and fertility of the parents etc, etc).

 

[Zante]

Depending on your setup you might even not need a separate tank, mine spawned successfully (after many attempts, mind you) in the community tank, and some predation will reduce the final number of fish you end up with, which isn't necessarily bad.

Consider that once you have a hundred discus you'll have to find homes for them...

 

[kashifmasud]

Thanks guys, as suspected Eggs did not hatch and mother ate them all, then 2 days ago she laid eggs again and pair tried to aerate them but at the end they ate the eggs again. My LFS guy said get an egg tumbler and move the eggs in separate small tank until they hatch...Do you know if this is a good idea ? I have a small may be 25-30litre tank that i can setup for hatching but then I think it will be too small for Mother if I moved her too in it after eggs hatched..

Also I have no experience with Egg Tumbler....so shall I try tumbler or be as it is and let the pair work it out hatching.

 

[Zante]

No, that is a bad idea for discus. The fry eat the slime off the sides of the parents until they are able to feed on other foods and for a while after that. you need special arrangements and special food to mimic that, and it simply isn't worth it.

Tumblers are usually used for the cichlids of the great african lakes which are mouthbrooders. As far as I know (and I could be wrong here) they're not used for cichlids that stick their eggs on a surface, as simply removing the eggs from the surface is likely to damage them

If you were to hand rear american cichlid eggs you'd move the stone or leaf on which they are laid to another tank and create a gentle current with an airstone.

... but this doesn't apply to discus. Trust me, let them be. Mine ate eggs and fry at least eight or ten times before successfully rearing a batch. If you treat them well they will live up to 10 years or more, you have plenty of time for them to get it right.

 

[kashifmasud]

No, that is a bad idea for discus. The fry eat the slime off the sides of the parents until they are able to feed on other foods and for a while after that. you need special arrangements and special food to mimic that, and it simply isn't worth it.

Tumblers are usually used for the cichlids of the great african lakes which are mouthbrooders. As far as I know (and I could be wrong here) they're not used for cichlids that stick their eggs on a surface, as simply removing the eggs from the surface is likely to damage them

If you were to hand rear american cichlid eggs you'd move the stone or leaf on which they are laid to another tank and create a gentle current with an airstone.

... but this doesn't apply to discus. Trust me, let them be. Mine ate eggs and fry at least eight or ten times before successfully rearing a batch. If you treat them well they will live up to 10 years or more, you have plenty of time for them to get it right.

Thanks for the great advice. I noticed that all the egg tumblers says it's for Cichlids. I will let them as it is then..

 

[Zante]

You will find that when someone refers to "cichlids" most often they refer to the hard water cichlids of the great african lakes.