Oh Dear Me, I Have Made A Big Mistake I Think

[star4]

I am not sure I am doing the right thing, need help!!

I bought a pair of Thorichthys ellioti, which I seperated as they had not long spawned to give the female a rest. I put the male in my 300l tank with 2 serverums 4 blue acara 1 rtbs and 1 firemouth. I was told the firemouth was a male! but last night I noticed a "white tube" had appeared under his belly, thinking he had somehow ruptured himself I set up the hospital tank ready to transfer him there today. However when I checked "him" this morning the elliotti & the firemouth were guarding a rock which was covered in eggs!! so my firemouth is a girl! Now even though both fish are guarding the eggs and all the other fish are at the other end of the tank, I have been left with a couple of problems. The first being the rock they picked is directly under the intake pipe for the filter so any fry would get sucked straight up it (horried way to die!) second is we are in the middle of decorating and on Monday/tuesday all the fish are moving to a 400l tank.

My hospital tank is all set up, should I move the rock into the smaller tank and see if they hatch? but then if I do what would I do with cross bred fish?

 

[mixmaster jay]

hi star yeah put them in the other tank probably the best thing to do
you could always send them me lol hehe

 

[Truck]

whatever you do, do not give these to anyone else or breed them further...you must keep them till they die, if you let them go they may well end up hybridising with other species...look at the flowerhorn, what a foul fish along with parrots too, hybrids are to be avoided IMO

 

[star4]

Ok will move the rock, but with my luck with breeding, I doubt I will get many, If I do get one or two I wouldnt pass them on, well maybe to Jay because he would know what they are.
Thanks

 

[Joller]

if you don't want the fry just wash the eggs off the rock in the sink, or you could try removing the fry letting them become free swimming then a week later put them back for your fish to eat, free live fish food

 

[star4]

I suppose that is an option! I would be a bit squeamish about it though!

 

[mixmaster jay]

thanks star

 

[star4]

I wouldnt hold out too much hope I really dont have much luck with breeding fish, I couldnt get guppies to stay alive lol

 

[cheesy feet]

You could try moving them to another tank, get a gentle flow running over them, and some air diffusers around the rock.
I wouldn't mind some, if they hatched

 

[star4]

ok I have moved the rock into the other tank, all the eggs look fine, so white ones! I cant believe this has happened, the firemouth sure looks like a male, and the person I had him from said he was a male, I guess I am going to have to get use to calling him a her!

 

[star4]

Confused as to if I am right calling the firemouth the female. The tube was long and rounded and on the elioti it was smaller and pointed, which is which?

Good/bad news on the eggs, some of them have turned white this morning. I am not going to mess about removing the white ones. If I only end up with a couple of fry I will make sure they go to someone that knows what they are or keep them.

 

[ulster exile]

Yikes. Sorry if I have mis-idendified the sexes of the t. elliotti. I had been told that although very difficult to sex, I could use the sexing comments in the following article as a guide www.britishcichlid.com/pdfs/the_family_thoric_dawson.

Again, sorry if this is wrong!

 

[star4]

Dont worry lol I have spoken to the lovely person I had the firemouth off too, they are worried they miss sexed him too. To be honest they both look male to me too. I am going to try and get some pictures of them all later to see if anyone else can identify the boys and girls, but all the pictures I have looked at I am convinced they should both be male. I think once I get the pictures every one will see it was such an easy mistake. So nobody worry ok

I was not worried about the adults, just what to do with the fry (if they hatch).

 

[star4]

Ok after trying for a while now (I am really awful at taking picutres), Could someone tell me the sex of these two please.

 

[cheesy feet]

Firemouth looks female, I think.If it had a rounded tube it's definitely female, while pointy is male.