Hi all,
I have this week discovered that my peppermints have spawned and the male is busily fanning eggs in a ceramic log. This is a first spawn for the adults.
Some of the eggs have been kicked from the cave and I have scooped them up and placed them in a clear plastic cylinder (perforated with lots of small openings) and aerated by an airstone on low speed. This arrangement is cantained within a breeding pen bought from a local fish shop. Most of the others are still in the cave being cared for by the male.
I am concerned that perhaps this aeration is still a little aggressive despite being low and sporadic. Can anyone tell me if just leaving the eggs to sit within the pen is sufficient to allow them to survive, or is the aeration and movement within the cylinder more beneficial. I would like to assist as best I can in making these fry survive. Can anyone please make some successful recommendations.
It is day 3 and the eggs in the chamber are showing signs of tiny eyes and spines. There's round 26 and the cave appears to be carrying slightly more than that.
Please help and thanks
well it's best to keep the eggs tumbling even lightly, thus to keep water moving over them preventing them getting fungal rot (or similar).
so keep them moving or you may lose them.
we had a batch of normal bristlenose lay in the middle of the tank no male or anything so at that time we didn't have a tumbler so we put them into an empty jam jar and put an airstone in with them and they survived they were in there for about 3-4 days or so.
hope that helps alhtough i know peppermints are more expensive.
cheers
Hi Major Hero,
I have had the occassional batch of eggs pushed out of the log with the normal bns. I just put them in a sieve with an airstone underneath it. the eggs get tumbled and a few days later will hatch (if fertilsed). Just as long as the eggs are not tumbled rapidly, you should be fine.
Good luck with them and do let us know how the bubs go
Cheers,
dan
:oops: Sorry, might have spotted this sooner if it was in the catfish forum.
I don't usually read all the other 'junk'.
Don't 'tumble' the eggs like if they were african Cichlids, just a good gentle circulation of oxygenated water. The eggs are as tough as golf balls, but, when the fry hatch they are as dellicate as all get out.
A good volume of water is needed around the hatching eggs as all the gunk and fluid relleased upon hatch quickly fouls the water and a successfull hatch is quickly a disaster!
Half a dozen or ten loose eggs in a coffee jar is Ok, but at least a couple of gallons of warer for a full batch of eggs. Then regular water changes.
I am not familier with the set up you have described, but if it is in the breeding tank and plenty of water you may be OK.
Alan.