Red Jewel Eggs - need advice

[jarrodaden]

I lost them all last time because I wasn't expecting them, but I have been watching closely.

I noticed these today

eggs.jpg

A little difficult to see, but there must be 100 eggs on the lower rock. They have a yellow color possibly because the rock is about that color but they definitely are not white.

What do I do?

I have about 12 cichlids of various type in this 72 gallon tank.

The only place I could put that rock would be the 17 gallon with small tetras in it.

Any help appreciated.

[SteveCGG]

years ago, mine bred constantly....they were great but very aggressive parents....they completely took over my 55g and nobody else could live in there with them...

[jarrodaden]

would love to get some advice on this before having to leave to work tomorrow.... I turned the lights out for now. Mom and Dad don't seem to be to aggressive yet. The question is whether or not I should relocate the rock with the eggs on it.

[Zulaab]

I would leave them where they are at. They will not get real aggressive until the fry is free swimming. Then life will get interesting in the tank. The only way to move them would be into their own tank, because once you move the eggs they are on their own. The parents will got guard them in a new tank.

[jarrodaden]

Thank you Zulaab.

It is times like this that I was I had an entire room in the house full of fish tanks....

[jarrodaden]

I spent about two hours on the internet researching and here is a summary of what I am reading

Fry will hatch in about 48 hours
I could potentially have several hundred eggs
Mom and / or Dad will "fan" the eggs until they hatch
Mom and / or Dad will become very aggressive about protecting the fry
Mom and / or Dad will dig a pit and try to confine the fry there
The pit may be moved periodically

Here are my questions

1) Is anything above inaccurate? I trust this site more than other sites.
2) Is there a divider I can get at LFS for a 72 gallon bowfront?
3) Is there a relatively simple food I can use? I would like to avoid BBS or food that has to be prepped.

[imagirlgeek]

Fry will hatch in about 48 hours - I don't know the hatch time, but 2-3 days seems about right.
I could potentially have several hundred eggs - True
Mom and / or Dad will "fan" the eggs until they hatch - True
Mom and / or Dad will become very aggressive about protecting the fry - True
Mom and / or Dad will dig a pit and try to confine the fry there - True
The pit may be moved periodically - True

Here are my questions

1) Is anything above inaccurate? I trust this site more than other sites. (answered above)
2) Is there a divider I can get at LFS for a 72 gallon bowfront? - I've made a divider really easily.
You'll need:
plasticcanvas.jpg- Plastic Canvas Sheets (sold at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart for sure - in the Hobby/Craft/Needlework section)
replacementhinge.jpg- Something to put on the ends to secure it in the tank (I used an old plastic hinge that used to be on my glass lids, but I've seen people use pool noodles to secure the divider down in the tank as well.)

1. Cut the plastic canvas to size (you can connect 2 of them with fishing line or thread or whatever if it's not large enough)
2. If you use the plastic hinge, then slice it long-ways down the middle so that you have 2 pieces to slide the canvas into. If you use a pool noodle, do the same thing...you just need two pieces that you can slide the canvas into.
3. Put the divider in the tank and shove the bottom way down into the gravel to secure it (position it just like a store bought divider)

3) Is there a relatively simple food I can use? I would like to avoid BBS or food that has to be prepped. - just crush up some flakes, they'll be big enough to eat that.

[jarrodaden]

Thank you. Do I need to be worried about fry swimming thru or getting stuck in the little holes of the knitting plastic?

[jarrodaden]

Traci (sp?) - That worked great! Being and engineer and a tinkerer, I couldn't resist the temptation to tweak your design. A little more sturdy, but not so attractive. Nonetheless, mom and dad are seperated from the rest of my cichlids. I also put panty hose over the intake which happens to be on their side of the tank. I am still worried about the skimmer, but willing to take my chances on that.

Here is my pic. Probably not worthy of the full tank shot thread )

divider.jpg

Assuming they hatch tomorrow or the next day, how long should I expect to leave this divider in place?

[imagirlgeek]

Awesome! I figured you'd be able to do something with my divider info...which is why I didn't go into too much detail. You seemed like the kind of guy who would use the idea, but make it your own. I do the same thing.

Looks great, IMO!

I think you'll know when to take down the divider just by eyeballing their growth, but they should grow pretty fast. If the parents start getting aggressive with each other (which sometimes happens), you might need to move one of them to the other side...thought I'd mention that, I don't think that had been brought up yet.

Keep us updated on them!

[jarrodaden]

Thank you for the kind words, but my wife hates the divider being in our show tank. I am going to have to find a place to setup a breeding tank if I am going to keep these fish.

[jarrodaden]

Eggs are all gone and I don't see any wigglers. I don't know what I am doing wrong. At least the divider can come down.....

[imagirlgeek]

It's not you...sometimes it just takes a few times for them to get it right.