# Congo Tetra Eggs...



## Faiora (Apr 21, 2010)

So, my congos decided to lay eggs. I know it happened on Monday afternoon, and from what I read, they'll take about 6 days to hatch (so next Sunday), and will be big enough to eat baby brine shrimp right away. The eggs are about translucent and about 3mm in diameter (IE pretty big). I also read that there are usually about 300 eggs in a spawn, but I could see very few... with this said, my tank is well-planted so most eggs probably fell through the leaves to the substrate. They don't seem to be "sticky" as suggested online (they sort of floated up when the water stirred around them), so I am concerned they may not be fertilized?

I grabbed the few eggs I could see (about 4 or 5 of them I found on a flat leaf - if there were more they're invisible in the gravel and plants) and moved them into the tank where I'm raising guppy fry (just over a week old - and definitely not big enough to eat the eggs). My question: Has anyone raised congo tetras before? How big are they when they hatch? Should they be okay with the guppy fry?

The tank where the eggs were laid also houses a small pleco and two (hopefully more soon, as I need a bigger cleanup crew) cherry shrimp. And small snails. And 6 young congo tetras. My biggest concern is that the pleco will eat the remaining eggs, or has already (I don't worry about the congos because they ignore anything in the lower half of the tank...although if the eggs hatch, I'll be concerned about the fry swimming up)... but if any survive, do you guys have any suggestions? Should I try and keep them all with the guppy fry?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Very cool but if your Congos are still young, are you sure they're the parents? If they are, I would keep them in with the guppy fry.

Anthony


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## Faiora (Apr 21, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Very cool but if your Congos are still young, are you sure they're the parents? If they are, I would keep them in with the guppy fry.
> 
> Anthony


They must be.... shrimp and snails have completely different eggs... there were endlers in the tank last week there but they're livebearing... and as I understand it, Plecos spawn in tunnels/tubes (even if I had more than one pleco - and mine is quite small and young, and I think male). These eggs are quite large, and just scattered.

I pretty much just have my fingers crossed right now that I'll get to see any babies at all. o.o I couldn't find more than the 4 I put in the guppy tank... and those ones were invisible the second they hit the gravel (same type in both tanks).


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

well let us know..plecco eggs are big..maybe they got disturbed from where they were laid. but mine fell out of a log once..and they were in clumps stuck togeather. how about cories? got any of them?


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## Faiora (Apr 21, 2010)

aprils aquarium said:


> well let us know..plecco eggs are big..maybe they got disturbed from where they were laid. but mine fell out of a log once..and they were in clumps stuck togeather. how about cories? got any of them?


Hm, no cories... I've listed everything that's been in the tank in the past 8 months 

These eggs aren't in any sort of clump... laid singly... and I found them sitting on a flat leaf about 1/3 distance up from the bottom of the tank, so I don't think they got disturbed - as soon as I disturbed them they fell off the leaf . I don't really have good pleco hiding spots anyway - just one piece of driftwood on the other side of the tank.

But... yes... exciting! I'd take pictures if I could... and if there are fry I'll get my little sister the photographer to come take pics


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## mikekomm (Jan 31, 2011)

How long after the fish mate should I expect to see eggs?


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## christhefish (Nov 8, 2010)

mikekomm said:


> How long after the fish mate should I expect to see eggs?


they are egg scatterers so there will be eggs the moment they spawn


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