# APRIL - Help!!!!



## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

I'll take pictures later, but there's not much point as I don't have any from the previous spawnings.

The cuips I got from you 2 Saturdays ago have spawned again.
Saturday, Aug 13 - picked up adult pair from you, they were guarding eggs
Saturday, Aug 13 - as soon as female went into tank, she released 5 or 6 eggs.
Sunday, Aug 14 - spawning on cone
Tuesday, Aug 16 - eggs rotted, cleaned and replaced cone
Saturday, Aug 20 - following a large w/c, spawned again
Sunday, Aug 21 - eggs gone 
Friday, Aug 26 - spawned FOURTH time in two weeks 


*UPDATE POST 7 BELOW*

I'm concerned that this is taking a toll on the fish, April. They are eating, but the female is crazy focused on protecting those eggs. Will she wear herself out? Should I separate them for awhile? Should I sell them for a whack of dough 

You know what I think did it, I keep the wilds in at 5 pH, blackwater - I use almond tea bags - LOTS, Seachem Discus Buffer and Discus Trace, salt, Equilibrium and keep the water at 86-88 degrees. I think the wild side of the cuips kicked in


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Young teenage bormones
more
Fun laying than raising. Soon you will
Get fry. Or


Bring her
Back for a him.
Mine are
Now
Bowing with leopards.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Aw, Shelley, please relax just a little bit. No problem with the female wearing herself out - I don't believe it will happen. I think your temp is a little high - suggest you do a wc and lower the temp to 84-5 F. Is the pH a little low ? I would forget the almond.
Just trying to help - hopefully April can chime in & correct me if I'm wrong.
But I sure understand your concern. It's a great event, just on the cusp of being successful ! Things could change for the better when you least expect it. You're a pro - you'll figure it out, I'm sure.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks. Unfortunately the tank is mainly wilds and I have found that those conditions are exactly what my wilds like. Other people's mileage may vary  I've experimented several times and the tefes seem to be fine, but the real cuip, the solomon and especially the heckels do not like temps as low as 84 and they let me know it - they turn black and stop eating. When I picked up the cuips from April, I was under the impression that they were F1 pure wild cuips (sorry for the contradiction). As soon as I saw them I knew they weren't, but I still took them as they are lovely fish. They seem to be really thriving in the wild discus water. I know this is a bad thing to do, but even the odessa barbs that I have in the tank are doing well and they should be in low 70's 

It's really quite a freaky tank. Did I mention I have a mainly protein eating royal pleco in there as well :bigsmile:


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Well, that's great Shelley - whatever works for you and your fish - you know you should just go with your gut feel.
As April said, perhaps it's as simple as young adult hormones, and they'll keep at it, & get it right sometime soon.
All the best and regards,
Paul


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Seems like they've developed a taste for eggs  But they are back to pecking at the cone already


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

*It's not funny now..........*

Monday, August 29 - more eggs on cone following large w/c yesterday.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Yup - Thursday, September 8th and a new spawning this afternoon with TONS of nice bright red eggs. Even though I took out the cone last week and didn't replace it, they laid on driftwood instead  They ARE determined, I'll give 'em that :bigsmile: I want to know what Forrest does to his fish, because I had a pair of red cover throwbacks last year that did almost the same thing, although not as often.


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## petfishloversclub (Oct 15, 2011)

so,please continue the story:the eggs were ate again?


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## budahrox (Apr 21, 2010)

Congratz Shelley!!
Good luck with the new spawn
Cheers!!


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

They are still laying..carrying fry...then into the mouths of all the neighbors.
Yesterday she moved them and the cone full of eggs to an empty tank at my shop and they carried on guarding the eggs even after their move. 
They were evicted out of their community home due to their protective instincts.
All the other inhabitants were crushed up against one end while they ruled the land.

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275005,-122.835439


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

WOW - that was only 4 months ago??? Seems so much longer.
Like April said, the cuips continued to spawn every 4-6 days. Had wigglers that managed to attach a couple of times, but only found out yesterday by accident, an odessa barb had a taste for eggs and fry  As much as I loved these fish, their constant spawning was really stressing out the rest of the tank so I decided to let them go.

This was the last video I took of them before I brought them up to April's yesterday morning:






They had two day old eggs so April said to bring up the cone. I wasn't expecting too much, but this is them after being in April's shop for about 10 minutes.






They are still a really young pair so they have plenty of spawning left in them.


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