Continuous eggs and action but no hatching.

[dreed]

I read through the archive section on the clowns breeding and mating. I think I've got every aspect covered with actions of the fish. One (large one) is laying around 50 eggs every other week now (and even every week for one month) for the past 4 months. The other one (smaller one) sweeps by and wiggles as if to release sperm and wafts the eggs as well. After around 5-9 days, once even 12 days, the eggs are gone and eaten by the percs. My water is dirty but all parameters are great. I just need some carbon to run it through. My salinity lately has been around .0128 but is being brought down slowly.

Why will the eggs not hatch??? I don't have a breeding tank or anything setup but would more than likely try it if they showed promise towards trying to hatch and grow.

The fish did the bid for power thing and the smaller one did the seizure thing long ago. They both host in a colt that's just in front of the wall they always lay the eggs on. I just don't know what's missing from the picture.

Thanks for any possible insight.

Dave

 

[rssjsb]

Are you sure they're not hatching? My ocellaris pair spawns regularly, and I have never seen them hatch. One night they're there, recognizable as tiny little fry, the next morning they're gone. I'm assuming they hatch at night and are eaten by the other fish in the tank.

 

[dreed]

what does the eggsite look like after hatching? Mine looks like the eggs were all scraped off with a razor or something because there's nothing there. I'd think maybe once in a while I'd have a few left from not hatching or something. Is this a fair assumption? Actually, i never see a change in the eggs at all during the entire time they are on the wall. I get up in the morning and everything is gone. No little ones swimming around either. I've never seen a little one in there. My fish don't act different the day the eggs disappear either. It really bugs me because I'd like to witness having babies once in a tank of mine.

Thanks for the reply. Any other ideas?

Dave

 

[rssjsb]

Yup, that's what it looks like afterwards. Like there was nothing there. You'll probably never see fry unless you're there at the exact moment of the hatch. I witnessed a shrimp spawn the other night while my actinics were running and it was a feeding frenzy.

You should be able to see the eggs developing. The eggs from my ocellaris start out bright orange, then change to brownish-grey, then you can start to see the eyes, etc.

It could be that the eggs aren't actually being fertilized, but I don't know what that would look like. Sounds more like they're doing what they do.

 

[Sullyman]

Do the tips of the egg sacks get silver, if so they are live, if the eggs never change color they are not alive. The average is eight days from laying to hatch.

 

[dreed]

I never saw the eyes but it's far enough back in the tank that I really can't tell. I'll have to pay attention to the color of the sacks.

If they're hatching, I'd think at least one or two would make the night and let me see them before they're gobbled up.

I'm thinking the lack of fertilization is the problem here. The smaller one surely acts as if it's doing the part though. They're both just over a year old now.

I'll have to watch this batch. It's been 2 days so far.

Thanks guys.

Dave

 

[NCSUsalt]

the male will tend and remove unfertilized eggs while they are maturing. what you are describing is exactly what should be happening when the eggs hatch. doesn't sound like any problems. they'll hatch at night, so on the day they are going to hatch just sit and watch the tank after lights go out, shine a flashlight on top and you should get fry to congregate

 

[dreed]

Good to know. They all hatch at the same time all the time??? That's some clockwork there.

Actually the little one waves over the eggs alot and fans as identified. He also eats some and packs at the lot once in a while.

I might consider starting up Phyto again and some rotifers and get some small tanks setup if I actually see the deed get done. Reading a few different (and some LONG!!!) threads here on the site, it seems more than I have time for now but we'll see what happens.

Thanks guys
Dave