# Why does Daddy keep eating the eggs!?!?!



## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I've managed to get my CT pair to spawn TWICE now. Saw them doing it both times, it was awesome (they're morning spawner's) and Dad was diligently mending the nest and sucking up the eggs to spit them back into it and seemed to be doing everything right but both times, at almost exactly the 24 hour mark, He eats all the eggs. I'm still completely baffled as to why he does this.. I know for a fact that the eggs were fertilised.. I saw clouds of his sperm and then the eggs turn white (he's the Dad of my now 9 week old spawn) so I know he's fertile and they wouldn't turn white if the female was infertile (and I don't think she'd produce eggs at all if she was infertile would she?). I left him in there again this time to give him a second chance, I feel everyone deserves a second chance even fish, but he's failed again! So I'm gonna give it a break for a week or so (look around for another CT male perhaps) and then maybe give it another go with this pair and leave the female in and see if she cares for them. 

She got pretty beat up last time, had so many scales missing I could see red...not good at all. She is on the mend now though. got a whole 3ga tank to herself to recoup in.

Anyone have any ideas as to why he keeps eating the eggs? Coz like I said I am completely baffled. And it's pretty much the 24 hour mark each time it's like he just decides he can't be bothered caring for them any more and eats them.

I'm considering just trying to spawn her with my new VT male just to see if the eggs hatch then just dump all the tank water and fry down the drain (Have no need or want to raise another VTxCT crossed spawn) and at least then I'll know for sure that both are fertile...just the male is acting wierd.

PS Water temp was a constant 82, female had plant cover for hiding. Male had half Styrofoam cup under which to build nest and female was very interested in him.. Kept bumping him in the side with her nose to get him to notice she wanted to spawn. All went text book...until the part where he eats the eggs 

Anyone's input on this would be appreciated, thanks.


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## jdwoodschild (Jan 22, 2007)

Lol, poor girl, got your email too, just thought I should respond to you hereinstead of email so every one can see it so people having the same problems can see it too.

If you know that at the 24 hour mark that he is going to start having a feeding frenzy, take him out! He did his job. Eggs are in the bubble nest and fertalized. Is there any way yo can remove him without disturbing the nest? That would be the most logical answer to me. If the female isn't disturbing anything, just leave her in there with the lil' ones instead of him.


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## jdwoodschild (Jan 22, 2007)

Either remove him or maybe feed him a little. If he is used to being fed 1-3 times a day, he maybe going "yum" over little eggies thinking about how they would taste scrambled!


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

hey Jd, I was feeding him, I always feed my males when they're tending a nest. I drop a pellet or two a few inches away from the nest so he doesn't mistake the eggs for food so he shouldn't have been hungry and wanted to snack on the eggs. I could remove him I guess after he's got all the eggs into the nest but won't they fall out as they are hatching, get water logged and die? Coz the last with my last spawn half of them didn't live because daddy was too interested in his own reflection in the bottom of the tank and a lot of the fry ended up just looking like white dots with tails on the tank bottom and died. I ended up with 77 out of that spawn once I moved them to grow out tubs (have roughly 20 now) so imagine if they'd all hatched!

I am going to clean out the spawning tank and set it back up again tonight. It's been 3 days since he's seen the female. He and his new tank mate (my new VT male) are trying to 'out-bubble-nest' each other at the moment LOL. So I'm sure he will be more than happy to make another one in the spawnint tank. There's a thought... I might even place my VT male next to him over night to make him build a decent nest, then place the female where the male was for 24 hours...then put her in. Might work a treat if he sees there is another male on the block to compete with .

Wish me luck and will keep you posted if I manage to get the female to successfully care for this next lot!


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

The female will produce eggs even if she is infertile. By 24 hrs the eggs should not be a solid white after 24 hrs. You should be able to tell which eggs are fertile because you can see the developing fry inside. The eggs might be infertie so he's eating them, or he might just might be an egg eater. I've spawned the same pair 6 times before the male stopped eating the eggs. I would recomment tht the next time they spawn leave the female witht he eggs and see if she will tend the nest or remove both fish and drop the water level down too 1/2 ". If ypu are heating the tank with a submersible heater you can't drop it below the level of the heater. 



RC


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## gemjunkie (Jan 20, 2005)

After the fish spawn, remove the male.. IF the eggs are fertile, they will hatch within 48 hours at most. NOT all eggs turn when they are good or when they are bad. 

Just concerns me that he'd be eating them when they should be hatching.

Just so you know, if you take dad away right after they are done doing the deed, the eggs and resulting fry will be fine w/o him. Some males NEVER get the idea and can't seem to stop themselves from eating eggs/fry. There is no need to lower the water, tumble the eggs or any such nonsense with these fish either. I've had many 'fatherless' spawns.... (And just so there is NO confusion, I mean AFTER the pair spawned, NOT just a female laying eggs... Never found a way to get that to turn out in a good way LOL!!!)


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks guys. I'm just about to go and clean out the spawning tank again and get it all set back up. Will put him in there tonight, have female in a vase submerged in the tank and my other male near by. My first spawn went really well when there were 2 males around so I'll try that again.


Anyway, wish me luck.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

I have found that if you leave the water level up most of the eggs that drop to the bottom do not hatch ( for me anyway)


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I think I might just let them spawn then when they're done and the male has put all the eggs nicely in the nest I'll lower the water level to 1cm which is just under 1/2" and see if they hatch alright. I don't want to take the chance that the female will eat them rather than caring for them.

They are in the spawning tank now (with her in half submerged vase) and she's barred up so I will be putting her into the main tank with him tonight before I go to bed. 

Will keep you posted on the progress and if/when the eggs hatch


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