# Daddy not paying attention to eggs!!!!



## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok the DRCT father of my new accidental spawn isn't paying enough attention to the eggs and nest. He's worked out that he can see his reflection in the floor of the tank and keeps swimming on his side and upside down flaring at his own reflection. None of the eggs have fallen out of the nest, but shouldn't he be hovering under it making sure they dont? I'm starting to think that maybe they're not fertilised at all but he's still looking after them. They don't seem the same colour as pervious spawns I've seen but he has them all very well suspended in the nest on one side where there are ALOT of bubbles. I can't take him out coz the fry aren't even hatched yet, and I don't know if there's a precident of surrogate fathers? I've got another CT male here that was an excellent dad last time but I'm not sure if I can put him in and expect him to not eat the eggs.

At the moment I'm going to put a peice of paper under the tank which should eliminate the reflection and if he doens't stop then I'm thinking of very very slightly disturbing the nest so a few eggs fall out and see what he does.

Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions on the matter? Anything would be appreciated.

And in the meantime I'm off in search for a CT female...wish me luck!


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Leave him alone. As long as the eggs are in the nest, you are generally good IME. Surrogate dads have been done, but the only ones I know already had a nest & eggs. You can artificially hatch them but most people have problems with this the first few times they try. If they are infertile, he will generally eat them. I'd leave him be. I mean... say you knock the eggs out of the nest and he doesn't pick them up. Then what are you going to do?  If hes doing his job (which he is, there aren't eggs on the floor and he hasn't eaten them), don't mess with a good thing.


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

He's ok now... Some did fall out of the nest when I put a peice of paper under the tank to try and stop the reflection and at first he ignored them and continued flaring at his relection and I went out to buy my new CT female 'Jeckles' and when I got back the eggs were no longer on the floor so I assume he picked them up.

I think he was just taking a break from daddy duty to have some fun, which as a single parent myself I can understand lol 

Thanks again Christine


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

If all the eggs are up in the nest he must be talking care of them. The less you bother him the better chance you have of a hatch. How long have the eggs been in the nest ?


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I found the eggs yesterday morning so about 36 hours and I'm still waiting.


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Whats your water temp?


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

To be honest....I have no idea. There's no heater in the tank but the weather has been pretty warm here. My only heater is in the storage tub I have my other spawn in. I'm planning on getting another heater once I get my xmas money..but that might not be until after the holidays.


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Well if it was 36 hours this morning... you may end up having to face them being infertile if they havent hatched yet. The temperature effects how fast the eggs hatch. The colder the water, the longer they take to hatch. So, you don't have a thermometer either? Maybe you shouldn't be buying new bettas but rather equipment


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I have a thermometer, but didn't think to put it in the tank  lol. The temp is about 74F. The eggs look like they should... a clear case with a white yolk sac in the middle. If they weren't fertilised wouldn't he have eaten them? He's still duteously looking after them and flaring at his reflection constantly


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

I guess time will tell. Mine have usually hatched by around 30ish hours. But then again, my temp is usually at 82.


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

Christine said:


> I guess time will tell. Mine have usually hatched by around 30ish hours. But then again, my temp is usually at 82.


Yeah I had mine hatch at around 24hours once, but I had a heater then too. I went out and bought a 50W heater tonight so now the temp is around 80-82. If they haven't hatched by tomorrow (the 72 hour mark) I think I'm just going to clean out the tank and give up.

What's worrying me though is the fact that he's still taking really good care of them, like he expects them to hatch. If they don't hatch and I take him out will he still have the normal after spawn depression or will it be worse coz he's failed in his job? 

I know I'm thinking of him more like a person than a fish, but I can't help it.. I love them all and their little personalities.


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok update!! They've started to hatch, the white bits have tails now! But he's ignoring all the fry that have fallen out and are laying on the floor!! He's concentrating too much on flaring at his reflection and not the fry!!! I have to admit that might be my fault though.. I accidently disturbed the nest when I put the new heater in. He did at first collect the eggs and spit them back up in there but he isn't now.

Am i worrying for nothing? Now that they're hatching do I really have to worry about him looking after them? I didn't have this problem with my other spawn as Helo, the father, was an excellent dad.


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## Guest (Dec 22, 2006)

he should instinctively look after them...try your best to keep an eye on them but other than that you cant do much....and congratszz on the fry


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## leafgirl115 (Mar 26, 2006)

Congrats on the fry!!! I hope every thing goes fine.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

If they fall to the bottom and he doen't pick them up most of them normally die.


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

ok well then most of them are dead then. He hasn't repaired the nest at all, about 80% of them are on the floor and he is trying to get them all back into the nest but he hasn't bothered to fix up the nest so they all fit. I've seen maybe half a dozen of them swimming around in circles trying to control their movement but none of the ones on the floor are moving at all. It really doesn't matter if he this lot dies. I'll just let him look after the few that are alive and then take him out when they're free swimming and try again with him and my CT female in a few months. I've got another heater now so all I gotta do is get another storage tub, filter and pump and I'm set to try another spawn. 

Thanks for replying guys  Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!


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