Eggs Galore! What Now?

[TommyB]

One of my parrot fish laid a ton of eggs in a piece of drift wood.

There's a darker orange one hanging near them, and a pale one chasing away the other fish.

I assume they are the mating pair.


All the eggs are stuck to the wood, i almost thought they were hundreds of snails. They are the size of purple cavier.

What should i do now? Anything? Should i put something in the tank for the fry to hide in if they actually hatch?

See my sig for tanks mates, will any other fish eat them?

 

[TommyB]

I'm heading home soon to tend to my eggs. Any suggestions?

I may just spread them on toast with some butter and champagne.

 

[Backdraft Bagel]

Depends ... are you hoping to rear the fry into fish you can sell? Do you have a proper grow-out tank ready for them, or can you get one up and running soon?

If you want to raise the babies, then I'd relocate the tank mates to start. I'm not sure about the particular mating and breeding habits of your fish, but the parents probably can care for the fry better than you. Maybe get a sponge filter rolling now. If the eggs turn into fry, you'll need to turn off your filter or else they will all get sucked in. Plus, little fry ain't good at navigating the currents ...

 

[TommyB]

when i got home they were gone. guess somebody ate them?

 

[Backdraft Bagel]

Sometimes the parents eat them for one reason or another. Maybe they weren't fertilized, or maybe they were laid on an unclean surface, etc.

Or maybe they moved them. My rams used to move eggs and fry all the time. It was annoying. Watch your fish for a bit, see if they have a 2nd nest going somewhere else.

Sometimes it takes them a few tries to get it right.