5 replies to this topic

[Pat]

Hi Guys,
One of my Fossochromis rostratus females just spat out about 40 eggs. She was in an isolation floating tank and her eggs ended up all over the main tank. I fished out about 20 or so and put them in the tumbler? Are the eggs quite robust? I was picking them out of the net I used which also contained gravel and just popping them with my fingers into a tumbler that I have never used but had hooked up just in case. They don't seem damaged or anything.

Regards Patrick.

[Buccal]

Some unfertilized eggs are really soft and break easy,, but I doubts it's that your seeing.

Some species of malawis likely have differences in egg strength, but no one would notice.

Something to look out for, is if your not keeping your water at sufficient hardness levels.
Calcium naturally in water or used as a additive or using buffers that has calcium.
Calcium will raise raise GH, and often it's calcium in tap water that gives you the GH reading.

Ok, to give you give insight of egg development strength.

Discus prefers soft water, discus are adapted and accustomed to it, the discus reproductuctive organs make the egg shell (note: not a bird egg shell), from the calcium source from the water, which is low obviously.
Buuuut, if you increased hardness using calcium chloride, the discus eggs form a harder or thicker outside and fry issues occur at the 'head and tail protrusion stage'.

So Malawi fish in to low ph and GH, the actual eggs can break as mum picks them up or even tumbles them.

So I guess eggs ain't eggs......

[Pat]

Very informative as always:)
Yes these felt pretty firm so fingers crossed.
Thanks
Patrick

[Buccal]

If the water is on the softer side for malawis, and egg skin is thin and breaks easy, the fry (although possibly slightly deficient) will still form normally without a hitch,,,, if the eggs don't break of course.

[Pat]

Just an update. One dead egg but the rest now have little heads and tails.

 

The water must be pretty right because my original concern was that their being netted out of a tank full of hungry cichlids then individually handpicked out of the gravelly mess and tossed into a never before tried egg tumbler was going to be too much mistreatment for them.... When you mentioned the water conditions being important to give the eggs a "shell" I was confident I was ok.

 

Basically, if water is suitable Malawi eggs are extremely robust!!

 

I was so pissed off when she spat out all those eggs but its amazing to now have a transparent view on the incubation of a Malawi brood! I guess that's why this hobby can be so addictive. You need the lows to appreciate the highs.

 

Thanks and Regards

Patrick

[Buccal]

If you ever have a colony or females notorious for spitting fry,,, always have a 10mm length (1.5m) flexi clear hose and a bucket set up before you begin netting.
This way if she spits, quickly stick tubing in and syphon carefully eggs into bucket.
The 10mm hose has a weak syphon draw, so good for sucking up light delicate eggs and not the substrate.