Aequidens "Dorsigerus"

[guppy]

Hello everyone,
I`ve got a question about Aequidens Dorsigerus:
How does it come that my Aequidens Dorsigerus eat there own eggs?
I`ve got eggs from them for the thirth time now,the first two times it was going well but now they have eaten their own eggs.
Can someone please tell me why they are doing that?
I hope someone can help me with this issue...

Kind regards,
Guppy

[cmoreash]

They may just need to work on their parenting skills. If i were you, I would pull the eggs and try to raise them yourself to see if that will help.

[Neil]

guppy,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I am assuming that you are refering to Laetacara dorsigera. haven't heard it called Aequidens for quite some time.
It is possible that your dorsigera are just getting the hang of this spawning thing. I would give them another time or two to see if they get it right.
It is also possible that the conditions in the tank are just not quite right. Maybe good enough for them to lay, but not good enough for the eggs to develop properly.
Fish can eat their eggs for numerous reasons. They may not feel comfortable with the other fish in the area, with each other, with the water perms with the way the picture on the wall is hanging crooked :) . But usually, if the conditions in the tank are correct and it is not crowded with alot of possible preditors of the fry, they will get it right eventually. However, I must point out, that sometimes you can get a dud male or female that are infertile. In which case the eggs will start to fungus and the female will eat them to conserve the nutrition for producing another batch. Not much you can do about that though!
What are the perms of your tank? pH, GH, KH, Temp, etc?

[Randall]

Dear Guppy,

Some years ago, I experienced a situation with L. curviceps that sounds very similar to what you are experiencing with L. dorsigera. Time after time, the parents kept eating their eggs, to the point where I suspected that the male might have been sterile. Well, I was wrong.

After the seventh or eighth unsuccessful spawning attempt, I broke down and bought myself a conductivity meter and measured conductivity of ca. 600 microsiemens/liter. Why is this significant?

Laetacara species, as a rule, are soft water cichlids; and as such, are endemic to water that contains low concentrations of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Concentration of calcium carbonate is what determines the alkalinity (buffering capacity) of the water and is directly related to pH.
In order for Laetacara eggs to be successfully fertilized, the CaCO3 concentration should be low(er). Highly alkaline water will prevent proper fertilization.

Also, having water with a high level of total disolved solids (TDS), in my case corresponding to conductivity of 600 microsiemens/liter, will effectively prevent proper fertilization as well. By adding liquid fertilizers, salt, water chemistry altering chemicals, etc., one significantly raises the conductivity of the water. My fish weren't sterile, the eggs simply weren't developing because they weren't fertilized, so the parents ate them. When I stopped adding all that "stuff" to the tank and used softer water, BINGO!, I had fry. So many, in fact, that after a few weeks, I had to go out a get another tank!

Good luck to you. Laetacara species are beautiful little fish.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

[Bissot_J]

They may just need to work on their parenting skills. If i were you, I would pull the eggs and try to raise them yourself to see if that will help.


can you give give the way to pull the eggs
i get six of L.dorsigera and they are in quarantine now with on apisto caetei who always stay on this tank.

so i want get this first spanw help me
and my fish is so little about 2 cm not much ..... dont know if it is a normal size.

Jason