|
Red Parrot Spawning
III Factoids |
|
Basic
Diet
|
Koi pellets |
|
Breeding
Quarters
|
20H with UG filter and flat slate |
| Dither
Fish |
None |
| Female |
4
inches |
| Male |
5
inches |
| Temperature |
76
F |
|
Water
|
Did
not check pH. Just aged water. |
| Behavior |
Both
mellow at all times |
|
Pre-Spawning
Clues
|
Very extended breeding tubes |
Background Info.
One of our customers traded
in eight red parrot cichlids circa four to six inches in length -- nice looking
and a nice size. However, since we were in the process of downsizing to
accommodate the renovations in process, we had no large tanks to house all the red
parrots. So, we housed them in four separate 20H aquaria, two per tank -- one large
and one smaller with the intent of possibly pairing them up.
LA
Couple curious red parrot cichlids out of a batch of eight.
LA
4 or 5 incher in profile out of the same batch.
Time and a Half Passes.
An obvious male and female appeared in the group. We sorted
them out and appointed them our prospective parents. We didn't feed them
better than the others. We just thought they looked ready to spawn.
LA
Chubby female we selected (with distended breeding tube).
LA
Our selected male with his breeding tube distended.
The Best Planned Lays ...
However, they had other ideas
and the pair next door laid their eggs completely unobserved. They appear
below.
LA
Eggs discovered October 11, 2011.
We Missed All the Action.
Totally unobserved the pair
above produced a healthy clutch of eggs.
Our hatch rate with red parrot eggs totals zero to date, so we decided to pull
the eggs and hatch them artificially. Most red parrots can't really
bite but the male (the bigger one above) grabbed the skin on the back of my hand and tried to pull it
off -- pretty close to a bite.
LA
Before we pulled the eggs, the female tried to remove the one white (dead) egg.
Both Parents Fanned the Eggs.
Before we pulled the eggs, we watched both the male and female fan
the eggs.
LA
She couldn't remove the one white egg, so she stopped trying.
How Many Eggs?
We didn't count the eggs.
We estimate some 300 to 400 eggs.
We took her eggs out October 11, 2011.
LA
If you want an exact count, help yourself.
We Prepared the Incubating Tank.
We kicked out eight black
belt cichlids and prepared their tank for eggs. We chose the tank below
because of its absence of gravel. We "squeeze-cleaned" the sponge filters
and ran a power filter on it to remove any particulate debris. We removed
the power filter before adding the eggs. Power filters remove fish fry in
addition to the other particles in the water.
LA
Plus we added a very bubbly airstone.
Why a Bare Tank?
Among our first foods we intend to feed microworms. The
reasoning behind this? Red Parrots have small mouths. We assume the
tiny worms will fit into their mouths much easier. In a tank with gravel,
the worms would fall into the gravel and die.
LA
We added methylene blue to help discourage fungus Most pros would add
more.
LA
The eggs look white but they're not. October 11, 2011.
LA
Couple actual dead eggs only. Looking good. October 12, 2011.
LA
Few more dead (white) eggs, October 13, 2011.
LA
Few more white eggs, October 14, 2011.
LA
Lots more white
eggs, October 15, 2011. Th blue is fading.
LA
Looks like nearly 100% deas eggs, October 16, 2011.
Passes.
An obvio
LA
Passes.
An obvio
Red Parrots
Red Parrots Spawn
Red Parrot Spawn II
Red Parrot Pictorial
© 2011
LA Productions
aqualandpetsplus.com
3600
Sixth Avenue
Corner
of Sixth & Euclid Avenues
Des
Moines, IA 50313
515
283-0300
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