Re: Bad mom!

[Simone e Pierluigi Vicini <psvicini@mdnet.it>]

Michael W McGrath wrote:

> Last week I started a 30g planted tank. Right now I have one mature
> female, two mature males, and 3 juvi females in the tank. Last night the
> adult female was spawning with an adult male. After 10 mintues the male
> ran off. No less then 20 sec later the female takes off to 'play'
> or do god knows what. In the mean time, one of the juvi females starts
> eating the eggs. So I watch this happen. And I watch the mom swimming
> about. What's the deal with that? Did she now something about the eggs,
> maybe they where not fertile or what?? Thanks for any help.
>
> Mike
>
>                ==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
>                            mcgrath@citilink.com
>                          mcgrath@mad.scientist.com
>                        www.citilink.com/~mcgrath/fish/
>                ==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

I never had something like that. I mean that even if I have some Borellii females
in the tank with one male when they spawn the female guards the eggs and does not
let any other fish to come near the breeding cave. So she started fighting with
the male and with all the other females.

But also this happened to me and maybe can help you:
One of my Borellii female eats her eggs twice and the reasons are these: the
first time I had a lot of fry born three weeks before this happened. The female
guarded them until she was ready to spawn again. She started to fight the fry and
to try to take the male near the cave  but the male was, I think, annoyed by the
fry so he did not spawn but only get near the female.
She layed eggs and she started to take care after them but the day after this the
eggs started fungus and die even if the female tryed to take care of them but
soon the eggs disappeared.
The second time I was setting up the tank again because of an algae problem the
female was very annoyed by the changes of the auqarium set up and she layed eggs
on a leaf of Echinodorus. The male spawn with the female but the day after she
ate the eggs.

I saw this: good Borellii's eggs are of a very bright orange if they are not
fertilized by the male the day after the spawn they loose all their brightness
and started falling off from the place the female attached them.
I f you see again that another juvi female eats the eggs of your good mom try to
take out all the juvi except for the mom and maybe for the dad before the eggs
disappear.

Once my spawning Borellii female layed eggs on a breeding container where I put
the male because I saw him eating the small fry born from the previous spawning.
She layed eggs right on one side of the container in wich the male was caged
hoping that he could fertilize them. When I saw this I said to myself "WOW HAVE
YOU SEEN THAT? HEY DON'T DO THAT AGAIN."
It was just incredible.

Bye
Simone Vicini (psvicini@mdnet.it)