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Hello All,

I had a pair of discus that I noticed were acting a little strange today. It appeared to be mating behavior. I went to the store to buy another tank so i could separate the two from the others. By the time I returned to the house there were eggs already stuck to the side of the filter tube. Lots of them. Unfortunately, the male ate the eggs.

I went ahead took the pair out of the tank and placed them in a tank of their own. It's bb tank with a small heater, breeding cone and a simple sponge filter.

Can anyone explain to me why they ate the eggs?
Will they lay eggs again and if so will the eggs get eaten again?
How can I prevent this from happening? Is it preventable?
Did I do something wrong?

Any information or suggestions/advice provided is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Michael

Often inexperienced breeding cichlids will eat the first batch or batches of eggs. Most grow out of it naturally. Other than that, I can't help you because I don't have any experience with discus myself, but good luck!

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Extremely intelligent fish have their positives, but negatives tend to follow. Yes, cichlids often eat their first broods, being inexperienced. However, they will also eat eggs in an overcrowded tank, where they feel their eggs are not easily defensible. After all, meat is meat, and it is better to eat your own eggs for the energy, rather than let someone else have them.
Discus are not easy to breed. There are lots of sites to check. Google. They are notorious egg eaters, and as for defending babies, they are not anything like convicts. On the postive side, you have given your fish a home where they are healthy and happy enough to make babies. Good job! And good luck. Frustrations are often, but occassionally everything works just right and you don't mind the frustration so much.