Breeding Discus Part 5
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Previously we went over Discus fertility. We will now go over the fry prior to them becoming free swimming. Next we will go over fry once they become free swimming.
This is the easiest part of spawning and is also one of the most fascinating. If only it could all be this much fun.
After 48 – 72 hours, depending mainly on the tank water temperature, the eggs will begin to hatch. Only the dark ones will hatch. Any that are white are infertile and will not hatch. The fertile ones are dark because after about 36 hours, the eye starts to develop and will show through the egg sack. Most of the fry will stay attached to the surface where the eggs were laid via a small membrane on their head. A few will become detached and will fall to the bottom. At this point the fry will look like a small comma to the naked eye. Under magnification, they are quite ugly and will look like something straight out of a monster movie. You should take the time to look at them under magnification, because it is hard to believe that such a beautiful fish can come from such an ugly baby.
They will remain attached to the substrate for another 48 to 72 hours. There is not much to do at this point. It can be fun to watch their shape evolve. They will have an egg sack and will live off of it during this entire time. There are only two real concerns. The first is the parents eating them. If you are going to artificially raise the fry, you will want to take the parents out. If you are not going to artificially raise the fry, you should cover them with a screen. Sofit screens work well. The second concern is fungus. Adding Methylene Blue to the water will mostly solve this. If you are going to artificially raise them, and have taken the parents out of the tank, you should add aeration about one inch from the fry to keep the water moving around them. They will start to become free swimming about 2 to 3 days after hatching.
