4 replies to this topic

[keepnatives]

While feeding my 3 week old rainbow shiner fry I noticed some activity in my 120 mean guy tank.  A young pair of central long ears from last summer's Kentucky vacation, were spawning and are still now spawning about 15 minutes later.  My dilemma is how to secure some eggs to raise.  This tank has about 5 other central long ears as well as 2 larger black acaras, some species of jewel fish less aggressive then more well known species, a large male and 2 smaller female convicts, about 9 or 10 Paratilapia polleni some larger, some same size, and some smaller than the spawning long ears. Also a small koi and a larger koi.  The koi were originally just put there temporarily  but the larger koi, at about 6 or 7 inches proved to be a valuable addition as there were always fights going on, but upon his addition he became the tank bouncer.  As soon as someone stepped out of line the koi would rush over to the aggressor and nudge them around the tank a few minutes until all the fish stopped being aggressive it was amazing.  If someone forgot and acted up bam! koi bouncer was on the job.  But I digress, I'm concerned that the male long ear will not be able to defend against this crowd as well as several cory cats and yellow firemouths.  Any suggestions?  Syphon out the gravel, would that destroy the eggs, slide a plate under the nest and lift slowly, place a glass container over the nest with an airline under to aerate them and a squirt of methylene blue on the eggs till they hatch then syphon out, Turkey baster out the eggs and gravel now?  Any thoughts..  

[keepnatives]

By the time I got back to my fish room the other fish were mobbing the nest, I quickly scooped a few cups of gravel out of the nest area but only saw a couple eggs but at least I know I have a pair.

[centrarchid]

I like to take a few pieces of gravel out with my fingers and place them into shallow light colored bowl or petri dish. If eggs already hatched leaving nest bound pro-larvae, then I whip a turkey baster, tubing or straw to suck them up. More active pro-larvae better harvested with the turkey baster as it sucks harder. I use the approaches for bass, sunfishes, and crappie in ponds and sunfishes in my indoor breeding colonies where intent is to stage nests to prepare for harvest of entire brood prior to exodus.

 

Which "central" longear is involved? They vary greatly in terms of egg size and behavior of larvae.

[keepnatives]

I like to take a few pieces of gravel out with my fingers and place them into shallow light colored bowl or petri dish. If eggs already hatched leaving nest bound pro-larvae, then I whip a turkey baster, tubing or straw to suck them up. More active pro-larvae better harvested with the turkey baster as it sucks harder. I use the approaches for bass, sunfishes, and crappie in ponds and sunfishes in my indoor breeding colonies where intent is to stage nests to prepare for harvest of entire brood prior to exodus.

 

Which "central" longear is involved? They vary greatly in terms of egg size and behavior of larvae.

They were from south central KY in August 2020 as young .75 to 1 inch young.

[centrarchid]

I assume that means they are from upland typically clear streams with course substrate and minimal submergent vegetation.