My fish laid my first batch of eggs this morning, but I don't know whether they were fertilized or not. There was a lot of chasing by 2 males and they kept disapearing into the spawning mop I made, so I couldn't see if the males were doing their job. The water did get cloudy but I heard that it looks like smoke under the water if it's done properly. Is this true? It took them about 4 hours in all so quite a few of the eggs got eaten, when I took the parents out there was about 150 + in there. she was only laying about 20 eggs a minute or so.

Do the males fertilize the eggs as they are laid or do they tend to do it in one big burst?

Please help as I'm hoping that they were and am hoping that someone will be able to put my mind at rest.

Oh the worry of being a new mum ey?

I think if the eggs are clear they arent fertile. the female fish lays the eggs then the male will fertilize them. Thats what i think, i dont know if that is right. Good luck if they are fertile



Goody, aka , calico

The eggs are sort of creamy coloured, at least thats the way they look in the tank but I put one in a white bowl and they looked a kind of peachy colour. Hope this helps.

Thank You.

Yeah, i think they might be fertile, if they are you should take them out and put them in a 5 + gallon tank/ bowl/ bucket w/ a sponge filter . If you leave them in there for too long the parents might eat them. . but if you hgave another tank i would put the parents in there. good luck

goody, aka . calico

Thanks goody. They are in a 2 1/2 ft tank on their own with sponge filter and an air stone, parents are back in comm tank. Will it be ok to leave airline on till they start hatching then turn it off because it's quite powerful. Hope I get babies !!!!! I will cross everything..

I have read on this site about sponge filters,someone said that you can adjust them to let like a couple of bubbles out at a time. do you have an air pump thing? or a real sponge filter? If you have an air pump you could maybe put a clothes pin of part of the tube, or something. My fish havent even breed yet and i know all this stuff, I learned all of it here. Hope this helps a little. Oh yeah i forgot to ask, 2 and a half foot tank? Do your mean deep or what?


goody,aka,calico

I'v got a pump on the filter and another one with an air stone and it's that one that's a bit powerful. The tank is 2 1/2 foot long with about 6 inches of water in it.

Ok i think that wll work, or you could put the bottom part of th tube by the top of the water. Do you know how many gallons the tank is? If it is over 5 you are ok.