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Hi guys,

I was just wondering if any of you have ever tried hatching these guys from the egg stage? What i meant is once the females lay her eggs and the male fertilisers them, you strip the eggs and try to hatch them. If you have what kind of container/condiment/set up do u use to hatch these guys?
Do u think these can work for other Loricariidae species as well?

Funny cos i was actually dreamt this!!!!

Cheers,
CLint

Hi CLint.

The earliest I have ever removed the eggs is about 3 days after the spawn. The longer the better. If possible leave them till day four, that way the male does all the work keeping them clean.

Once the eggs are removed, place them in a fry breeder.
Use an air stone to make sure that there is continual water movement.

If possible, put a hornsnail or similar in to keep the eggs clean, and water louse will do the same. (They don't eat anything that is alive)

Ideally , if any of the eggs go mouldy, the snail will eat the mould and stop it from spreading.

Only problem with this, is during hatching. Normally the male will "Mouth" the eggs, which as far as I can figure out, keeps them clean, and softens the shells. he will then assist any fry out that are having difficulty.

Once removed, this role must be taken on by ourselves. Obviously our big clumsy fingures can be a little harsh, care must be taken. If fry do become trapped in a shell, they can be teased out "GENTLY" using rolling it between your thumb and forefinger.

Hope this is of help to you.

rob