QUERY ON HATCHING FISH EGGS

HOW DO I HATCH FISH EGGS? 


Reader's Letter

I have a pair of Hemichromis Fasciatus, which I previously kept in a two-foot aquarium with an Oranda Goldfish and two Costello Tetras, but they became too aggressive, so I moved them to an 18"x12"x12" tank on their own.

Since I bought them from a friend 4 months ago, they have spawned relentlessly every 14 days or so. However, they eat their eggs within 48 hours. I once tried to raise the eggs myself by removing the pair into a bucket after spawning, and then aerating the eggs with an air stone, but a white cotton mass soon covered them up. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?

Expert's Letter

It could well be that both of your Hemichromis are females; pairs of females will spawn together. This species is reasonably easy to sex; however, the difference in body shape is that males are flat underneath, and females are more rounded. The males tend to develop a heavier head profile and have a well-developed finnage as they get older. 

Source: Flickr

What you should do is to get a male for one of the females and, on spawning, remove the eggs and keep them in a large bucket with very clean water, which should be well aerated. Get Methylene blue from a good chemist and add to the water to color it slightly blue; this aids eggs to hatch fast. 

Ensure water movement over the eggs to prevent any debris from settling on the eggs.
You should note, however, that your interest in Hemichromis could only limit you to stock equally aggressive cichlids in your tank, thus depriving yourself of space to keep the more colorful community fishes.
But I know that some fish farmers would be excited about your experience since the Hemichromis species are good predators for use in checking excessive tilapia population in fish ponds.

Got a similar problem? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below!

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