# Jag spawn!!!!!



## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Awesome news, my Jags spawned! I'm quite excited. This is the first time I've ever had jags spawn on me. A few questions for those who have experience with them and then some show and tell.

I don't know how many eggs there are but the egg patch on the granite rock is about 4 inches by 6 inches and they are packed tightly. Any idea about how many that is?

I've read that after they hatch it is a good idea to cull them down to 'reasonable numbers' if this is a good idea and if so what is a 'reasonable number'

I have a fry tank ready to go. I breed convicts for feeders and have 3 tanks hooked up to a common sump. I have cleared one of them out as a grow out tank for these guys. How long until I can take them from the parents and put them in there. Also, with my convicts since they are on a common sump it is the same water system. These baby jags will need to go in there but are currently on a different water system. Do I need to acclimate them to the water and whatis the best way to do that with fry.

I've read that they can be quite agressive. So far it is not a problem. Intruders get escorted out of the cave but other than that everyone is swimming around and I have no signs that anyone has been attacked. I have 4 sevrums, 2 tinfoil barbs, a jack dempsey, and a livingstoni in a 150 gallon tank with the two jags. I'm planning on just keeping an eye on aggression for now and taking action if needed later.

Here's some pics:

Mom with eggs (can't get the whole egg patch on camera because it is between a rock and the overflow wall.









Dad trying to fend of the paparazzi :lol: 









Mom culling unfertilized eggs









The tank with all their buddies










Dad escorting an intruder back out of the cave


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

You'll probably have close to 500 eggs with 90% or so of those hatching. Probably 90% of those hatching will end up as free swimming.

I would wait until they are free swimming for a day or so to remove the fry. As to how many to remove, that's up to you. I'd remove half into an empty fry tank and leave the other half with the parents. Make sure your filter intakes are covered in the fry tank so they (the fry) won't get sucked up into the filter. It shouldn't be a problem that your fry tank isn't on the same system as your main tank. I don't think you'll need to acclimate them unless the water parameters are vastly different between the two tanks.

Most of the fry in the seperate fry tank will probably make it. Some of the fry in the main tank with the parents may make it, depending on parental care and if the tankmates are brave enough to try and eat them.

You can cull them down to reasonable numbers after they get a little size to them or right away. It's really up to you depending on how much room you have and how many you want to care for. The ones you don't keep can be used as feeders or sold or whatever.

Good luck and congratulations. Be sure to update with new info as it comes. :thumb:


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Thanks. I'll post an update when they are wriggling. The parents will defend them long enough that some might survive in the main tank?


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

tannable75 said:


> Thanks. I'll post an update when they are wriggling. The parents will defend them long enough that some might survive in the main tank?


It depends on how hungry and how brave the tankmates are.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Hey you had a thread with your TSN's sneaking out for black ops over night, do you have a recent picture of them in any threads?


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

tannable75 said:


> Hey you had a thread with your TSN's sneaking out for black ops over night, do you have a recent picture of them in any threads?


This is two weeks ago.









They are currently on orders to stand down. An uneasy truce has been reached.


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## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

Congrats on the jag spawn! :dancing: 
BV


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Big Vine said:


> Congrats on the jag spawn! :dancing:
> BV


Thanks 

Terd, the TSN's are looking great


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Congrats on the Jag spawn! That's awesome! Your Jags are BEAUTIFUL!!  :thumb: :dancing:


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Thanks, its neat having an unplanned spawn. I'm glad aggression hasn't been a problem, when they started digging a cave I was worried about aggression, but no problems yet.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

So far they aren't the best parents but it's their first try. Dad is getting a little lazy with guard duty and is swimming with everyone else about 70% of the time leaving the female to do all the guarding. The female is guarding well but isn't doing a good job of removing the unfertilized eggs.


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

tannable75 said:


> So far they aren't the best parents but it's their first try. Dad is getting a little lazy with guard duty and is swimming with everyone else about 70% of the time leaving the female to do all the guarding. The female is guarding well but isn't doing a good job of removing the unfertilized eggs.


Don't worry too much. That's exactly what mine do. The female will remove the unfertilized (and unhatched) eggs once all the eggs hatch and the wrigglers are moved to where she considers a safe location. Also, the female probably won't eat at all from the time she lays eggs until the fry are gone (by removal or being eaten). The male will still help with chores like cleaning and guarding, but it will be the female the vast majority of the time doing all the work. If any tankmates get too close, you'll see the male come and get them out.

They sound completely normal for jag parenting, at least in my experience. Keep up the good work and the updates. :thumb:


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

I have wrigglers! I'm not able to take picture becaue of their position. The spot where the egg patch was has some fungus infected eggs left, but all the good eggs are gone and mom is tightly guarding a little cave under a rock. When she moves I can see some movement in the shadows. It will be neat to see how big the fry cloud is when they start swimming.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

"They moved the wriggler patch where I could snap a shot. I think a couple more days to free swimming.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

They're now free swimming. I siphoned about 3/4 of them which is around 200-250. I left some in with Mom and Dad so they didn't freak out, and because getting all of them would be just about impossible. (I guess I could take mom and dad out and they would all be gone in hours.)

The one's I took out I have in one of my growout 10's and I'll move them to a 29 and later a 55.

Here's a shot of them in the growout tank.


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