# My male keeps eating the eggs + thoughts on the pair



## ralphybetta (Jul 3, 2020)

This is Ralph the egg eater. About a month ago I had my first spawn but he ate the eggs overnight. This time I decided I would take him at the same time as the female, but he already ate them when I went to take them out. I think I've seen 2-3 eggs on the nest so I'm going to see if any of them hatch.










I don't know what to do at this point. Should I condition and try again? Or should I try another male?

This is the female









And this is the other male (he's coming in a couple of days). 
I do think he is gorgeous and has a better form than Ralph, but I was hoping to get rid of the black.
I don't understand much about genetics so every knowledge is very very welcomed and appreciated💖


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Hello, can you tell me about your breeding tank? When you conditioned Ralph was he alone or in a community tank? Did you cover the tank up when they were courting and spawning? I’ve had a male make a second bubble nest and move all the eggs because I was disturbing him too much. I’m probably lucky he didn’t just eat them too. I haven’t had a male eat eggs just one female. If a male feels like his territory is threatened he will eat eggs, or is they didn’t get properly fertilized which happens sometimes too. I’ve seen a few breeders have this issue. Sometimes trying again with the same male and making minor adjustments made the difference and some instances nothing helped and the male was a bad father no matter what. Hopefully indjo sees this post and can offer some helpful tips


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## ralphybetta (Jul 3, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Hello, can you tell me about your breeding tank? When you conditioned Ralph was he alone or in a community tank? Did you cover the tank up when they were courting and spawning? I’ve had a male make a second bubble nest and move all the eggs because I was disturbing him too much. I’m probably lucky he didn’t just eat them too. I haven’t had a male eat eggs just one female. If a male feels like his territory is threatened he will eat eggs, or is they didn’t get properly fertilized which happens sometimes too. I’ve seen a few breeders have this issue. Sometimes trying again with the same male and making minor adjustments made the difference and some instances nothing helped and the male was a bad father no matter what. Hopefully indjo sees this post and can offer some helpful tips


I use an 8L (2,11 gallons) container with water filled up to 10cm (4 inches), with a heater, some kind of plants and IAL.
Ralph is usually in a community tank with some neon tetra, but I took him out for conditioning. I conditioned for around 2 weeks by feeding 2-3 times per day with frozen bloodworms and grindal worms. I did cover the tank while they were courting and spawning, but maybe I did disturb them. I was checking from time to time when they were spawning to see if everything was fine.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Sounds like you’re spot on with everything. I was wondering if being with the tetras right before spawning made him all kinds of territorial but since you conditioned him alone I don’t have any other ideas. I hope Ralph can figure things out lol he sure is a great color.


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## ralphybetta (Jul 3, 2020)

X skully X said:


> Sounds like you’re spot on with everything. I was wondering if being with the tetras right before spawning made him all kinds of territorial but since you conditioned him alone I don’t have any other ideas. I hope Ralph can figure things out lol he sure is a great color.


He's actually a really calm guy with the tetras, I haven't seen him chase them since I got them. I was planning on reconditioning and trying again, but another female jumped from her side to the other one and beat the crap out of the female I wanted to spawn. Bad luck everywhere for me😔
Her fins are pretty bad rn and I think it'll take around a month for them to grow back fully. So, sadly it seems like I'm taking a break from trying to breed them


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Oh no! Well I guess if I had to put a positive spin on that... you have lots of time to prepare for your next try? Man that sucks.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Facing egg eaters can be a pain, especially if they don't leave you any to artificially hatch. If the pair leave you some eggs, you can either remove both parents and hope eggs will hatch or remove the eggs into a bowl or dish. Fertilized eggs will hatch but it's a race against molds. Some use methylene blue or other anti fungus solution.

If the pair do not leave you any eggs, place a mesh on tank floor. Use a clean new tank and water. Release both at the same time - just before dark. Preferably use a veteran female because she will usually spawn the following morning - hence cleaner tank/water. Remove both and the mesh when they're done.

I've seen a breeder use a cloth under the mesh. Add a few of drops of Meth~ blue. Once the pair is done and have been removed, he clips the cloth near the surface - he spreads the eggs to avoid bad eggs fouling good eggs.

Another method is having live food constantly available during the whole process. I use tubifex and daphnia.
. . . . .. . . 
Most egg eaters will not change, but some do. Rest the male for a few months. Keep him in a tank with a setup opposite to the breeding setup ( I keep in bare and breed in a planted tank). Provide live food in the breeding tank
. . . . . . . . . .
Black is recessive and in non marbles, usually only influences color tone. If you keep breeding offspring with the least black, you should be able to clean out the color in a few generations.


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## ralphybetta (Jul 3, 2020)

indjo said:


> Facing egg eaters can be a pain, especially if they don't leave you any to artificially hatch. If the pair leave you some eggs, you can either remove both parents and hope eggs will hatch or remove the eggs into a bowl or dish. Fertilized eggs will hatch but it's a race against molds. Some use methylene blue or other anti fungus solution.
> 
> If the pair do not leave you any eggs, place a mesh on tank floor. Use a clean new tank and water. Release both at the same time - just before dark. Preferably use a veteran female because she will usually spawn the following morning - hence cleaner tank/water. Remove both and the mesh when they're done.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the info! I will wait and try again in a few months


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