Why won't they hatch?

[shane reef]

So my snowoynx had laid a nice clutch of eggs last Saturday evening. Starting last Friday morning I could see the silver eyes. I started that night by turning off pumps for over 2 hrs to try and collect the fry, none hatched. Saturday morning looked like some had hatched there were not as many silver eyes as the previous morning. So again I tried turning off pumps for over 2 hrs shined my light in corner of the tank and nothing again. And pretty much the same for Sunday night. This morning I can still ser a handful of eggs with silver eyes, everything else is gone. What is going on why aren't they hatching? Am I not leaving light off long enough? Are they not hatching and dying before they do?

 

[ignatz]

No, they are hatching... after you stop playing with the tank. My first few hatches were similar... or worse, I'd get 4 larvae. I learned that the parents tank had to be absolutely dark for 20 min before the eggs would hatch. Why not remove the nest and hatch in another tank? If its not possible, look into making/buying a larvae collector.

 

[shane reef]

Can't remove the rock,too big. I made my own fry catcher but I haven't seen any fry. I think your right I need to quit peeping in to see if there are any fry.:banghead:
How long can the tank be off with out pumps? It is only a 14gal tank.

 

[ignatz]

Can't remove the rock,too big. I made my own fry catcher but I haven't seen any fry. I think your right I need to quit peeping in to see if there are any fry.:banghead:
How long can the tank be off with out pumps? It is only a 14gal tank.

Why not post a picture of your fry catcher and get some feedback on its construction while you're waiting for the next nest?

Have you considered using an airstone for water movement while your pumps are turned off? The tank can go a few days on airstone alone. I don't want to hazard a guess how long the tank can go with no water movement. Also a fry catcher can provide some water movement depending on its construction.