# Discus egg



## Mr31415 (Sep 18, 2013)

My Checkerboard Pigeon Discus just laid eggs again, and I manage to steal one (and got bitten in the process - they are very protective). I did not consider this to be wrong as I knew there were exactly zero chance for any of the eggs to hatch as the neon tetras always eat these eggs within 1 week of them being laid. At least now I can immortalize one.

It was very cool to see the sperm on the egg once I got up to 40x and 60x. The process is simple... The female discus lay a row of eggs on a leaf, then she is immediately followed by the male coating the eggs in sperm. It is like a dance, and really beautiful to see. It took about 4 hours to lay about 50 eggs.


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0035-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg, 4x*2, DF, HF B


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0303-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg, 10x, POL, HF B


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0391.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 10x, FLUO-C4


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0395.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 10x, FLUO-C6


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0268-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+sperm+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 60, DIC, HF C


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0183-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg + sperm + diatoms + cyanobacteria, 60, DIC, HF B (1,1) + C


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0236-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 60, FLUO-C4, HF C


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0250-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 60, FLUO-C6, HF B


20131229-DSLR_IMG_0268-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Discus egg+sperm+diatoms + cyanobacteria, 60, DIC, HF C - crop


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

WOW ! very interesting thanks for posting


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## j03yYunG (Mar 26, 2013)

neat stuff.


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## sumer (Feb 6, 2010)

This is so very interesting!
Thanks for sharing.
Its been a long time I have used a microscope. Only in my undergrad we had a subject where they took us to see some nano processors under the microscopes.
I wanna see a flower of my eriocaulon parkeri under a microscope.. And a fruitfly's eyes too. A betta's egg would also make a good subject. 
Would you mind telling me about microscopes? I mean which might be a good starting microscope to buy?

Thanks,
Sumer.


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## Mr31415 (Sep 18, 2013)

@sumer - fruit fly I can help you out with:


20120910-DSLR_IMG_0001_1.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Fruit fly, 10x, Reflected, ZereneStacker PMax


20120911-DSLR_IMG_0234.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Fruit fly, 10x * 1.6, Reflected, ZereneStacker PMax, 2 stacks, Antennae stack merged with main stack

About microscopes - there is a lot to say about them and it all depends on what you want to do with it naturally. A stereo microscope is great for observation of larger subjects such as your fruit flies, fish eggs etc. It allows for a great sense of depth when viewing subjects. It is however not always trivial to get good photos from them.

I have a biological wide field microscope, which is not ideal for larger subjects such as the fruit fly, but it is still possible to make it work with a little bit of effort. Microscopes can be cheap or wallet breaking depending on the manufacturer. In my mind one of the best budget microscopes you can buy if you want to go down the biological wide field route, is a Nikon E200. 

Also look at Meiji - they are one of the better Asian brands.

But best is to play with both types and see what works well for you.


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## KribsDirect (Nov 15, 2013)

Very cool stuff! I also think its pretty wild that your fish bit you over the egg, hah!


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## nofearengineer (Mar 20, 2013)

Haha...your discus proved they were still cichlids at heart..always capable of violence! :red_mouth

Impressive shots...really looks like some strange, misshapen, alien planet.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

WOW.
First 2 shots look like astronomy photos.
I can almost see the Sea of Tranquility.
Nice Shot, Man!!
-Stef*


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## gerbillo (Dec 5, 2013)

Awesome photos! What are the fluorescent dyes attaching to?


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

first pic, i thought i was looking at the moon


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## sumer (Feb 6, 2010)

Mr31415 said:


> @sumer - fruit fly I can help you out with:
> 
> 
> 20120910-DSLR_IMG_0001_1.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
> ...


Awesome!
Thanks a ton for the suggestion and images


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