Jack Wattley’s Artificial Fry Rearing Method

THE ART OF ARTIFICIALLY RAISING DISCUS: EGG DIET 

Artificially raising discus was perfected by Jack Wattley. Wattley’s method allowed discus to be produced on a larger scale and even sold globally. His method is laborious, but rewarding. Essentially, this method is about using egg yolk to feed the fry.

Egg Yolk

To artificially raise the fry, first remove the fry as eggs from their parents and place them in a shallow pan. Some people prefer using small white bowls, since they make it easier for you to see the eggs.

After the fry hatch, feed them an egg yolk mixture. The egg mixture substitutes as the slime coat of the parents that the fry feed off of in their early days of life. You can use regular egg yolk or powdered egg yolk. If you use regular egg yolk, you can choose whether you want to use raw egg yolk or soft boiled egg yolk. If you use powdered egg yolk, add a few drops of water to make a paste. If you want, you can mix the egg yolk with baby brine shrimp or spirulina, though mixing it with these items is optional. 

Smear the egg yolk around the inside of the bowl. Let it dry so that when you fill up the bowl with water, the egg doesn’t wash away. Feed the fry eight to twelve times per day. 

When you are using Wattley’s egg diet, you must transfer the fry to clean water after every feeding because the egg yolk spoils the water. Use small bowls that make the water easier to change. Pristine water is important. Ultra clean water can be like feeding vitamins to your fry. In fact, Wattley noticed that frequent water changes resulted in double growth and healthier fry.  

Artificially raising fry can be challenging to people who are new to this technique, so don’t get discouraged if your first batch doesn’t go well. Simply practice this method, and eventually you will do it successfully.

Wattley Turquoise Discus, also known as the Coerulea Discus

Wattley Turquoise Discus

QUESTIONS

• How does Wattley’s artificial fry rearing method lead to healthy discus?
• How does the artificial fry rearing method facilitate more discus being grown?
• What things can you do to make the artificial fry rearing method as convenient as possible?