The egg-laying tooth carps are effortlessly distinguished from the live-bearing tooth carps by the absence of the external sex organ, the gonopodium. They’re not fairly so effortlessly bred, but the satisfaction of a great spawning gives a greater sense of achievement.
The following description of spawning by the egg-layers could be taken as a generality, for, in most instances, the spawnings are comparable, but where particular departures from this happen, they’ll be dealt with under the heading of the species.
For the egg-laying tooth carps, your aquarium should be prepared with dense thickets of fine-leaved plants with lots of open space to permit them to chase.
Willow root is an outstanding medium for protecting eggs in the spawning tank, it forms a dense mat into which the eggs can fall. Make certain that the root is boiled prior to introducing it into the breeding tank. The benefit of willow root is that it could be stored and utilized whenever needed.
Sexes that have been kept separate are much more likely to spawn readily, but if accommodation is so limited that it prevents this, separate them 3 or four days prior to introducing them to the breeding tank.
Healthy strong fish produce the very best offspring, so feed them rather much more often than usual for about a week prior to mating with scrapings of raw meat, daphnia, shrimp, earthworm, and little quantities of dried prepared food.
Introduce the female a day in advance of the male to let her acclimatise herself to the new surroundings. When the male is put in he might seem rather shy at initial, but it’ll not be long prior to courtship takes place. This takes the form of repeated dashes about the tank accompanied by numerous actions like fin nibbling, and quivering side by side.
Eggs dropped amongst the plants by the female are fertilised by milt ejected from the male. At the completion of the spawning, both parents or the plants to which the eggs are attached should be removed to an additional tank, bearing in mind the temperatures should be consistent. This prevents the parents eating the eggs.
The incubation varies with various species. When the eggs hatch the young look like an egg to which a fine body is attached to the top, and as the fish develop, the egg-like appendage, which is the yolk-sac, becomes absorbed. The yolk-sac offers nourishment in the initial stages prior to the fish are able to swim and invest their time keeping out of harm’s way hopping about on the sandy bottom, or clinging to the glass sides of the aquarium.
It is this stage, the early feeding period, that’s the most critical. It is as well to begin a culture of infusoria as soon as the spawning takes place, to ensure that it is available when required. It is challenging to state how a lot infusoria should be given as it varies so a lot in high quality. Experience will offer the very best guide. Nevertheless, the feeding should be frequent, to ensure that the bellies of the fry visibly bulge.
You’ll notice that some of the youngsters will develop much more rapidly than other people. Most likely some are born much more energetic, and get the original benefit by eating the most and greatest food.