If you have interest in playing your Gold fish will be taken into account that these fish are living beings, which must be treated with dignity, giving them the care they require. Raising fry is a task that takes time and costs money. It also requires an additional tank, since you can not raise fry in the aquarium of the parents. So if you have time, an additional tank, and do not know what to do with the fry in the near future, my advice is simple: the best both for the fish to yourself will not induce reproduction.
Another point that is important to note is that there are Gold fish farms around the world, which sell good quality copies at very modest prices, which does not result in aquarium shops that are willing to buy fish reared by an amateur . The best want to fish as food for other fish, and even then is unlikely to want to pay for them.
1. Finding out the sex of your gold fish
Determining the sex of your fish when they have less than a year old is not easy. However there are certain factors that allow us to distinguish the sex of the fish, these factors are heightened when the fish reach sexual maturity and is ready for playback.
First. It is when they are ready to breed males are easily identified. Some white spots develop on the gills and pectoral fins known as the “breeding tubercles”. These white spots have the appearance of grains of salt. After 8 months of age can be detected in males that are able to reproduce.
Second. Another way to determine the sex of Gold fish is courtship. The male shows persistent, light and hitting his head repeatedly against the abdomen of the female. This courtship may last for hours or even days at the end of which the female can become exhausted and stressed. Males can be so insistent that may kill the female if it does not get away and relax.
The prosecution has only one aim: to encourage the female to release eggs that the male will fertilize later when spraying sperm over them. It may be that two or more males fertilize the eggs.
Third. Males and females have a single hole, which performs the function of the anus and the reproductive system. The format of this hole is different in males and females. In males the hole is concave inward, while the female is concave outward.
Fourth. The healthy-looking adult females are usually fatter and wider than the males, while the latter are more slender in the stomach area. It can be seen more easily in top view.
2. Selection of gold fish parents
As expected, the quality of the offspring depend on parents. It is recommended that these are between 2 and 4 years old. Younger fish produce smaller eggs, which will reduce the chances of fertilization. The older fish produce more eggs, which are often larger and more fertile.
It should not be mixed varieties, that is crossing a variety Telescope father, a mother Bubble Eye. The results can not only be bad from the aesthetic point of view but also from a practical point of view. It would be raising fish with a higher probability of having vision problems, health, etc.. Nor should select parents despite being adults, have not developed their growth (lack of space or by a poor diet).
3. Aquariums and accessories
Aquarium for gold fish parents
The size of the aquarium to induce reproduction varies: the number of fish, the variety of Gold fish to which they belong, and the size of these.
There are three ways to form groups of parents in couples, trios and multiple. The play only one partner is the method that requires less space. The aquarium should ideally be at least 30 gallon capacity, with long, low buildings. Sometimes Gold fish will get to play in smaller aquariums, but this is not advisable as it puts at risk the health and even life of the female. For your safety, you must provide space to escape the constant harassment from the male. In playing the trio used two males and one female, and requires a bit more space than playing a couple. For most varieties of medium size, a 30-gallon aquarium is sufficient. In the third method known as multiple, using many males and females. It is not necessary, but recommended that the number of males is twice that of females. This method of reproduction requires much more space than before, and usually takes place in ponds built for this purpose.
The multiple approach has proven very effective in obtaining copies of plenty, as the number of crosses, and thus the odds of fry with the desired characteristics, probability decreases when you have only one set of parents.
Varieties with a single tail fin are more active than ornamental varieties, so the procession is usually more “violent” because it is recommended you provide a little more space. It also influences the size of the fish. You can play a pair of praying one years old in a 15 gallon aquarium, something not possible with a pair of praying four years old and 9 inches long. All aquarium parents should have a height of 6 to 9 inches.
Recommended filtration: two large box filters, powerhead and / or filter plate. Filters are removed when the fry are born box .. not to move the fry into the aquarium incubator.
Aquarius incubator
There are two methods to care for the eggs. One is to leave them in the aquarium for the parents (but not before removing the parents) are left there until the tenth day after birth, when selecting and discarding of defective copies. In the second method are removed and fertilized eggs were transferred to the Aquarius incubator. In this method, you lose some eggs that remain attached to plants, glass and even the filter. The benefits of the second method are two: you can place the fertilized eggs in various aquariums. The reason why some breeders put them in several aquariums is that a disease attack is not lost all the eggs, but only those who are affected in the aquarium, this increases the chances of survival of the eggs and fry. The second benefit is that the water is cleaner, free of contamination present in the aquarium of parents, where parents will poop and very high concentrations of sperm in decomposition. These two sources of pollution ammonia levels rise, which threatens the survival of the fertilized eggs and fry.
Used one or more aquariums incubators will require filling with water while filling the aquarium for parents, so the levels of pH, hardness and other components will be similar, and will not affect the development of fertilized eggs when these are transferred to the aquarium incubator.
An aquarium incubator long and low height of 20-gallon can hold between 500 and 750 fertilized eggs. All aquarium incubator should have a height of 6 to 9 inches.
Recommended filtration: two sponge filters or two filters for each aquarium incubator box.
4. Steps to take before the procession
We recommend a diet rich in nutrients for gold fish parents. Strong and healthy parents will be easier to play. The females release more eggs, males produce more sperm and fertilization rates will be higher. Also the fry will grow strong and healthy, which will increase your chances of survival.
Recommended Foods high in protein “bloodworm” insect larvae, small shrimp, etc.. On the other hand will include vegetable protein in the diet of fish, spinach, lettuce, peas (peas / peas) .. just to name a few.
Another important aspect that should not be forgotten, is to introduce plants in the aquarium. Hardwood should be to provide shelter for the fertilized eggs. Will protect the voracious fish, who do not want to eat them slow or lazy as if they were commercial food. Some people use sponge filters instead of plants, which gives good results.
The Gold fish is reproduced with relative ease in ponds, as their reproduction cycle follows the seasons. In an aquarium, where water temperature remains stable throughout the year, the Gold fish does not go into “heat” as the seasons pass you by unnoticed. That is why we require our “help.” To start, the temperature of the aquarium should be tapered gradually and over several days if it were the beginning of autumn and winter. Parents must remain in an aquarium at a temperature of 10 degrees C for 7 weeks. After this the temperature should rise gradually to 15 degrees, thereby simulating the beginning of spring. A couple of weeks then must raise the temperature gradually to 23 degrees, if it were the beginning of summer. Once this is done the fish should begin courtship. On rare occasions, an aquarium fish reproduce without the intervention of the owner, that is, without us having to regulate water temperature.
It is important to temperature changes gradually, ie not up / down more than 2 degrees per day. Sudden changes in temperature are very harmful to fish and can cause shock and even death.
5. Goldfish Reproduction
When the fish are ready to play, you’ll notice they start to swim in groups of 2 or 3. This is when males begin to chase and harass the females separate from the rest of the group and leading them insistently to the plants.
The courtship between a pair of praying is caught on video by our dear friend Avasai, Federal District, Mexico.
Do not see the video? press here
It is based on this courtship the female expels the eggs. Then the male releases the sperm to fertilize a number of these. The eggs fall and stick to plants and other adjacent surfaces, where they remain motionless until the fry mature and are born. It is in the morning when there is usually playing, repeated throughout the day for several days. A female can easily drop from 5,000 to 10,000 eggs in one set, but a large number of eggs will be fertilized, or be devoured by parents not to be separated in time.
More aggressive and prolonged courtship between a pair of queues veil caught on video by our fellow forum Mandarin, Lima, Peru.
6. Egg development and birth
Fertilized eggs have a look that can be a light shade to a dull yellow. The unfertilized eggs usually take on an opaque white coloration at 24 hours after being expelled by the female eventually become covered with fungi, and therefore should be removed from the aquarium.
Eggs that did not become fertilized. Are covered by fungus.
After 2-3 days of being fertilized, one can see the eyes and beating heart inside the egg. For the fifth day he begins to move, and you can see more clearly the pigmentation of the embryo. Between the fifth and seventh days, the egg opens and the embryo leaves. You can move easily but not swim, so spend most of their time resting. It will be two days before you start swimming in search of food.
During the following days will be significant development, as evidenced by the picture below. Note that the body looks translucent in the absence of scales.
A month after birth the fry begins to acquire the appearance of the Gold fish. The body is covered with scales and fins begin to develop. Color changes are beginning, and continued during the first 3 years of the fish.
7. Brood care
The first 12 days of life
In this interval of time farming can live and grow without any problem in an aquarium a bit crowded. This helps them find food. You need to do daily water changes and maintain a good filtration and aeration. Growth occurs very quickly. You can have up to 500 fry at a low and elongated tank 20 gallons.
After the first 12 days of life
At 12 days after the fry hatched, it is the first choice of many, eliminating the fry showing visible defects: deformed body, weak, poor coloration (this can be seen in the last selections), lack of fins, body does not correspond to the previously sought, inadequate head, among dozens of other defects. Depending on the parents, the number of defective fry can be as low as 1% and as high as 99%. In the latter group usually have only one or two fish that meet all the parameters of your choice.
As mentioned, the first selection is made, being necessary to divide the remaining fry in one or more tanks if they represent more than 50% of juveniles who had at first. It is in this period, should be given a density of 100 fry per 144 square inches of surface (12 “x 12″). After the first selection is advisable to select a week.
When the fry reach the four weeks of life should be kept at a density of 30 fingerlings per 144 square inches of surface. At eight weeks old they should keep the same density as an adult Gold fish.
Failure to do selection and elimination of defective fry, keeping their numbers low as they grow, the disease will take care of it. This makes the difference between raising quality specimens and specimens that were lucky to survive.
Feeding the fry
The fry require a rich and varied diet to grow strong and healthy. During the early days especially, it is recommended to boil egg to harden, and feed them pre-ground bud. The yolk is given occasionally and in small portions as it can foul the water from the aquarium. Another excellent option is specialized for feeding commercial food fry. They are not easy to get but well worth trying.
They may also be feeding dry flakes from time to time, this type of food is known in English as “flakes.” Is cut in small pieces, so they can be eaten by the fry.
Some experts are in favor of providing live food for the fry, as it is an excellent source of protein that’s for sure. Among the options suggested baby sea shrimp and earthworms good ground, so they seem mush. They also recommend Tubifex and bloodworm, which are ground also in the form of porridge.
Another excellent option is to develop a culture of bacteria known as Infusoria. It is a widely used option among fans of English-speaking Gold fish. His preparation is very simple:
Preparation of Infusoria
Fill three-quarters of a jar with boiled water and allow to cool. Once this cold, you add a banana peel (banana), or 3 to 4 lettuce leaves (best when the leaves are battered / bruised, preferably to be the outer leaves). Leave the jar without a lid / cover in a sunny place outside the house, which will produce very bad smell.
During the early days, the water will become cloudy, and its aroma is unbearable. After two days of this, the water will clear, and although the smell is not going to be quite pleasant, going to have a perceptible sweetness in the water easily detected. Well, here’s the infusoria! You can use a filler turkey, or spoon to enter the infusoria in the tank.
If you feed them infusoria will need to make a new pot every 2 to 3 days is not completed, because after 3 days is necessary to get rid of it.
From the book “The Gold fish: An Owner’s Guide” by Carlo DeVito
On the other side are those who oppose the use of live food, saying that the risk of introducing a fungus or infection to the aquarium, which can be fatal due to low defenses of the fry.
As if they match, the fry are fed live food, grow healthy and strong.
It feeds the fry 3 to 6 times a day during the first weeks of life. It is important to do at regular intervals: morning, noon and night. Also, the evening will be necessary to leave the light on while feeding. His vision is limited and therefore require light to find food. A few minutes after each meal, you must remove food waste, this to prevent water from getting dirty and may later affect the health of the fry.
The fry are very delicate, thus requiring a stable and optimal water and temperature. Sudden changes in these parameters can easily affect all the fry that inhabit the aquarium.
8. Spawning manual
It is a very risky procedure, which can injure and even kill fish, so it should only be used by experts (professional breeders and people with many years of experience).
The advantages of this method is that the number of fertilized eggs is higher, lower egg loss (because they are not eaten by the parents) and finally allows us to choose the father and mother with no other fish intervegan .
It is important to note that not all sexually mature fish are candidates for this method.
The fish that we have a mature does not mean you have eggs or sperm inside. It is a process necessary to induce breeding. In the above described one of the most used and effective processes in the world.
Returning to the spawning manual, you should use a small container. Usually usually a liter. We introduce a plant, so that it adhere eggs. First introduced to the male, as shown in the illustration below. The fish was subject at the top, with the thumb and index finger on both sides of the urogenital orifice, which certainly should be underwater. It is attached to the fish gently and gently squeeze the sides of the fish, the area between the ventral and anal fin. Sperm must be removed with ease. Move the container circle, so that the sperm into the water from spreading. Once done, place the male back to the aquarium .. and immediately subject to the female, repeating the same process. Should be done before one minute after the sperm was ejected, otherwise the eggs will not fertilize.
Once the eggs are expelled and these are fertilized with sperm present in the water, it will be necessary to remove the eggs and place them in the aquarium incubator.
Again I emphasize: if pressing the sides of the fish, sperm or eggs do not go .. or show difficulty in doing so, the procedure should be stopped immediately, otherwise it can hurt and even kill fish. Pressing more force than necessary can burst the female’s ovaries and cause them fatal injuries. It is for this reason that only experts should carry out manual spawning.