Proper rearing of fry. Breeding and rearing

As soon as the eggs hatch, you are just beginning your journey in fish breeding and raising fry. After all, raising a fry is often a more difficult task than getting a couple to spawn, and getting eggs is only half the battle.

On the one hand, most cichlids and viviparous give birth to fry large enough to immediately begin feeding on artificial food, but the majority aquarium fish, for example, they give birth very small fry, which needs to be fed with the same small food. Their fry are so small that they themselves could serve as food for a guppy or cichlid fry.

Also, juveniles can only eat food that moves and you will have very little time to train them to eat other foods before they begin to die of hunger.

Next, we will look at the many different foods that aquarists use to feed their fry. Each of them is quite nutritious on its own, but it is better to use several different ones to create a complete diet.

Boiled egg yolk

This is a simple and inexpensive food for feeding fry. Of its merits, it does not create unpleasant odor, what is wrong with live food and is very accessible.

To prepare the food, boil chicken egg hard boiled, remove the white, all you need is the yolk. Take a few grams of yolk and place it in a container or cup of water. Then shake or mix it thoroughly, as a result you will get a suspension that you can feed to the fry.

If necessary, pass it through cheesecloth to filter out large pieces of yolk. Then you can give the suspension to the fry; as a rule, they stand in the water column for some time and are eaten with appetite.

One yolk can be fed to the fry for a whole month, of course it will not be stored for that long, and do not forget to cook new time from time to time. Do not add too much mixture to the aquarium at one time, it decomposes quickly and can lead to the death of the fry. Feed egg yolk moderately, a few drops a couple of times a day.

Another problem is that the yolk, even after filtering, may be too large for some fry, will not be digested and will begin to disappear at the bottom. The smallest parts can be obtained using a mixer or blender.

Dry egg yolk

There is no fundamental difference between boiled and dry. Widely used in fry food, but it is very easy to make yourself.

It is enough to boil the egg, dry and crush the yolk. It can be added by pouring it onto the surface of the water or mixing it with water and pouring it into the aquarium. It floats on the surface of the water, and the yolk mixed with water hangs in the water column for some time. Use both methods to give the fry maximum nutrition.

It is also good to feed small fish with dried egg yolk, as it is much smaller than the smallest flakes. The particle size of dry yolk is smaller than that of diluted in water, which is important if the fry is small.

Liquid artificial feed

This food is already diluted with water. Sometimes the particles are too large for small fry, but manufacturers are constantly improving the quality of such feeds. New generations of food are already suitable for all types of fry; in addition, their advantage is that they hang in the water for a very long time and the fry have time to eat.

Dry flakes

Widely available, but although they can be fed large fry, such as guppies, they are not suitable for most others. Often the particle size is equal in size to the fry itself.

Live fish food

Excellent food for any fry. They are easy to keep and very small (from 0.04 mm to 2 mm in length and 0.10 mm in width). Unlike a microworm, a nematode culture can be left unfed for several weeks without dying.

Nematode is a soil roundworm- Turbatrix aceti, can also live in mud. Since nematodes are live food, they are especially suitable if the fry refuses artificial food. Nematodes can live in aquarium water for up to a day, so they do not quickly poison the water and can be eaten by aquarium fish fry within a day.

Nematodes live in very acidic environments, feeding on bacteria. To prepare a growing medium for them, take one to one apple cider vinegar and distilled water. Vinegar should be ordinary, without additives.

For example, we take half a liter of vinegar and half a liter of distilled water, mix and add a couple of spoons of sugar or a few slices of an apple without peel. An apple is needed to create a breeding ground for bacteria. After a week or two, the solution will become significantly cloudier and this means that the bacteria have multiplied rapidly and it is time to add the nematodes themselves to them.

Nematode culture can be purchased on the Internet, from birds, or from familiar aquarists.

Add vinegar eels to the solution and place the jar in the dark. In a couple of weeks the culture will be ready.

The most difficult thing is to filter out the nematodes, since they live in a very acidic environment and adding them along with vinegar can be fatal to the fry. You can pour vinegar into a bottle with a narrow neck, seal the top with cotton wool and pour fresh water on it. Nematodes will move through the cotton wool into fresh water and can be caught with a pipette.

Another method of breeding nematodes is even simpler and more often used.

The nutrient medium is rolled oatmeal or oatmeal, which needs to be brewed until it becomes thick sour cream. After the oatmeal has brewed, you need to add table vinegar about a teaspoon per 100 grams of medium.

Next, the mass is laid out in a layer of 1-1.5 cm in saucers or other containers and a nematode culture is placed on top. Be sure to cover the container so that there is humid environment and didn't dry out. In just two or three days, the nematodes will already be crawling onto the walls and can be collected with a brush.

One of the nuances of breeding nematodes in this way is that the culture should be in a warm place. The layer should not be too high, no more than 1.5 cm. If mold appears, then the medium was too liquid or not enough vinegar was added.

Of course, you need to feed the nematodes by adding fresh porridge from time to time. When? This will already be visible in the process. If the yield has decreased, if the medium has darkened or water appears on it, if there is a smell of decomposition. You can also feed with a few drops of kefir or carrot juice, even a couple of drops of live yogurt.

But it’s easier to have several containers with nematodes in stock and, if something happens, just switch to another one.

Nematode is an excellent food - small, lively and nutritious. They can be fed even to fry of different sizes, since the nematode itself is also different.

Zooplankton - ciliates

Ciliates are not the only microorganisms; they are a mixture of various microorganisms measuring 0.02 mm or more.

To start your own culture of slipper ciliates, place some hay, spinach or dry banana or melon peel in a bottle of water and place it in a sunny place.

The problem is that you cannot control the types of microorganisms in such a culture, and some may be toxic to the fry. To protect yourself, first boil the hay, spinach or banana peel and then add a culture from familiar aquarists to the water, which is dominated by the ciliate slipper. The water needs to be aerated to reduce the smell from fermentation, and siphoning off the residue from the bottom will extend the life of the crop for a few more days.

So fill it out liter jar water and bait - dry banana peel, pumpkin, hay and place in a non-sunny place. Add a culture of ciliates to the water, preferably from familiar aquarists.

If not, then you can even get it from a puddle or local reservoir, although there is a risk of bringing something else in. Wait a few days for the ciliates to multiply. You can catch it in two ways - filtering through paper and lowering it into water or darkening the jar, leaving only one bright place where the ciliates will gather. Then you simply collect them with a tube.

Ciliates are not as tenacious as nematodes, so you will have to start a new jar every couple of weeks. But at the same time they are extremely small and can be eaten by all types of fry.

Green water - phytoplankton

Ciliates can be divided into two categories: zooplankton (we talked about it above) are tiny microorganisms. Phytoplankton are tiny algae, ranging in size from 0.02 to 2 mm in length. Aquarists use green water like food, but in fact it is phytoplankton.

Green water is extremely easy and simple to obtain. Simply take some water from the aquarium, pour it into a jar and place it in the sun. sun rays will cause the water to turn green within a couple of days. When this happens, simply add some water to the aquarium with the fry. Instead, add water from the aquarium.

This is very similar to breeding ciliates, only even simpler. Any water from an aquarium contains both zoo and phytoplankton, but by increasing the amount of light we stimulate the growth of phytoplankton. One problem is our climate, in winter or autumn there won’t be enough sunlight, but you can just put it under a lamp, the main thing is that the water does not overheat.

Green water is simple, accessible, very small in size, and fry eat it well from the first days of their lives. And most importantly, it does not die in the aquarium and serves as a source of food for the fry for several days. For greater efficiency, you need to keep several jars at the same time, in case the plankton suddenly dies in one.

If you have a microscope, then you can generally grow only the crop that you need, but in my opinion this is unnecessary.

Microworm

The microworm (Panagrellus redivivus) is a small nematode (0.05-2.0 mm long and 0.05 mm wide) that appears too small for a fry. But they have one quality that makes them stand out: they are very nutritious.

To create a microworm culture, mix cornmeal with water until it becomes thick sour cream, and then add a quarter teaspoon of yeast. Place in a jar with a lid, which has holes for ventilation, in a layer of no more than 1.5 cm and add a culture of microworms.

The easiest way to get them is from a bird or from familiar aquarists. But if there are none, then you can find a damp pile of fallen leaves in the nearest park, collect them and bring them home. In it you will find very small, white worms, which you need to add to the container with the nutrient mixture.

After a couple of days, you will see microworms crawling out onto the walls and which can be collected with your fingers or a brush.

The fry eat them voraciously, but like nematodes, microworms do not live long in water, and it is important not to overfeed. When you collect them from the walls, some of the nutrient mixture may get into the water, but don't worry, it will also be eaten by the fry.

As a rule, it lasts for two weeks, after which the launch must be repeated. Rolled oats are also used as a nutritional mixture, but the smell from it is more unpleasant and the quality of our oats leaves much to be desired. However, there are many recipes for preparing the culture; you are free to choose your own.

Artemia nauplii

Newly hatched brine shrimp (0.08 to 0.12 mm) are used very widely in the aquarium hobby for feeding fry different fish. They are active in fresh water and can live quite a long time. Where can I get them? Nowadays it’s very easy to buy brine shrimp eggs, both from birds and from friends and online. What you need is non-decapsulated brine shrimp eggs. There are a huge number of opinions on how to properly obtain Artemia nauplii.

The easiest way is to pour about two teaspoons of salt, a couple of spoons of nauplii into a liter jar and turn on the aeration. Please note that it should be around the clock and the bubbles should not be too large, as they will lift the newly hatched brine shrimp to the surface of the water, where it will instantly die.

An important point is the water temperature, preferably about 30 C, since at this temperature the nauplii emerge every other day and at the same time, and at a lower temperature the output is stretched.

After about a day, two nauplii will hatch and can be removed using a siphon and added to the aquarium with the fry. Turn off the aeration and the nauplii will gather at the bottom of the jar, and the eggs will float to the top; they need to be removed. A little salt water in the aquarium will not cause problems, but you can transplant the nauplii into the intermediate fresh water or wash them. The fry eats them with pleasure and grows well.

This article describes simple and at the same time effective ways, with which you can raise the fry of many fish. It's not always easy, but patience and passion will always yield results. We hope that we were able to help you with this!

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Marriage outfit serves for gender recognition, stimulation of ripening and release of reproductive products. As a rule, fish lay eggs in the evening or early in the morning. The duration of spawning varies from 30 minutes to several hours and even days with rest intervals - brachydanios, silversides, princess of Burundi, etc. An increase in productivity can be achieved with separate keeping and proper feeding producers within 10-15 days before spawning. Key stimuli stimulating may be individuals of the other sex, composition (pH, dH, EH), movement, substitution, water level, temperature changes, duration and intensity of lighting ( lunar phases in Indian carp fish, catfish), substrate (soil, vegetation, with a certain configuration of leaves and bushiness, etc.), composition of microorganisms, presence of satellite fish, water-soluble, species-specific metabolites responsible for (copulin), etc. .p. So, placing aquariums on a straight line sunlight stimulates coloration, growth and reproduction of young females. The cyclicity of spawning also depends on the length daylight hours. Adding calf thymus gland to the feed leads to an increase in the number and size of offspring, feeding the fry the thyroid gland accelerates metamorphosis, but slows down growth.

Before breeding fish, you should check the food supply for future offspring. The best food for juveniles is “live dust”, so all breedings are planned for the period from April to September (in the absence of cultivated organisms). The monogamous (pair family) includes four-toothed fish: cichlids, rheas, snakeheads, etc., the polygamous (gregarious family) includes iris, gobies, eleotraces, sticklebacks, etc. School spawning (in cyprinids, characids, etc.) is not always justified, especially if the fish destroy their eggs. In such cases, the amount of substrate should be increased, and spawning grates should be laid on the bottom. Fish with high intraspecific aggressiveness (distichods, leporines, tropheus, etc.) should be gradually accustomed to each other or the spawning area and the number of shelters should be increased. The size of breeding aquariums can vary greatly. For nanostomes, 200 ml is enough, and for a pair of discus fish, at least 100 liters. Fish that take care of their offspring (loricariid catfish, anappass, cichlids, etc.) are able to raise young animals in a general aquarium. But usually the development of eggs occurs either in expansion tanks, or in special incubators, modifications of the Weiss apparatus, etc. For disinfection, add methylene blue, rivanol (1-2 mg/l), malachite green, violet K, bright green oxalate (0.5-2 mg/l) to the water.

During the development of eggs, as a rule, 6 phases are distinguished:

1. Dead, unfertilized eggs without signs of crushing (quick removal after spawning).

2. Not yet developed, but fertilized (in opaque eggs, division occurs at the sharp end).

3. Germinal disc.

4. Transparent, young embryo.

5. Pigmented embryo.

6. Embryo with pigmented eyes.

Overripening of eggs does not reduce their ability to fertilize, but greatly increases the percentage of waste during development. The moment of pigmentation of the eyes of the embryo (ocelli stage) signals that critical periods developments are left behind. In this state, eggs can be subjected to transportation and other manipulations without significant harm to the embryo (minor death is also observed in the early stages, immediately after spawning). The formation of eggs and embryos is accelerated by temperature, increased content of oxygen, iron (up to 1 mg/l), vitamin B 2 in water, and sometimes increased salinity (0.5 - 3%o). The hatching process is regulated by a special enzyme - chorionase. Mass hatching can be stimulated by adding water from the aquarium where the fry have just hatched or freshly shed egg shells to the eggs. The sum of temperatures multiplied by the number of hours or days of incubation equals a roughly constant value called degree days or degree hours. For trout, development lasts 205 days (410 degree days) at 2°C, 82 days (410) at 5°C, and 41 days (410 degree days) at 10°C. After hatching of the embryos, the dose of the drug is gradually reduced to zero (by changing the water, filtration with activated carbon), and the water mineralization (for soft-water fish) is slowly increased. A free embryo has yolk sac with a supply of energy substances that nourish it in the first hours or days of life. At this time, it leads a passive existence, lying on the ground, suspended from plants, snags and stones using a cement organ or adhesive threads. In polygons, the attachment organ arises due to a protrusion of the intestinal wall; in African and American bipulmonates, it is a transverse groove in the pharynx; in most bony fish, it is formed on the upper side of the snout or in the brain part of the head. The opercula and pseudobranchia of the larvae supply oxygen to the brain and eyes, and the capillary networks of blood vessels, the yolk bladder, pectoral, dorsal, anal fins and external gills supply the rest of the body. Resorption of the sac is a signal for the immediate supply of food to the ear of the actively moving larval embryo. Petrochromes, cyphotilapias, etc. To stimulate the resorption of the sac and proper differentiation of the gastrointestinal tract, microdoses of plankton are given 3-5 days earlier than the expected date. The larva becomes a fry only by acquiring the scaly cover and structure of an adult fish.

Well-grown, even in size (undergrown and overgrown ones are discarded), healthy juveniles with desirable characteristics (brightness and purity of color, proportions of the body and fins, mobility, etc.) are selected for the tribe, from which spawning pairs or groups are subsequently formed. This is the so-called mass selection. When working purposefully and keeping diaries, you can take into account internal, no less important features: growth rate, disease resistance, speed of maturation, etc. Here, individual selection comes into force, consisting in assessing each specific producer for the quality of the offspring or comparing the quality indicators of several families (family selection). A skillful combination of both selection methods will ensure the best final results.

Free crossing in nature of all individuals (usually at the subspecies level) is called panmixia. Numerous experiments on sexual selection have shown that the female chooses the most brightly colored male during copulation. Thus, the golden principle in the final selection of pairs will be - the best for the best.

Without knowledge of the basics of genetics, today it is impossible to competently deal with issues of reproduction of any animals, and in particular fish. Fish selection is based mainly on selection for quantitative traits, determined by changes in both internal (genotype) and external (phenotype) factors. The hereditary inclinations (genes) of germ cells (gametes) are closely related to the behavior of fibrous, spirally twisted structures - chromosomes, enclosed in cell nuclei. Genes are sections of a continuous molecular chain of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The basis of the commands transmitted by chromosomal DNA using transfer RNA to numerous ribosome protein synthesizers scattered throughout the cell is genetic code, which determines the order and ratio of amino acids (there are 20 of them) in newly formed protein molecules. Transformations of any part of the DNA molecule lead to changes in the protein composition of the organism and ensure the adaptation of the species through natural selection to new living conditions. Each species usually has constant number pairs of chromosomes from 16 to 240. During the development of a new organism, any pair of its homologous (externally similar) chromosomes (diploid set) includes a chromosome (haploid set) from each parent. The chromosomes of each pair are thus different from the chromosomes of all other pairs. With two pairs of chromosomes, as a result of maturation divisions, four types of gametes are formed (in females and males). Adding one pair of chromosomes doubles the number of chromosome combinations each time. As a result, the number of gamete types is equal to In, and the number of different zygotes (after fertilization) is equal to 4n, where n is the number of pairs of chromosomes. With 24 pairs of chromosomes, a quantity characteristic of many fish species, the number of individual gametes will exceed 16 million, and zygotes (in one cross) - 250 trillion.

The problem of closely related breeding (inbreeding) and its extreme manifestation - inbreeding (mating of producers with their offspring) is that the offspring inherit the same properties from their parents (harmful and beneficial), which become stronger with further breeding (homogeneity). Genetic material, received from non-identical parents, ensures diversity (heterogeneity) of future generations, i.e. the effect of heterosis - hybrid vigor - will constantly manifest itself. As can be seen from previous mathematical calculations, the danger of inbreeding for fish is greatly exaggerated. However, outbreeding (periodic, once every 3-5 years, crossing with unrelated producers) and optimal conditions keeping and breeding.

Dominant (strong) traits always prevail over recessive (subordinate) ones. When crossing in the first generation, all individuals will have a dominant type. Only with further breeding do we get 25% purebred dominants - 50% crossbreds, but with a dominant trait, and 25% purebred recessive individuals, which visually looks like a 3:1 split. Selection for two traits gives a distribution of 9:3:3:1.

The culling of individuals that deviate from the desired breeding type must be strict. Fry that have a worse exterior compared to their parents are removed from the aquarium. A hybrid is the final product of crossing at least different types, while a crossbreed is the result of a fusion of breeds. In practice, the following forms of crossing are used:

1. Industrial (mass) - ensures an increase in diversity, but does not consolidate the breed.

2. Synthetic crossing, which allows you to combine the desired characteristics of the original breeds and at the same time increases heterogeneity.

3. Introductory crossing - contributes to the improvement of the breed by strengthening it with new improving genetic material.

4. Absorption - after the initial crossing of two breeds, the crossbreeds are combined with individuals of the improver breed.

5. Alternative crossing - alternating mating of crossbreeds after the first crossing with individuals of 1, two original breeds, in the fourth or fifth generations is replaced by reproductive crossing, stabilizing the necessary characteristics as a result of breeding in itself.

An additional and very significant source of variability in fish are mutations - changes in chromosomes and genes. Mutant genes that cause steel coloration and albinism reduce the viability of pure lines. Exposure to hard radiation and chemical compounds(nitrosmethylurea - 0.97 - 9.7 mmol (millimole), dimethyl sulfate - 0.11-0.13 mmol, etc.), artificial mutations can be caused. They are classified into point (gene) rearrangements, chromosomal rearrangements (inversions, translocations, etc.) and polyploidy (the presence of one or more additional gene sets). Poeciliops (P. turrubarensis), for example, has a triploid set of chromosomes. Cold and exposure to cytochalasin lead to polyploidy larvae.

When determining the sex of fish, it turned out that guppies, pecilia sphenops, medaka, etc. belong to the XX-XY type (male heterogamety). A Xiphophorus maculatus have both male (XY) and female heterogamety (WY) and even three types of sex chromosomes (WY, WX, XX).

Different lines of Mozambican tilapia have heterogametic females and males. The crossing of these lines led to the formation of only males in the offspring. In green swordtails (X. helleri) and black macropods (M. orercularis concolor), sex differentiation depends on male and female hereditary factors located in autosomes (there are no sex chromosomes).

It has long been noticed that female fish, under the influence of certain conditions (environment, hormonal drugs etc.) turn into males (gambusiaceae, melanochromis, etc.). Female sex hormone (estrol) and male sex hormone (methylgestosterone) when added to water or food redefine gender. Japanese geneticist Yamamoto turned female goldfish into males. Upon further breeding, all offspring turned out to be female. In guppies, females with male fins are sterile.

Aquarists have bred about 200 breeds of aquarium fish (angelfish, goldfish, cockerels, viviparous fish, barbs, etc.). Very often, very spectacular offspring are obtained from the hybridization of egg-marking cyprinids, cichlids, gambusias, cyprinids, etc. As a result of “reprehensible” inbreeding (constant crossing of littermate fry obtained from a single pair of sires), in the 4th-6th generations many albino ones appear (labeo, swordtails, minor, neon, pristella, Aripiranga nannostom, platies, Gambian barbs, oligolepis and sumatranus, speckled catfish, plecostome, guppies, pseudo-tropheus zebra, etc.), veil forms (rasbora heteromorph, hassemania, ternezia, cardinal, zebrafish, fire barb, angelfish) and chromium forms (cichlazomas, barbus- "mutant", parrot cichlid, etroplus, tilapia aurea, labeotropheus, etc.).

The growth rate of fish can be significantly accelerated using intramuscular injections (mg/kg): bovine growth hormone or bovine insulin (10), 4-chlorotestosterone acetate (0.5), thyroidin (10), testosterone propionate (10), methidandrostenediol (4 mg/kg). kg every 4 days); or when added to feed (mg/kg): ethyl estrol (2.5), 17-methyl-testosterone (1-2), dimethazine (5), 17-ethynyltestosterone (2.5-3.5), methylandrosterone (15), androstedione (500), testosterone propionate (560), androsterone (580), dehydroepiandrosterone (3200), testosterone (10), oxymetholone (10), 11-ketotestosterone (10), stanazol (833), thyroidin (60) , 1-dehydrosterone acetate (15), dry thyroid (6), krezacin (10-20) and triiodothyronine (20 mg/kg). You can get 100% males by adding methyltestosterone and ethinyltestosterone to the fish feed (from 50 to 100 mg/kg), and 100% females can be obtained by treating the fry with ethinyl estradiol (50 mg/kg) and estradiol (20 mg/kg). Using supersolvents (dimethyl sulfoxide), you can administer any hormones, adaptogen drugs, vitamins, etc. to fish. without injections, direct transport of substances through the integument.

Most fish do not care about eggs, laying them in excess so that at least some of the offspring can survive. But in a limited aquarium, all eggs can become food for other inhabitants. Some species give birth to live fry, which also become a delicacy. But there are also many who actively care for both caviar and fry. These include, for example, cichlids. However, their strict adherence to their territory often results in tragedy for other fish. Courtship behavior of some species can also result in injury. That's why, if you seriously decide to start fish breeding, don't let this process take its course. And for a breeding pair, as a rule, a separate aquarium is needed.

One of the most popular aquarium fish are platies, the reproduction of which occurs without creating special conditions. There are several types with a variety of colors and shapes. In addition, they are unpretentious and beautiful, and it is very easy to get offspring.

What does a platie look like?

Fish of this type are small, and their body length reaches 3.5-5 cm. If suitable conditions are created, they live for 3-4 years. In nature, they are distributed in the area South America, Mexico and Guatemala. When keeping aquarium platies, you must follow a number of rules:

1. They are unpretentious and have good survival rate. The minimum volume of a suitable vessel is 40-50 liters. Fish do not conflict with each other, unlike other viviparous species.
2. For the life of platies, reproduction and development of fry, water parameters do not play a special role. A liquid of medium hardness (15-30 dGH), with an acidity pH of 7-8.3 is considered ideal, and as for temperature, suitable value 22-25°C. It is recommended to replace up to 20% of the water every day. Filtration and aeration are desirable.
3. If the aquarium is small, then during the day it can be placed on the sunny side, then it is better to hide it from direct rays of the sun using different ways, for example, frosted glass.
4. Platies get along well with other fish, but it is better not to house them with predators, as they can become easy prey.
5. For safe life platies, breeding and raising fry, it is recommended to cover the aquarium with a lid, but it must have holes for oxygen. This is explained by the fact that while playing and chasing each other, fish can jump out of the vessel.

Varieties of platies

This genus is popular because it includes 33 species and a huge number of hybrid forms. The variety differs in color options and body shape. Common types of platies include multi-colored, black, green, yellow, blue, gold and red specimens. When focusing on the shape of the body and fins, classic mollies, radishes and balloons are distinguished. Let's look at the description of the most popular options:

1. Black platylia has a beautiful color with an original blue or green color. It was obtained through selective breeding. Reproduction and care do not require special conditions.
2. The disc platy has a shortened and slightly flattened body. Breeders also bred it.
3. Paecilia balloon is considered the most unusual because it has a rounded body with a curved spine. Such fish can be golden, marbled, silver, black and red. It is worth saying that as a result of reproduction, fry are born with a straight spine, and it becomes deformed with age.

How do platies reproduce?

This species belongs to the viviparous type, that is, fertilization and gestation of the fry occurs inside the female, as in humans. Breeding of platies can be carried out either together with other fish or separately. Three approaches can be used:

1. A pregnant individual is placed in a separate spawning tank, and when the offspring is born and grows a little, it is necessary to select strong and strong individuals and transplant them into community aquarium, and dispose of weak representatives of the offspring.
2. Platies, the reproduction of which does not require the creation of special conditions, can remain in a public aquarium and then the fry themselves will fight with other inhabitants of the reservoir and the fittest will survive. This option can only be used if the neighbors are not aggressive.
3. If the owner wants to breed selected offspring of a certain color, then it is necessary to prepare several nurseries. Future parents must be kept in special tanks and each fertilized female is placed in a separate spawning tank. It is important to closely monitor the fry and sort them by color in time.

Pecilia - how to distinguish a male from a female?

Unlike other species, determining the sex of an individual in this case will be easy. For this purpose, you need to know the basic signs regarding how to determine the sex of a platie.

1. The first thing that gives away a female representative is her large size, and the difference is significant. In addition, females have a fuller and more rounded abdomen.
2. Pecilia fish, which reproduce without much effort, are distinguished by the presence of gonopodium (genital organ) in the male, which is located at the anus and is mobile. In females, the anal fin is wider.
3. Some species have pronounced differences in color.

Pregnant platy

Breeding such fish is easy, since the creation of any special conditions is not necessary. Many people believe that the main sign of a pregnant platie is big belly, but in fact this is not the case, since it can grow if the fish has eaten heavily. Changes in color or behavior are observed. And if such platies appear, their further reproduction can be carried out in a public aquarium, taking care of the shelter.

How to determine if a platie is pregnant?

If an aquarium owner wants to ensure regular breeding, then it is necessary to have three females and one male. Please note that this species is capable of producing offspring every month. When figuring out what a pregnant platie looks like, it is worth pointing out the rounded belly, but to confirm this symptom, it is recommended not to feed the fish for a day and observe whether the belly disappears or not. Besides this, there are more a clear sign indicates that the individual is ready to reproduce - the color of the body changes near the anal fin.

Pregnancy of platie - term

It has already been mentioned that this species can produce offspring frequently. A pregnant platy bears the fry for about 28 days, and a couple of days after birth the female is ready for fertilization again. In the aquarium fish platies, spawning can occur up to several times per year. During birth, from 30 to 80 fry can be born.

Pecilia before childbirth

Before an individual is ready to give birth to fry, its abdomen will become large and take on an angular shape. Platies will have a more visible pregnancy spot, which is located near the anal fin. Every day it will become brighter. In addition, before breeding, the female will begin to behave restlessly and will have a desire to hide in a secluded place.

How do platies give birth?

When all the signs indicating childbirth have appeared, if desired, you can transplant the female into a spawning tank. This can be a separate aquarium with a volume of 1.5-3 liters, for example, a glass jar or plastic bottle. Reproduction of platy fish involves marking the fry over several days. The female gives out one fry intermittently. After this, it is better to return it to the general aquarium, since there is high risk that she will eat her offspring.

Pecilia fry - care

There are several recommendations that are important to follow in order for babies to develop well. If a person does not know how to raise platy fry, then there is a risk that they will die. It is recommended to create suitable conditions for keeping and properly care for the younger generation. Plaie fry have a wide body, which differs in shape from other viviparous species.

After birth, at first the fry will stay in a school and be closer to the surface of the water. This is explained by the fact that they are shy, so they react with lightning speed to any changes occurring behind the glass. Taking this into account, experts recommend that you should not wave your arms or create other annoying phenomena while standing next to the aquarium. Do not place containers with babies near the TV.

How long does a baby platie grow?

If created the right conditions, then the kids will develop quickly and well. For those who are interested in how quickly platie fry grow, it is worth noting that in most cases they become large in 1.5-2 months, and they give birth to their offspring in 3-4 months. To speed up the growth of babies, it is recommended to place them in a large vessel. In addition, it is worth making sure that the water is fresh and not cold, since it has been proven that if the temperature is 3-4 degrees colder than the above norm, then growth can slow down by half. It is best to choose live food.

How to care for platie fry?

In the nursery where the babies will develop, it is recommended to place a small heating pad and. You can refuse soil, since it will quickly pollute the water, but plants are mandatory and it is better to give preference. Kids love various algae and bushes, which will serve as an excellent shelter. Platies in the aquarium will develop well, the main thing is not to forget about proper feeding.

What to feed platy fry?

Babies are born fully formed, so they can be fed adult food. For correct and rapid growth Live food is best. Pet stores have special food for young animals. When figuring out what to feed the platy fry in the first days, it is worth pointing out that it is better to give them food often. It is important to ensure that the portion is eaten at once, otherwise the food will spoil, which will negatively affect the condition of the water, and this is already a danger for babies. If it is not possible to purchase food, then you can temporarily feed the young animals with yolk pressed through gauze.

Even if fish breeding was not included in the plans, and there are no skills, there is every chance that good conditions existence, the inhabitants of the aquarium will reproduce. If this happens, the question will arise: what to do? Tropical species, which are kept in tanks, belong to two groups: viviparous and egg-laying. The first young fish you are likely to encounter in an aquarium is a viviparous fry.

Viviparous fish

As the name suggests, these fish give birth to fully formed fry. They are usually quite large, and the brood is the same size. Being larger than the fry that emerge from the eggs, they have a greater chance of survival in a multi-species aquarium, although some will become prey to other fish. They are able to chew the edges of flakes and eat algae on plants. To feed them, you can crumble some flakes or add one of the liquid products, live-born fry suspension.

Be careful not to overdo it with liquid food as it can quickly contaminate the aquarium. If in doubt, you need to place two or three drops on a teaspoon and wash them off the spoon into the aquarium. You also need to understand that these additional individuals, while still small, will grow and increase the load on the entire aquarium system and its filter. Eventually another tank will be needed.

Aquarium with dimensions 45 x 25 x 25 cm, useful container for growing. When not being used for young stock, it is an ideal quarantine tank. Set up the tank as usual. Partially fill it with water from the main aquarium and add small quantity fresh water.

Fill the main reservoir fresh water, following the example of regular water changes. In this way, the water from the main tank is combined with fresh water. The fry can be safely caught and transferred to the rearing tank. There is no need to wait for the water to mature; water exchange occurred simultaneously in both reservoirs. Be careful with feeding volume; it should be minimal until the filter has created enough bacteria to cope with the cleaning. Fry require different quantities time to grow in the tank. The periods depend on the growth rate. Do not place fry with other fish until they are large enough to avoid being eaten. If you have too many fry, give them away to friends or take them to your local aquarium club or store.

In the photo: Female platies often give birth in an aquarium. They look for a quiet place, near the water surface in the thick of plants, and this gives the fry a chance to avoid being eaten.

Spawn-marking

These fish are a little more difficult to care for when breeding. Although some species will spawn in the aquarium, not all will succeed in raising a brood. Because other inhabitants believe that caviar and fry are affordable food. It is much better to set up a breeding tank with everything the fish require: fine, leafy plants, caves, slate, etc. The fish are placed there. Depending on the species, you need to learn about your species, you need to remove either both parents after breeding and return them to the main aquarium, or leave them and care for the eggs and hatched fry.

Developing parental instinct is important. Research the species you keep and feed them the right products To get them into spawning condition before trying to breed them.

Feeding spawning fry is fraught with problems. Sometimes the fry are so tiny that they can only eat ciliates, tiny microscopic creatures that need to be cultured. Others are slightly larger and require newly hatched brine shrimp. For them, you can buy nauplii grown in salt water.

Fortunately, the fry of some species, but by no means all, will take portions of finely divided commercial viviparous fry products, which are available in either liquid or powder form. Other fry will require green foods in the form of seaweed, frozen peas, and lettuce.

Successful fry rearing

Whatever type of fish you raise, cleanliness is important. The eggs can quickly become moldy if aquarium conditions are poor or the eggs are infertile, and the tiny fry can develop bacterial infections in dirty conditions.

Another cause of loss is starvation, because there is no suitable food when the fry needs it or because the food is too large for the fry to eat. It doesn't matter how much food is regularly put into the tank, if it is the wrong size or offered at the wrong time, the fish will starve. Most fish die for these reasons, more often than for any other.

Broods may vary in size. Some fish produce 10 or 12 fry; others generate thousands. You cannot hope for every fish in a large brood to survive. Thus, it is better to settle for raising 50 healthy adults than 1000 small, stunted specimens. Fish don't just need food to grow, they need space. Very few have enough space to raise many fry.

In the photo: Few fish, like this Loricaria, lay their eggs on flat surfaces. Here on the glass of the tank. This male guards the eggs from other fish in the tank.