What does a pregnant neon fish look like? How do neons reproduce in a community aquarium?

Reproduction of neons is not so difficult in conditions home aquarium, if you comply with a number of requirements. First of all, you should know that in wildlife Neon fish spawning occurs during the rainy season, and lasts 1.5-2 months throughout the year. When the spawning ends, the fish calm down and take a break. Neons brought to our country can reproduce at any time of the year, which simplifies their breeding. A variety of live foods, replacements aquarium water stimulate them mating season. You should know that all types of neons (blue, blue, red, black and others) are not viviparous, but spawning fish.

How does the reproduction process occur in neons?

Aquarium neons should spawn under careful supervision - due to changes in the natural rhythms of life, the laying of eggs may be endangered. All males and females must be transferred to different tanks, and before placing them in a common spawning tank, a short “acquaintance” between the fish should be carried out 5 times. A female neon can lay eggs every week, and the male can release milk 2 times less often. Sexual dimorphism is expressed during the breeding season - females are rounded in the abdomen, males have a swim bladder, it moves towards the anus, which is not the case in females.

Before setting up the spawning tank, prepare the water - take water from the tap, let it steep for several days in a glass container, then heat it to the required temperature. Optimal parameters of the aquatic environment will ensure fertilization maximum quantity eggs, and their ripening. You can choose a medium aquarium for spawning - 30-50 liters per couple. It is not necessary to line the bottom with soil. Permissible temperature water in the tank: 25-26 degrees Celsius, hardness 2-4 o, acidity 6.5-7.0 pH.

See how to prepare an aquarium for neon breeding.

Successful breeding will provide a substrate in the form of aquatic plants. At the bottom of the tank you can put a few sprigs of myriophyllum or Java moss. It is better to introduce fish ready for spawning into the aquarium in the evening, a few hours before turning off the lights - this way the pair will get used to each other faster, and in the morning the eggs will be spawned.

Aquarium fish, despite being kept in different conditions the aquatic environment, unlike their natural relatives, behave similarly in this process. Usually 2 males are launched at one female, and they instantly attack her, and the male who turns out to be more agile than his opponent wins; it is he who fertilizes the eggs due to the highest degree of readiness. Before the spawning process, males and females swim above the plants. Then she lays eggs on the plants in a chaotic manner.

The first few hours after spawning, the eggs have a sticky texture. Once on the plant, they attach themselves to them, and then, with a slight fluctuation in the water, they fall to the bottom. Therefore, you cannot line the tank with soil - the substrate can damage their thin surface. 3-4 hours after the breeding process, the male and female are caught from the spawning tank with a net, and if this is not done immediately, the producers can eat their fruits.

How to care for a brood

Unfortunately, not all fertilized eggs will be able to survive; some may become infected with fungus, and some will die during the ripening period. After 9 hours, surviving, unspoiled fertilized eggs can be selected from the rest with a medical pipette. Transfer them to another container with similar water parameters so that they do not become infected and die.

Watch a video showing how to care for neons and how fish reproduce.

The most dangerous enemy of neon eggs is harmful bacteria and fungus. Using the drugs Tripaflavin, methylene blue or General Tonic, you can stop the proliferation of microbes, thereby ensuring the life of future fish. After adding the drug, the water level can be reduced by 7-10 cm. The eggs will ripen until the larvae appear. This will happen after 24 hours if the water temperature is 24-25 o C.

After a few days, the fish fry can swim in upper layers water, then you can give them food that they themselves will eat. The starting food for the fry is Cyclops larvae (for the first 4 weeks of life, until the first colored stripes appear on the body). If you know how to get ciliates, rotifers or other types of plankton at home, you can add this food.

The fish grow quickly, later they will require other feeding, now they can be given small cyclops, chopped live food. When the brood grows up, the surviving fry can be moved to another aquarium with a temperature of 24-25 degrees, water hardness of 10-12 o. This is necessary so that they are not infected with plistophora. At first they will adapt to the new conditions, but after a month they will completely get used to them. If the water is too hard (take measurements with instruments with indicators), soften it by special means which are available in stores.

Neons get their name from their neon body coloring. These fish are often found in the collections of beginning aquarists, perhaps due to the fact that breeding neons is not a very complicated process. - is not viviparous fish, i.e. they lay eggs and do not give birth to fry.

The male neon differs from the female in size - it is about half a centimeter smaller. The female is a little plumper. This is clearly expressed in packs. Compared to the female ones, the male individual looks slimmer. Another gender difference is the stripe on the body. In the male it is smooth along the entire length, while in the female there is a bend closer to the middle of the body. Neons begin to reproduce only after 8 months from birth.

Preparation for reproduction

Neon fish live in the rivers of Brazil and Peru. Neon breeding requires the creation of a microclimate that will be as close as possible to living conditions in the wild. This requires soft and pure water saturated with microelements and minerals. In the wild, it is rich in useful particles, as plants decompose under water.

For propagation, you need to use a glass container with a volume of 20–25 liters, which can subsequently be easily washed and disinfected from germs. Before spawning, be sure to feed the neons heavily, preferably with live food. .

Fill the container with distilled water and add approximately 300 grams of liquid from the main aquarium where the fish live. The water should sit for about a day. Remember that water is the most important thing in preparing an aquarium. Egg deposition can occur even in community aquarium, where neons live, but fertilization occurs only in soft water. A nylon sponge or a small piece of Java moss should be placed at the bottom.

Water parameters

Neons like to spawn in a slightly acidic environment.
It is necessary to maintain the acidity in the aquarium at a pH level of 5–6.
The temperature of the aquarium water should be between 24 and 26 degrees.

IN natural environment Spawning takes place mainly at sunrise, at dawn. The lighting of the spawning aquarium should be appropriate - diffused. The container should be shaded on all sides. If desired, leave one part open to watch the spawning. After this, you can start the fish.

How do neons reproduce?

It is advisable to place the fish in one aquarium in the evening. It is quite possible to breed neons in an artificial environment, the main thing is to create the necessary conditions. Until the moment of spawning, the fish are not fed. To observe how the breeding takes place, you will need to wake up at about 4 am, as the neon spawn at dawn. Mating time is up to 3–4 hours. The female swims chaotically over the plants, and in the process spawns eggs. During spawning, the male is behind the female. She is capable of laying about 200 eggs. For the first few hours, the eggs are sticky, and once they fall on the plants, they can stick to the leaves. After some time they sink to the bottom. Producers can be caught and released into a community aquarium. It is not recommended to leave them in a container with eggs, since at home neons can destroy their offspring.

After spawning

After a couple of days, or more precisely, 36–38 hours, the juveniles hatch. Not all eggs survive. Some of the neon eggs may be affected by the fungus, or simply die during development. It is recommended to separate the fertilized eggs after 12 hours. This can be done using a pipette. Place the fertilized eggs in another container, as the risk of infection is very high.

An important factor is lighting. For neon fry, light is destructive. For several days after birth, they cannot see well. It is worth leaving one open corner where the light will flow.

The fry feed on ciliates, which accumulate just in the area of the light beam. Over time, the juveniles are fed Artemia nauplii and rotifers.

The water hardness is gradually increased by adding liquid from the general aquarium every day. After a month and a half, the juveniles begin to prepare for life with the rest of the fish.

Conclusion

By following these tips and rules, even novice aquarists will be able to breed neons. The aquarium fish neon is quite whimsical. This is noticeable in terms of nutrition in the early stages of development. This schooling fish, so you need to buy neons in groups of 4–5 pieces. Proper care will help reduce the development of bacteria and increase the number of aquarium inhabitants.

Content:

Neons are small, beautiful, active aquarium fish that reproduce by spawning. Neons reach sexual maturity at the age of 6-8 months and retain reproductive functions until 4-5 years. To get offspring from these fish, you need to create special conditions for them. If everything is done correctly, you can see how neon fish reproduce. The most favorable time The spawning period is from October to January.

Selection of producers and their preparation for spawning

For spawning, it is necessary to select the most promising representatives of the flock. Selected fish must have a healthy appearance, high mobility and bright color.

Females and males are distinguished according to the characteristics indicated in the following table.

Females can spawn every week; males can produce milk twice a month. In individuals ready to reproduce, sexual demorphism is especially pronounced: in males, the swim bladder stands out and moves towards the anus, in females the abdomen enlarges and is rounded.

At least two weeks before spawning, future spawners should be isolated from the flock and placed in different containers. During this period, the male and female should be fed intensively and variedly with live food.

ATTENTION: It is advisable to include daphnia, cyclops and small bloodworms in the diet of future breeders. It is better to avoid enchytraeus and tubifex plants. The temperature of the water in the containers should be reduced to 20°C.

Preparing the spawning tank

While the female and male are preparing for spawning, it is necessary to prepare a spawning tank for them - a small aquarium or an all-glass container with a volume of 6-10 liters, which is easy to wash and disinfect. It is best to use an elongated aquarium about 40 cm long for this. The prepared container should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then rinsed thoroughly with clean water.

The walls of the spawning area should be shaded with old newspapers or thick paper. You can leave the front surface of the vessel open and watch the fish spawn through it.

The light in the spawning tank should be dim and not directed. The top of the vessel should be covered with a glass lid, since during mating the fish are very active and can jump out of the container.

There is no need to pour soil into the spawning tank; it is best to put a piece of Java moss, a nylon mesh, tangled fishing line, a washcloth or willow roots collected in water on the bottom. You can attach several bushes of cryptorina or fern to the bottom.

IMPORTANT: Catfish and snails, which will happily feast on fresh eggs, should not be allowed into the spawning area. Behind a short time they can clear eggs from all internal surfaces of a reservoir.

Requirements for water composition

Neon spawning requires soft, purified water. You can take distilled water and add a glass of water from a community aquarium to it. You can also use plain water from the tap, left for several days, and then heated to the desired temperature. The water for the spawning tank must settle and be saturated with oxygen. Its temperature should be brought to 22-25°C.

Neons can lay eggs in water of any hardness, but fertilization can only occur in soft water with a hardness of 0.5 to 4 units (the ideal value is about one).

To slow down the growth of bacteria in aquatic environment, it is necessary to maintain acidity at 5.5-6 units. You can acidify the water using a decoction of oak bark, alder cones, peat decoction or special preparations that can be bought at a pet store.

Water for spawning must meet the following parameters:

water column height – 15 cm;
water temperature – 22-25◦C;
hardness – 0.5-4 units;
acidity – 5.5-6 units.

Spawning

Future breeders are transplanted into the spawning tank in the evening and are not fed after that. For spawning, you can use a couple of fish, or a female and two males. In the latter case, the more agile male wins, who fertilizes the eggs.

Spawning begins closer to dawn and lasts about 4 hours. During spawning, the female lays 50 to 300 eggs in a chaotic manner, and the male actively pursues her and performs a characteristic mating dance. Tiny eggs, coated with a special adhesive substance, attach to algae, stones or other suitable surfaces.

ATTENTION: Immediately after the end of spawning, the pair should be transplanted into a common aquarium. If this is not done, the new parents may eat all their offspring.

For disinfection, the drugs Tripaflavin, Methylene Blue or General Tonic are added to the spawning area, which help stop the proliferation of bacteria.

Light is harmful to sensitive eggs, so cover the vessel with an opaque material and put it in a dark place, such as a closet.

A small flock of neon fish decorates any aquarium and gets along well with its peaceful representatives. In addition, you can try to breed them yourself, even in a community aquarium. We will try to figure out how to do this correctly in our article.

Sex differences

At rest, the sex of fish is very difficult to determine, but during the spawning period, small differences between male and female can be found.

The sex of the fish can be determined by the following characteristics:

the male is smaller than the female;
the male's swim bladder moves closer to the anus and can be seen through the lumen;
the neon (blue) stripe crossing the male’s body remains straight, but in the female it is curved in the center;
Neon females become rounded and their abdomen enlarges.

Pair selection

When breeding in a community aquarium, the fish will find a mate on their own. The main condition is the presence of fish of different sexes that are at least 8-9 months old. Since this is the age that is considered optimal for the first spawning of neon fish.

Did you know?To awaken the instinct to reproduce in neons, you need to frequently change their water.

There is a need to select a pair if breeding will take place in a spawning area. In this case, you need to pay attention to the activity of the fish, their appearance and color.

Having determined the sex of the neon and selected the ones they like, the future parents are placed in different containers for 10-14 days, separating the males from the females. When selecting, it should be taken into account that for successful spawning, 2-3 males must be selected per female.

To determine the fathers of future offspring, a female with prospective partners is placed in a separate container; those who are more agile win. Before placing the fish for spawning, it is recommended to organize short dates; five to six dates will be enough.
It was experimentally established that the female is ready for disembarkation - once a week, but the male - once every two weeks.

Important!Since sperm maturation in males occurs slowly, there is a risk that if you add one male and one female, some of the eggs will remain unfertilized. Therefore, fish are placed in the aquarium in a ratio of 2 males: 1 female.

Breeding at home

Neon breeding is a painstaking task that requires special attention to your pets and control over the process.

In the wild, neons live in streams and rivers of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Their spawning time is during the rainy season. Rivers and streams are filling up big amount soft, almost distilled water.

Therefore, at home they imitate these natural features to stimulate spawning in fish.

When breeding neons, it is necessary to adhere to their natural rhythms - in the wild, fish lay eggs twice a year, spawning periods last one and a half to two months, followed by periods of rest, which last four months.

In a separate spawning area

To successfully breed neons, it is advisable to purchase a small cast (seamless) aquarium for one family, size 25*15*15. The spawning tank must be disinfected and prepared accordingly. One side of the spawning tank is covered with a dark film, providing diffused lighting.

Important!If you use a plant for spawning that was previously in a community aquarium, carefully inspect it and remove all snails.

Since during spawning neons glue their eggs to different surfaces- the aquarium must have plants or devices on which the eggs will be held. At the bottom of the container you can place a fine nylon mesh, a tangled skein of fishing line, a washcloth, and willow roots that were collected in the pond.

Small-leaved plants that can be placed in a spawning tank: myriophyllum,. The plants are pressed down with a stone so that they do not float to the surface.
Water is the main component of the success of fish breeding, Special attention The following factors should be taken into account:

the aquarium is filled with settled, distilled or cationized water;
should correspond to 0.5-4°;
the acidity of the water should not go beyond pH 5.5-6.5. You can regulate the acidity level with a decoction of peat, alder cones or oak bark; you should check the pH level using special test strips;
The best water temperature for spawning is considered to be 22-26°C;
the water level in the aquarium should not exceed 20 cm;
the water must be saturated with oxygen.

Future parents are placed in the spawning tank in the evening, shortly before going to bed - this way the fish will get used to it faster, and there is a high probability that the eggs will be spawned by the morning.

By placing neons in the spawning area, you can watch the fish swim above the plant or artificial substitute.
The female swims in front, the male is a little behind, but the moment of the mating dance comes and during its performance the fish rush around, make turns and make throws towards each other, making dense touches.

The dorsal fin of the future father rests on the female, the bodies of the fish bend and eggs and sperm immediately emerge from them. The eggs have a sticky structure for some time after spawning (2-3 hours).

Once on the leaves of the plant, the eggs attach to them, but then, even with a slight movement of water, they fly off the leaves and end up at the bottom.

Four hours later, the mating dance ends, the neons cease to be interested in each other. It's time to remove the fish from the aquarium; if this is not done, the couple will eat their offspring.

Breeding red neon: video

In a common aquarium

Water requirements when breeding fish in a community aquarium:

distilled water with a hardness of no higher than 4°;
the acidity of the water should not exceed pH 5.0;
water temperature 26 °C;
darkening the aquarium;
the presence of algae on which eggs can attach.

Did you know?The smallest aquarium is 3 cm long and one and a half cm wide and boasts the following contents: two fish, algae, pebbles and sand.

But even if these conditions are met, breeding neons in a community aquarium is problematic for the following reasons:

due to water hardness, fertilization does not always occur;
any lighting, even dim lighting, is detrimental to the eggs;
if this event somehow miraculously happened, the eggs risk becoming a nutritious delicacy for the neons themselves, other fish and snails.

Appearance and care of fry

A female can lay up to 250 eggs, but this does not mean that the fry will hatch in the same number - some of the eggs will die from the fungus, some while they are developing. After 9-10 hours, the fertilized eggs are separated with a pipette.

You can, of course, leave the eggs in the spawning tank, but there is a high probability of contamination of fertilized eggs from decomposing eggs.

The development of bacteria can be stopped with special disinfectants (General Tonic, trypaflavin), the water level in the spawning tank is lowered to 10 cm, and the water temperature is increased to 28 °C. In a day the first larvae will appear.

For the first three to five days, fish larvae do not need feeding. As soon as the yolk sac (an orange spot on the abdomen) becomes invisible, the juvenile neon is able to swim independently and find food.
The first food for fry is zooplankton, which contains other small water inhabitants, but you can get by with the crushed yolk of a chicken egg.

The aquarium with neon fry must be darkened, only a small area should be illuminated with light. To make feeding the fry easier, food is poured into a beam of light, and the young instinctively swim to the light in search of food.

After two weeks, neon juveniles are accustomed to normal lighting, increasing the light zone day by day. The food is changed - special mixtures for fry. By the age of one month, neon juveniles should switch to natural light.
The next stage begins - preparation for a general aquarium, this is done by changing the water. Over the course of 15-20 days, the indicators of water hardness and acidity are gradually equalized, trying to make them as close as possible to the indicators in the aquarium, and the fish are accustomed to food for adult fish.

Did you know?There are some species of fish that incubate their offspring in their mouths. These fish are distinguished by their patience and endurance, because the incubation process can last up to 3-6 weeks. Some fish do not feed at all, others have learned to skip food, despite the fact that the mouth is occupied by offspring, and still others are able to transfer their offspring from mouth to mouth to a partner.

The neon fish does not require much attention in daily maintenance, which cannot be said about the period when the fish reproduce, but if you follow the recommendations and rules, you can see the emergence and birth of a new life!

Neon breeding: video

This popular aquarium fish does not present any difficulties in content and is often recommended for beginners. In a community aquarium, neons are compatible with all peaceful fish and live well, without causing trouble either to the aquarist or to their neighbors.

However, when it comes to the reproduction of neons, it turns out that in this matter they are not as simple as their frequent neighbors: guppies and other viviparous fish that spawn easily in a common aquarium.

In nature, the spawning period of neons coincides with the rainy season and is 6-8 weeks within one year. At the end of spawning, the fish enter a period of rest. Similar breaks also exist in fish bred on the territory of our homeland, but their explanation is somewhat different.

If the spawning periods of the originally brought fish at least somehow coincided with natural ones, then modern neons can spawn at any time. Once in an alien environment with different feeding and maintenance conditions, neon fish change their lifestyle, adapting to the situation. New food, as a rule, is more monotonous, and fish often mistake the flow and replacement of aquarium water for a rainy period.

Features of reproduction

Neon breeding has some nuances: given the shifts in natural rhythms, fish spawning must be controlled. To do this, individuals of different sexes are placed in separate containers. Before the main landing for spawning, it is recommended to organize a short “date” of fish several times (5 or 6). It has been experimentally established that in males the maturation of sperm lags behind the maturation of eggs in females. If you plant selected individuals in a 1:1 ratio, then a significant proportion of the eggs will remain unfertilized. Therefore, during the spawning period, experienced aquarists plant sexually mature producers in a 2:1 ratio. Observations have shown that the female neon is ready for disembarkation every week, and the male - once every 2 weeks.

Determining the sex of neons is easier to do during the spawning period. Females are much fuller than males; the male's swim bladder becomes more noticeable due to its shift towards the anus, which is not observed in females.

Spawning process

When setting up a spawning area, you should pay special attention to water parameters and creating conditions for fish. It is most convenient to use (25x15x15cm). To protect the eggs from possible damage, it is better to take a cast container without joints, and also remove the soil. Pour water heated to a temperature of 25-26C° into the aquarium. Its hardness should be within 2-4°, the recommended PH value is up to 7.0. If there is no settled water, you can prepare ordinary tap water by heating it to 29 C° to accelerate the evaporation of chlorine.

Plants are necessary for successful spawning. Three or four branches of myriophyllum fixed at the bottom will be enough. Experts in the breeding of neon fish advise placing the fish together in the evening - this way they will have the opportunity to get used to each other. The eggs will most likely be spawned in the morning.

Despite the difference in keeping conditions, the behavior of local fish during spawning coincides with their natural relatives. Several males attack the female at once. In this case, the one who is strong and ready for the fertilization process is usually ahead of the others and fertilizes the eggs.

Before the egg laying process, neons float above the plants. The female then randomly lays eggs on top of the plants. All this time the male stays behind. He's restless. The mating dance consists of sharp movements towards each other, turns, and tight touches. Wherein dorsal The male lies down on the female, the bodies bend, and at this moment the egg and sperm appear simultaneously. Eggs are sticky for the first 2-3 hours. Having fallen on the plant, they hold on for some time, and then, at the slightest movement of water, they fall to the bottom. The three- to four-hour dance of the fish ends and the spawners must be caught from the spawning aquarium. If this is not done in time, the couple may destroy their eggs.

Caring for fry

Not all fertilized eggs will survive. Some of them will be affected by the fungus, and some will die during development. After 9-10 hours, good fertilized eggs need to be separated from the rest using a pipette. At the discretion of the aquarist, the caviar can be left in the same container. But with this option, there is a high risk of infection of the surviving eggs from the decomposing dead ones.

Bacteria are the most formidable enemy of caviar. The drug Tripaflavin is recommended by experts as a means of preventing their reproduction. Transparent eggs will develop until the larvae hatch. Exactly one day later, at a temperature of 24C°, the appearance (hatching) of juveniles should occur.

Video of spawning in a separate vessel:

What to feed the fry at first

After five days, small neons are already able to swim in the upper layer of water. It is now that they begin to feed on their own. Cyclops nauplii should be used as food for juveniles - neons can feed on this food until the age of four weeks (at this time, colored stripes on the body of the fish will become visible). Some aquarists go more the hard way: ciliates, rotifers and other plankton are extracted from rainwater.

Juveniles grow quickly and require more food. For these purposes, enchytraeus (domestic worms from a flower pot) or small cyclops are now used.

Experienced aquarists have come to the conclusion that it is best to raise fry in water with a hardness level of 10-12. This will protect the juveniles from being damaged by plistophora, and after a month the neons will easily withstand transplantation. They soften too hard water with special means (for example, “Vofatit”), increase acidity using of hydrochloric acid(purified from arsenic).

The ability of neons to reproduce

After the first playback, you should take a break of 4-5 months. At this time, the fish are allowed to rest, limiting their diet. To maintain health, high-calorie food (enchytraea, tubifex, etc.) is excluded; cyclops and daphnia predominate in the diet. The water temperature in the aquarium must be reduced to 17-19C°. There is no need to separate females and males - during rest, the fish need to “idlely” throw away the sex cells.

At the age of 9-10 months, the juveniles reach a size of 4 cm and are capable of reproducing offspring themselves. Some fanciers believe that the lifespan of high-quality spawning of this species is one year. This is wrong. At proper nutrition and keeping conditions as close as possible to natural ones, the fish increase their spawning potential from year to year. In total, neons live and reproduce for about five years.