Goldfish - reproduction and care

Among the most popular inhabitants of aquariums, interest in which has not faded for centuries, a special place is occupied by goldfish. Reproduction and cultivation of representatives of this group in captivity is a very entertaining and interesting process. Goldfish feel good in a spacious and wide aquarium with good aeration and a layer of soil on the bottom. The water temperature should be from 15 to 24 degrees, rigidity from 8 to 200, pH - 5,0-8,0. These are peace-loving creatures, which should be kept apart from representatives of aggressive species. The most suitable option for breeding goldfish is the species aquarium.

If the fish grow in favorable conditions, their maturity comes after a year. In order to control the spawning process, you need to know how to distinguish the sex of goldfish. It is not easy to do this without a certain experience. But if you look closely, you can see that the male has notches on the anterior rays of the pectoral fins. Females are more complete. During the spawning period, which, as a rule, falls on the beginning of spring, sex differences increase. The male has small warts on the gill covers, and the females are markedly rounded due to the presence of the eggs. At this time, the behavior of fish also changes: males begin to chase females, driving them into thickets of plants and to the shallows.

From this moment, goldfishes, whose reproduction is taken under control, are planted in a separate (spawning) aquarium. You can use another container with a volume of 20 liters - basin, bowl, etc. At the bottom of the spawning bed is laid and planted small-leaved plants like elodei or perivorous leaves. The water level in such a container should not exceed 20 cm, while it is important to ensure a normal aeration and good lighting.

The most beautiful, large and healthy goldfish should be selected, the reproduction of which will give a guaranteed good result. To obtain more fertilized eggs, it is recommended to use group spawning, choosing 2-3 large males for one female. At an altitude of 1-2 cm from the bottom, you can pull a net that will protect the eggs from eating. After the female has postponed the last portion of the caviar, the producers are removed, and methylene blue or trypaflavine is added to the spawning aquarium to prevent the development of fungi. A few hours later the whitish unfertilized caviar appears, which must be removed. Now the main thing is to maintain a stable water temperature, and in 3-4 days the first larvae will appear, which in a couple of days will gradually turn into fry and begin to swim.

At this stage, attention should be paid to the question of how to feed goldfish. The fry are very hungry and require a good fodder base. First time they can give infusorians, rotifers and microalgae. Feeding the fry every three hours, you need to ensure that it is constantly in the water. As the fish grows, small daphnia and cyclops, nauplii artemia are added to their diet, and after the first month - a pipe man and a small bloodworm. At the same time, the defective young is rejected and sorted by size. After reaching 4-5 months, the fish grow to 4-6 cm, already having by this time all the species signs.

To obtain a successful result, remember that the optimal environment for the development of goldfish is clean water, well filtered and saturated with oxygen. An additional stimulus to spawning is the rise in water temperature to 25 C. If early spawning is to be delayed, it is enough to cool the water in the aquarium for a couple of degrees. Under favorable conditions, healthy goldfish will grow in the pond, the reproduction of which will bring good results.