Resting conditions for breeders

[Carrie Jones]

Vatsala,

At our facility we house males and females together to ensure the 
health of the fish.  To the best of my knowlege females only lay 
eggs with males present.  Females need stimulus to lay their 
eggs, whether it be behavioral, pheromonal etc.  This can be seen 
in the morning after the lights first come on, a pair will chase each 
other around their breeding tank with the male close by the females 
side.  This behavior occurs in tanks with large stocks of fish also, 
so breeding is most likely happening on a daily basis even when 
the fish are not paired off to breed specifically. Although in this 
instance the adults consume their young.  For these reasons it is 
probably not the best idea to keep males and females separated 
and prolonged separation has been said to cause females to 
become eggbound or even sterile in some cases. Hope this helps!  

Carrie Jones


Vatsala Thirumalai wrote:
> I have a small colony of fish (about 70). I am trying to get them to
> breed. I got a good yield the first time but after that the yield
> has been going down. I rested them for a week yet the breeding
> didn't improve. Is it necessary to keep the males and females
> separate during the resting period? Also, will the females lay eggs
> every morning even when there are no males around? I looked at some
> web sites but got mixed answers for these questions. Hope someone
> can clarify.  
> 
> Thanks!
> Vatsala Thirumalai
> 

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