Cockerel spawning: maintenance, care, feeding and breeding of fish

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Petushki are amazingly beautiful aquarium fish, although with a very difficult character. No wonder, because for centuries they have cultivated fighting qualities, which left a serious imprint on modern representatives of the breed. Any aquarist who has started several individuals eventually has a desire to get offspring. To do this, you need to know how the spawning of cockerel fish goes and how to properly take care of them during this crucial period.

Why spawn?

On the one hand, the answer is quite obvious - after all, without spawning it is impossible to get a continuation of the family and, accordingly, turn a pair of opposite-sex cockerels into a luxurious flock. However, not all people are interested in a large number of these fish, which are distinguished by their fighting character.

But there are other reasons to encourage cockerels to spawn. The fact is that if the female has not spawned for a long time, this leads to very sad consequences - we will talk about them later. Yes, and for the male, regular fertilization of eggs and caring for offspring are very useful - this brings him closer to natural habitat conditions, significantlyextending lifespan.

Therefore, at least once every few months, it is worth doing everything so that the fish spawn. Whether to keep the eggs after that or give them to relatives - let the aquarist decide for himself.

Pair matching

Spawning cockerels at home is a complex and responsible process. It all starts with choosing the right pair. A lot depends on this.

First you need to take a pair belonging to the same breed. After all, there are quite a few breeds - they differ in body size, fin shape and color. If you want to get really beautiful juveniles, then you should approach the choice of future parents very seriously. Otherwise, any fish will do - regardless of breed. But be prepared for the fact that the juveniles will acquire the features of both parents - this can be both a real find and a failure.

The age of the males is also very important. It is undesirable to take too young or old individuals. The optimal indicator is from 5 months to 2 years. These are robust yet mature fish that are sure to spawn, fertilize and care for them, allowing you to get a rich addition to the aquarium economy.

Preparing for spawning

When a couple is matched, they should be seated. This is what is for them a signal that the spawning of cockerels should begin soon. It is necessary to seat in different aquariums for 1-2 weeks. It is also worth raising the water temperature, but not much, by 1-2 degrees.

Also, do not forget about the right diet. Avoid dry food, evenquality. Try to feed your bettas only live or frozen food - bloodworms and tubifex are great.

Another important aspect is water replacement. Every day, in the containers where future parents live, about a third of the water should be changed. It is a high-quality diet, an increase in temperature and a large amount of fresh water that help the fish tune in for a quick spawning. Only after this, future parents can be transplanted into a common spawning ground. We will tell you more about the choice and device. Do not forget that juveniles need good nutrition, and it takes time to prepare it. So take care of it already at this stage.

Choosing a spawner

Let's start with the fact that the aquarium where the betta fish will spawn should not be large. Fifteen liters will be more than enough. But even it does not need to be filled with water completely - it is better to limit yourself to 12-15 centimeters. The fact is that the female will spawn, which will sink to the bottom. The male, on the other hand, carefully collects it and attaches it to floating objects - usually algae. Therefore, a small amount of water makes life easier for the parent.

If the aquarium has not been used before, it should be thoroughly rinsed. You can use a solution of potassium permanganate.

Make sure that there are shelters for the female in the spawning area. The male cockerel is extremely emotional during spawning, so it can cause serious damage to it. As shelters, you can use thick algae, snag, fragmentceramic jug.

Remember to have objects floating on the surface of the water. Suitable algae, such as pistia, are the best choice. But you can also use a piece of Styrofoam.

Don't forget that fish need a lot of oxygen during spawning. This is especially true in the summer heat, when the oxygen content in the water decreases. Install a small compressor to saturate the water with air.

The fish are ready to spawn

It's time for cockerel spawning. Where does it begin? A pair of individuals seated separately before this sits in one aquarium - a spawning ground. This must be done carefully, making sure that the water in it has the same temperature as in those aquariums where the fish were previously.

Here it is important to know how the female cockerel behaves when ready to spawn. The male usually does not have problems, but the female may well be afraid of him, hiding. If everything is in order, then she swims with pleasure near the father of her future fry, spreading her fins.

In addition, in most breeds of bettas, when ready for spawning, the female has characteristic vertical stripes on her body. Exceptions are matte and pastel cockerels.

The female swims rather unusually - leaning forward strongly. Finally, her stomach becomes just huge - it feels like she overate a lot.

The male is torn between building a nest and courting a female. The nest is built from algae, so make sure that there are enough of them. However, some breeds prefer not to build a nest, but to attach eggs to objects floating on the surface. Courtship, on the other hand, consists in pinching the fins of a friend.

How spawning is going on

Ready to procreate, the male persistently pursues the female, clasps her with large fins, literally hugs her. Sometimes it even flips upside down. The female at this time looks sick, weak-willed and even lifeless.

The spawning process itself usually lasts from 1 to 4 hours. At this time, the male presses on the female's abdomen, squeezing eggs out of her. Then pour milk over it.

The male carefully collects the fertilized eggs in his mouth, applying saliva to them to make them more sticky. Then he either takes them to the house, or attaches them to objects floating on the surface. That is why there should not be too much water in the spawning aquarium. At this time, you do not need to feed the male, as well as interfere, showing excessive curiosity.

After spawning, a female betta sits down - either in an aquarium with the rest of the fish, or in her old one, where she spent the last few days to recover a little.

Here comes the replenishment

Eggs will not last long in an aquarium. In just a day, they will turn into larvae. They swim with great difficulty, and they are not too similar to adult fish. After another day or two, the yolk sac that provided them with food will dissolve, and the fry will be able to swim more smoothly and confidently.

By this time the malecan be put off. He fulfilled his function - he protected the fry from a potential threat, and at the same time removed dead eggs so that they would not harm the juveniles.

What to feed fry

If the spawning of betta fish was perfectly successful, you should not be sure that you have become the owner of a brood of juveniles. This is just the beginning!

Here you need to provide the fish with special feeding - chopped tubifex, frozen bloodworm or dried gammarus will not suit them. At a minimum, egg yolk should be used. After hard-boiling an egg, take a little (literally on the tip of a knife) and dilute it in water, getting a cloudy liquid. Just add it to the spawning ground in just a few drops - a nutritious yolk will provide the fry with everything they need. The main thing - do not forget to feed more often, literally at intervals of 3-4 hours.

But brine shrimp nauplii are the best choice. Yes, removing them is quite troublesome, and it will take more than one day. But juveniles, receiving live food in sufficient quantities, will grow quite quickly, differing in excellent he alth, bright colors. Therefore, spending extra time on breeding live food is definitely worth it.

How to take care of juveniles

An interesting feature: although the spawning of the cockerel fish lasted only a few hours, the fry vary greatly in the pace of development. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor them, timely depositing small individuals in a separate aquarium. Otherwise, there is a high risk that larger individuals will simply eat or seriously bite less nimble brethren.

Ifyour goal is to get the maximum number of fry, then you should not forget about this feature.

As soon as the first sexual characteristics appear in males, they should be planted in separate aquariums. After all, this species is famous for its aggressiveness - even young bettas can inflict very serious injuries on each other. By three months, juveniles acquire bright colors, become sexually mature and can give offspring. But still, you should not rush - wait at least a couple of months to get he althy fry and not risk the lives of producers.

Possible problems and solutions

Unfortunately, betta spawning is often accompanied by various complications.

For example, after putting a female and a male into a spawning area, they spend several days there, but the first one does not build a house, and the second one does not show any signs of interest. In this case, it makes sense to select other individuals or replace at least one fish in a pair. Experienced aquarists know many cases when a male and female betta, who do not want to give offspring together, get along well with other individuals, bringing strong, beautiful and he althy fry.

Another serious problem may arise if the female cockerel has not spawned for a long time. After all, caviar accumulates - this is a process developed over millions of years of evolution. If she does not mark the eggs, then she will accumulate and accumulate. And one day it will just turn into a cyst. Usually the fish die after this - not immediately, but inevitably.

Sometimes a strict diet helps - they put the fish in a separateaquarium and just stop feeding. Cruel, but in some cases it can save the female cockerel from death. True, it helps only in the initial stages of cyst development, which a novice aquarist can skip. Usually such fish are doomed.

There is no way to spawn to help the female get rid of the eggs? Experienced experts are able to express it by simply catching a fish and very gently massaging the abdomen. But these are real virtuosos - do not forget that the bones in the body of a betta have the same thickness as a thin fishing line. Therefore, it is very easy to damage them and internal organs. It's better to try to find a male cockerel and spawn - even if you don't need fry.

Conclusion

Now you know how to tell if a cockerel is ready to spawn. It's easy to set up the perfect spawning area and take care of your young, from feeding them to separating them into females and males.