| 3:06 a.m. |
Mating Naturally |
Goldfish do not pair off. Being egg layers, they are not particularly choosy about who they mate with as much as about how they are courted. As the critical time arrives, the males will begin chasing the females around the tank. This is known as driving. The males will eventually drive the females into some plant life.
This is why it is important to have plants in the tank during spawning. It is here, as the male starts to rub against the female with his tubercles, among some foxtail, hornwort or other plants, that the spawning actually takes place. At this time the male and female respectively discharge their sperm and eggs into the water. As the eggs attach themselves to the plants, the sperm floating free in the water around them fertilizes them.
There are two methods that can be followed here:
One Male, One Female If you are attempting to breed prize-winning goldfish or you have an exceptional pair of parents, using only one male and one female ensures the hobbyist that the characteristics of the two parents will be directly passed on to the fry. This method guarantees the most control any hobbyist can have over Mother Nature's territory.
If you are attempting to cross-breed two different varieties, also known as line breeding, it is almost imperative that you follow this method, so as to ensure some amount of quality control.
Two Hales, One Female As I said before, these fish are egg layers and they do not mate for life. Some breeders, especially commercial breeders, will put their best two males in the same tank with their best female to ensure that as many eggs as possible get fertilized. Quality control is at a minimum here, as the hobbyist cannot dictate the number of eggs that will be fertilized by each male. The chances are, however, that you will end up with a lot more fry. Commercial breeders use this method to produce quantity. If you are just trying to breed for the first time, and you are following my suggestion of using Common or Comet Goldfish, then this method will ensure that you have as many fertilized eggs as possible.
Choosing When to Mate
When you have decided the time has come to mate, drop two ice cubes into the tank for every ten gallons of water. Wait for the ice cubes to melt and then remove the divider. The change in the water temperature is thought to stimulate goldfish spawning. If you do this, make sure you have a heater in the tank that is set for anywhere from 66 degrees F to 74 degrees F. If you do this at night, the water will warm by morning, and there should be eggs. If there are not, leave the fish. Sometimes it takes a couple of days. Monitor the situation as carefully as you can.
Goldfish usually mate in the morning. If nothing has happened by midday, then nothing will probably happen until the next morning. You may need to repeat this course of action over a week's time or more to get the desired response. Sometimes it happens right away, sometimes not. C'est Vamour!
After they have mated, put the parents back into the divided tank for a day or two and then reintroduce them back into their original tank.
This is why it is important to have plants in the tank during spawning. It is here, as the male starts to rub against the female with his tubercles, among some foxtail, hornwort or other plants, that the spawning actually takes place. At this time the male and female respectively discharge their sperm and eggs into the water. As the eggs attach themselves to the plants, the sperm floating free in the water around them fertilizes them.
There are two methods that can be followed here:
One Male, One Female If you are attempting to breed prize-winning goldfish or you have an exceptional pair of parents, using only one male and one female ensures the hobbyist that the characteristics of the two parents will be directly passed on to the fry. This method guarantees the most control any hobbyist can have over Mother Nature's territory.
If you are attempting to cross-breed two different varieties, also known as line breeding, it is almost imperative that you follow this method, so as to ensure some amount of quality control.
Two Hales, One Female As I said before, these fish are egg layers and they do not mate for life. Some breeders, especially commercial breeders, will put their best two males in the same tank with their best female to ensure that as many eggs as possible get fertilized. Quality control is at a minimum here, as the hobbyist cannot dictate the number of eggs that will be fertilized by each male. The chances are, however, that you will end up with a lot more fry. Commercial breeders use this method to produce quantity. If you are just trying to breed for the first time, and you are following my suggestion of using Common or Comet Goldfish, then this method will ensure that you have as many fertilized eggs as possible.
Choosing When to Mate
When you have decided the time has come to mate, drop two ice cubes into the tank for every ten gallons of water. Wait for the ice cubes to melt and then remove the divider. The change in the water temperature is thought to stimulate goldfish spawning. If you do this, make sure you have a heater in the tank that is set for anywhere from 66 degrees F to 74 degrees F. If you do this at night, the water will warm by morning, and there should be eggs. If there are not, leave the fish. Sometimes it takes a couple of days. Monitor the situation as carefully as you can.
Goldfish usually mate in the morning. If nothing has happened by midday, then nothing will probably happen until the next morning. You may need to repeat this course of action over a week's time or more to get the desired response. Sometimes it happens right away, sometimes not. C'est Vamour!
After they have mated, put the parents back into the divided tank for a day or two and then reintroduce them back into their original tank.
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