BREEDING AND REARING
Commonsense applied to Goldfish breeding is perhaps the secret of success. Where practical experience is often claimed the best teacher, the right approach, hard work and patience will undoubtedly go a long way towards this end. In an attempt to help the Goldfish breeder to formulate a method of approach, the following points of procedure are recommended.
Cleanliness is of primary importance especially in the breeding tank, and is a safeguard from parasites, harmful bacteria and disease. It helps to ensure the health and well-being of the parent fish and their progency. It also promotes rapid growth in the fry and should become common practice for the Goldfish keeper to sterilise or disinfect all that is to be placed within the spawning receptacle. Remedies are numerous and readily available on the market to combat the ''unwanted'' in the fish tank and extreme care must be exercised and instructions strictly observed, when the use of chemicals and drugs are involved. Treatments with the same chemical may be recommended at various strengths and duration, and as a means to the same end, the choice must rest with the fish-keeper. We must assume that fish remedies apply only to mature fishes and not to the very young unless otherwise stated.
STOCK FISH
Experience tells us that average quality fish from an established strain, are just as likely to produce top quality stock as their superior brothers and sisters. With this in mind, we approach the Specialist in the particular breed or type of fancy goldfish with which we wish to breed, and obtain from them the best quality possible. With a pair of such fish, we can expect to produce in time, fish of high quality and on a par with the best produced by the Specialist Breeder.
SEXING GOLDFISH
To help determine the sex of the goldfish, there are distinguishing characteristics that will enable us to predict with a high degree of accuracy that which is male or that which is female. It is common practice to assume a fish to be male when tubercles appear on the gill covers. Such an assumption is not fully justified since it has been recorded that some females also display the same small white spots which to all extents and purposes are predominantly characteristic of the male sex. However, further evidence may be revealed by looking to the pectoral fins. By comparison the first ray is thicker in the male and numerous raised white spots or tubercles may be apparent. A more positive method is to handle the fish and with the finger and thumb, apply slight pressure over the vent and manipulate in such a manner as will result in the release of milt from a male in the form of a milky substance. Male fins tend to be longer than those of the female. Female goldfish may be distinguished by the body shape which is usually more robust than that of the male and much more soft to the touch around the vent, especially at breeding time. Eggs in the body may be so numerous as to give rise to a distorted and mis-shapen outline. Another way to differentiate the sexes is to observe the vents. By comparison the more rounded outline of the female vent appears larger than that of the male. The opening of the tube omitting the ova is larger and more distended and very often red and inflamed. A side view of the male vent will seem to be concave whereas in the female it is more convex and bubble-like.
Male vent Female vent
SPAWNING TANK
The spawning tank should be as large as possible and is best positioned where it may receive the sun's rays from early morning. Good top light is necessary and provision for shading can be made with considerable advantage and would enable the fish keeper to control, almost at will, this essential source of light, heat and energy. Whether it be from the sun's rays or by artificial means, heat in the breeding tank is necessary and young fish will flourish when the correct temperature is maintained. The breeder will very often resort to heating aquaria by artificial means, particularly if early spawning is so desired. This may be an attempt on the part of the fish keeper to bring the warmth of the summer months to his fish-keeping early, and with every advantage.
CONDITIONING
We are reminded that stock fish well fed in the Autumn and left undisturbed and in cold conditions over the Winter months, will breed more readily when, in early Spring, the breeding season begins. Conditioning the parent fish prior to spawning consists of separating the sexes and providing fresh water and ample swimming space for each. A steady increase in temperature to the upper sixties (F) is ideal. Aeration is considered beneficial as the oxygen content of the water should remain high. In such conditions fish develop a ravenous appetite and live foods, such as earth worms and live daphnia, or frozen bloodworm should be fed at regular intervals. Dry foods should should be reduced to a minimum at this time and in feeding the more natural foods, which apart from their highly nutritional value, accelerates the production of sex cells. A period of two or three weeks of concentrated feeding will produce fish with a stimulus, raised tubercles in the males, and a much more robust female, an indication they are ready for spawning. The breeding tank is thoroughly sterilised and fresh tap water to a depth of 6-9 inches is sufficient. Left for several days to mature the water temperature should be raised to 70-72 degrees (F). Aeration is advisable and aquarium gravel or compost is unnecessary and should be discarded. The bottom, sides and back of the aquarium may be darkened, giving the potential parent fish a sence of security. A spawning medium in the form of the convential aquatic plants or synthetic materials such as nylon wool and nylon netting may be used. The fact that the latter can be sterilised by boiling makes it a favourite with most breeders. The adult pair are disinfected and freed from parasites before being introduced to the spawning tank and all precautionary measures taken to eliminate unwanted forms of microscopic life are fully warranted, since they are responsible for killing off many hatchings of fry each year. The drive or chase will begin almost immediately on introduction of the pair of fish and the spawning will normally arrive on the second day. Spawning completed the parent fish are removed, and with proper care can normally be induced to spawn again in a couple of weeks. Aeration is reduced to a minimum as the eggs hatch in 3 to 4 days at 70 degrees (F), and a further two to three days will see the fry free swimming.
Feeding the fry little and often on newly hatched brine shrimp will see rapid growth and they will soon move onto larger foods like cyclops and sifted daphnia, chopped bloodworm can be introduced at around the half inch stage, as the fish grow they should be spread between tanks to maximise growth, Artificial heat is gradually reduced and a ''hardening off'' process follows. By this time the young fish will be large enough to consume adult daphnia and bloodworm, and the fish are then well on their way to parent-hood.
Too much room is better than too little.