“Hatching killifish eggs” is really a phrase that is searched a lot on aquarium forums in recent days.
You can get a lot of satisfaction out of raising fish from eggs. The benefits of keeping your favorite fish in eggs are that it provides an opportunity to watch them grow and can also be an economical method of acquiring new species since eggs are often less expensive than full-grown fish.
Surely there is no greater thing than watching a baby fish grow? The experience is fun and entertaining, though it may seem daunting at first.
Incubation Of Eggs
In order to protect their eggs from bacteria and fungi, killifish breeders use peat moss to delay the hatching of their eggs.
Our eggs are collected every day but they are kept on peat to make sure that they all hatch around the same time.
A hobbyist may even water incubate the eggs until they are clearly visible with eyes before placing them on peat if they wish to.
Doing this gives breeders the ability to choose how many fries they would like to raise at a given point in time.
Incubating in water does have its advantages, but for a large quantity of fry, it may be better to incubate them in peat.
How To Incubate Eggs
Keeping eggs on peat can be done in a number of ways. Breeders of annual fish generally store the peat that has been rung out and placed into a Ziploc bag as a means of preserving it.
The ziplock method isn’t recommended for non-annual fish, because such fish require more humidity than what this provides.
You can use any tight-fitting container that has a tight light. However, the author prefers Petri dishes as they are suitable for storing cells.
Petri dishes can be purchased online for approximately 2.5 dollars each when they are ordered in advance.
Egg Incubation Time
Depending on the species, peat will incubate the eggs at a different rate.
According to the type of incubator you use and the temperature of the room where they are kept, the incubation time may differ. Most South American Annuals can be found on this website.
The following are a few of the most popular ones outlined here:
- Fp. gardneri: 4-6 weeks
- Fp. sjoestedti: 6-8 weeks
- Notho guntheri: 6-8 weeks
- Nem. whitei: 12-16 weeks
Temperature Conditions
If you hope to keep eggs of non-annual killifish on peat moss, you should make sure that you keep those in moist peat.
It is recommended that you check the eggs about every other day during their incubation period.
Ensure that no white or mouldy eggs remain on the nest. Using a flashlight, shine it on the eggs and check to see if any eyes are present.
When you see the eyes forming, the baby is almost ready to hatch. You will want to keep an eye out for the eyes often since all incubation times are more guides than rigid rules.
Adding peat to water or removing each egg as soon as you see your babies looking right at you would be the next step.
Wet the eggs as well as the peat for annual species. During the dry summer months, wet the eggs.
It will not take too long before you can see the fry. Ensure that the peat is preserved along with the eggs.
In the case of extremely dry ones, you can rewater them after about a week and try again.
I placed the eggs into tubs that are already prepared for the children since we have to put the eggs into the water so that they will hatch.
The shoeboxes that contain green water, coco pods, and Daphnia monia in them are quite unique.
It’s always best to set up this baby house a week before the fry is prepared to move into it.
Make sure that the water is not green to the point that the fry cannot be seen. Then you may add micro worms, once you are able to see the fry.
Feeding The Baby Killifish
At least once every day, you need to feed the baby killifish. There is a need to feed the fry more than once in order to ensure that they survive and have as high of a survival rate as possible, especially for fish like annuals or blue gularis.
There is a great deal we can do about this since killifish fry is hardier than most of the other fry.
It has happened to me many times that my buckets when changing the water contain mystery fry!
Video About Hatching Killifish Eggs
FAQs
What is the hatching time of killifish eggs?
There is a three-week waiting period for the eggs of egg-hangers, whereas the eggs of bottom-spawners must be kept in moist peat for about three months (depending on the species of the fish) before the water is reintroduced into the tank.
What is the lifespan of killifish eggs?
Because they inhabit regions where the rainy season is unpredictable and sometimes leaves a year in the middle, many killifish eggs are actually capable of surviving up to 20 months if they have to.
What is the average number of eggs laid by a killifish?
It has been reported that female killifish can lay 10 to 20 eggs a day on average, with the maximum being 100 at a time.
Sexual maturity can begin as early as 17 days after hatching. Unless stated otherwise, killifish eggs can be incubated for a short period of time ranging from six weeks to eight months based on species and storage conditions.
Conclusion
You will experience both fun and satisfaction if you decide to rear your own killifish.
In spite of the fact that hatching eggs may appear risky, it is an excellent way to give your fish room a unique touch.
It’s better to have 12 fries than just a pair of fries since that’s more genetic diversity.
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010.