Peacock gudgeon breeding experiences. (Text and pic heavy)

[Clayman]

Here's what I came home to today.

It's my male peacock gudgeon fanning his eggs in a pvc pipe. Now for the back story. In December I got a male peacock gudgeon to put in my 10g planted shrimp tank, although I didn't know it was a male. In January I added a female, again wasn't sure if sex. A couple weeks later they got down to business and spawned 5 times back to back. Two times the female ate the eggs. The next hatch I tried to raise and lost most to fungus after pulling the eggs out of the parents tank. I am raising around 10 that were left after the fungus. After learning that lesson,(to let the male take care of the eggs till hatch time) the next two batches were a lot better, only list a few out of both. Now I'm raising all those fry from those three spawns.(around 60-70 fry) so after a couple months with no spawning from the pair in the 10g, yesterday they did it again as you can see from the picture above. I'm glad they are spawning again but it looks like I might have to set up the bbs hatchery again. It's been fun learning and taking care of the tiny fish. I think a few more months and the first batches will be ready to go to a new home. I'll keep this thread updated with my progress, problems, and questions. Until then. Here's the lady after she was pushed out of the pipe by the male yesterday.

And here's some of the around 60-70 fry I've been raising since February/March

 

[StellaStars]

Cute! Been thinking about getting some of these guys for my next tank.

 

[TheresaM]

Love peacock gudgeons! I have a group in my 16g and have seen them spawn a few times but no eggs for whatever reason.

Looking forward to seeing more posts

 

[Clayman]

Moved the pipe to the hatching tank today and removed the male from the pipe. He was not happy with me. He flared at my hand as big as he could! They are just about ready to hatch, all you see when you look in the pipe are tiny little sets of black eyes and wiggling tails. I put the pipe on the output of a sponge filter to keep water moving through to avoid fungus. I feel a lot more confident this time around. My first batches are actually looking like peacock gudgeons with yellow fins and some color starting to come out. Getting ready to harvest and feed vinegar eels in a couple days when they're free swimming.

 

[Clayman]

Here's the pvc pipe with the eggs on the output of a sponge filter.

The best closeup I could get if the eggs.

 

[Clayman]

These guys are in the wigglers stage today, a few free swimmers. Starting with vinegar eels for the free swimmers. Looks like I'm back to daily water changes on these guys. For all the rest of my fry I've only been doing water changes every other day. I really think they will enjoy the moss and floaters in the hatching tank though. I've been staring at the fry that's a few months old for so long that I forgot just how tiny the newly hatched little guys were.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Id like a few when your ready for some to leave the nest. Good work.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Clayman]

All my fry are doing well. Some of the first batch are getting big and starting to show there peacock gudgeon colors. The new fry are free swimming and eating vinegar eels. All is well. Getting ready to move the first batches from the 10 to a 20 long. Taking care of the fry has knew become just a habit to me. I forgot to turn the light off for a couple days and algae is starting to take hold. Oops. The floaters on top have completely covered the surface and the fry like the cover. Not long before I have some that are ready for new permanent homes.

 

[coralbandit]

Not long before I have some that are ready for new permanent homes.

Great news!
Me and you buddy!
Fish for fish??
Just say when!

 

[Clayman]

Great news!
Me and you buddy!
Fish for fish??
Just say when!

Sounds awesome!!!
Speaking of Rams, I was at my lfs yesterday and they usually have only male Rams but this time there were four tanks with two pairs in each tank that had spawned and were on gaurd. I would have got a pair but I just got a pair of apistos.

 

[coralbandit]

What kind of apistos did you get?

 

[Clayman]

It's a pair of agassizi. They're pretty cool.

 

[Clayman]

These guys are so fun. All the fry are doing well. Eating and growing, only dead fry are culls. Most of the culls are born with bent spines. It's usually only a few. I try to catch them as early as possible so it's less crowded. The parents laid eggs again sometime within the past few days. Male is tending to the eggs. It's really easy to breed these fish and I'm so surprised that I've gotten so lucky with this whole experience. It's quite enjoyable feeling like your doing something right!

 

[livefishguy124]

wow very cool

 

[Honeybee_raby]

I'll take some when they're ready! I have no good lfs around me

 

[Clayman]

Well, they're at it again. My pair have started spawning every two weeks again. The first spawn this time I must have mis counted my days on. Usually they hatch in 5 days so I will pull the pipe out to the hatch tank on the 4th day. I went to pull the pipe and all the eggs were gone. They must've hatched and then been a treat for the parents and shrimp. Anyways, this spawn I pulled and are in the hatch tank and should hatch tonight or tomorrow. All the other fry are growing slowly and doing well.

This is how I keep the eggs from getting fungus before they hatch. Stick the pipe with the eggs on the output of a sponge filter and the bubble keep water moving through the pipe.

Here's a pic of the last group of spawns, they're getting pretty good size and are really starting to look like peacock gudgeons.

 

[Nils]

Nice! I like your sponge filter idea. One question: How do the bubbles not blow the eggs all around the tank coming from the sponge filter? Probably a brain fart on my part

 

[Clayman]

Nils, they are stuck to the pipe pretty well. Its never blown any of them off. I was worried about that initially, I also turn the bubbles down to where it's only a couple of bubbles a second. The bubbles just make all the eggs sway a bit. Whatever she sticks them to the inside of the pipe with holds no problem! It actually mimics what happens when the male is in there fanning them pretty well.

 

[Nils]

Oh nice. I remember my cory eggs were really sticky so I'm guessing these are the same. That's a lot of fry too. Cool!

 

[Clayman]

Thanks man, it definitely feels good to feel like I've done something right. All together in raising 50 or 60 fry. The ones in the pic are going to be big enough to find permanent homes soon. They just seem to grow slowly and I can't feed as much as I would like. They get fed one or two times a day.