How to Breed Comet Fish
Comet fish are a variety of goldfish with long, billowy, deeply forked tail fins. This variety, also known for its deep orange and red coloration, are sometimes bred in a red and white variety known as the sarassa comet. Comet fish typically grow to around 12 inches in length and live about 14 years on average. Often used in outdoor ponds, this hardy variety copes well with fluctuations in both water temperature and quality. Comet fish are egg layers and can be bred in the same manner as other goldfish varieties.
Things You'll Need
- 3 fish tanks
- Tank thermometer
- Aquatic plants
- High-quality dry and live fish foods
- Net
Instructions
-
How to Breed Comet Fish
-
1
Separate male and female fish. This task is most easily accomplished during the natural mating season of late spring and early summer. When ready to mate, male fish can be identified by the eruption of small, raised white dots on the body, called nuptial tubercles. Females will swell, particularly toward the back and left side of the body.
-
2
Prepare a special spawning tank. This tank can be set up using the same parameters you typically use, but will require more plants. Because comet fish reproduce by scattering eggs into the water and then fertilizing them, providing a variety of both rooted and floating plants for the eggs to stick to is important. Select plants that are bushy and free of barbs or sharp edges that could harm the delicate eggs.
-
-
3
Wait about one month. This can be difficult for the excited fish owner, but it is important to ensure all chemical levels in the tank are properly adjusted and that all plants are healthy. If you purchased new fish to breed, this waiting period also ensures that the fish are healthy.
-
4
Place the fish in the spawning tank. Try to achieve a ratio of about two male fish for every three females. Water temperature in the tank should be about 18 degrees Celsius, or 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
5
In two or three days, when the fish have adjusted to conditions in the spawning tank, increase the water temperature to about 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This change in temperature will initiate spawning. If you are breeding your fish in late spring or early summer, it may not be necessary to increase the temperature in your tank as this may occur naturally.
-
6
Keep a close eye on the fish for the next few days. Spawning typically starts with the fish grouping closely together and males playfully chasing the females around the tank. These chases will progress with increasing intensity until the male selects a particular female and begins pushing against her, causing her to expel her eggs, which he will then fertilize as they drift through the water. Once the female begins to release eggs, spawning lasts about three hours.
-
7
Once spawning has occurred, you must remove the adult fish from the spawning tank. Comet fish will eat all of the eggs they find, so it is imperative to remove them. It is also a good idea to remove any of the unfertilized eggs, which will be recognizable by their white color.
-
8
Reduce the temperature in the spawning tank back to 18 degrees Celsius.
-
9
Once again it is time to wait. The eggs in the tank will need three to five days to hatch. When you begin to see the hatched baby fish, called fry, do nothing for another three days. The newly hatched embryos require 3 days to absorb all of the nutrients in the egg yolk.
-
10
After the three-day waiting period, begin feeding your fry generous amounts of brine shrimp, infusoria and daphnia. While it is important for your new pets to receive adequate food, immediately reduce the amount of food you are providing if the water becomes cloudy.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be sure to provide fish you intend to breed with high-quality food.
Although they are very social animals, comet fish will not usually breed if they are overcrowded.
July and August are the best months to attempt breeding.
The recommended size for a spawning tank is 20 gallons, but if your fish are very large, you will need a bigger tank.
Resources
- Photo Credit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Comet_Goldfish_With_Fry.JPG
More Like This
Comments
View all 9 Comments-
We started with 10 comets but 8 were eaten by birds, leaving only 2. These two have produced many babies which fortunately have survived in our pond with no segregation. The many plants we have in our pond have given them protection. It was so exciting to all of a sudden see little fish swimming around when we thought we had only 2 left! Errol and Lynda McLeod, Durban, South Africa.
-
Charmain Kok , cool!! I'll keep them seperate then. I see another project coming on.......bigger more natural pond.lol It really has been fun to watch, they are minute and grow pretty quickly.
-
I'll share some pics with you.
-
Joy Johnson ; the pond is about 1000 litres, not too big. We have 14 adult fish, ranging from 2" to about 5".
-
Hi Grant, I have had my pond for many years and basically let nature do its thing, I started with 10 comets and at last count have over 100 fish. The larger fish will eat the small fry. You will need to see how big you're largest comet is and then let you're fry grow to a size that will not fit in his mouth. Lots of plants and rocks with spaces for only small fish to fit in will secure a good number of the fry making it to adulthood. Mine even manage to hide from the ducks and geese because of all the rocks and plants I have put in for large and small fish. Good luck, its great to watch them grow:)
