Spawning all at once?

[waterflash]

I have 3 breeding pairs, all in seperate tanks and filtered independently (no shared water)

3 weeks ago I had 2 pair begin spawning within 5 minutes of each other, this I thought to be a coincidence. Tonight the same thing happened. both pairs began spawning at the same time.

I thought that this may have something to do with ai pressure changes as weather changes or maybe moon affects. Or maybe just another coincidence.

I thought it would be to much of a stretch to assume water conditions because they do not have the same water changes on the same days.

Interested to hear everyones thoughts and exeriences.

Cheers

Robin

[Merrilyn]

Hmmm a drop in atmospheric pressure, like just before a storm, will induce some pairs to spawn.

Maybe that's had an effect :?

Can they see each other, I mean, are the tanks within sight of each other?

Can't think of any other explanation.

[Squid]

Robin - where are you living? Up here in the tropics, a storm buildup oftens sets a spawn. Down in Toowoomba where it is a bit cooler, I notice that during the summer, a water change sets them off spawning. Up here in Townsville - that hot still buildup before a summer storm is the weather each day!! (and I'm getting real sick of it) - and water changes dont seem to give a spawning stimulus as much. Now last week when the cyclone came through - all of my pairs spawned at the same time so I reckon they can sense the lower pressure air systems. All fish do it. I also breed cardinals and if I put the males and females separated in a 5 gallon tank by a partition, all I need to do to get them to spawn is wait for when a trough or low comes through - give them a 50% water change the day before - remove the partition and bingo. No fish of mine has shared water also - anyway, this is just what I've seen. Hope it helps

Squid

[waterflash]

I am in Perth and we had a low come through Friday/Saturday. A high pressue cell came through on Sunday am and they spawned on Sunday evening.

The first time it happend it was definetly after a low pressure cell came through. First real rains after summer.

I wonder how you can imitate the effect? They must do it expecting fresh rain water?

cheers

Robin

[Squid]

The key to spawning any fish is environmental manipulation. I studied aquaculture for 6 years and I can tell you that when researchers find a potential aquaculture species, they have spawned it and have figured out larval rearing in about 3-4 years. If you apply basic environmental manipulation to any species, they will spawn. If you think of a discus in the wild just before the breeding season, they are in very warm still water that hasn't flowed for a while. The toxin levels in the water are quite high also EG Nitrate, tannins, extracts from plants etc. Before the rainy season, it gets hotter, days get longer (call photoperiod), and the air pressure goes from high to low. After it rains - the fresh water cools the rivers, flushes out any residual metabolites, pH rises and water hardness decreases. These are the major spawning stimuli for discus. By manipulating these 4 alone - I have sucessfully bred Heckel discus on numerous occassions - although I also had to manipulate the photoperiod leading up to the spawnings. A simple fact is that the fish in their tanks know when the rains are coming. Thats why breeding discus up in Nth QLD is a joy to watch. As soon as the wet arrives - Bingo - and I mean BINGO! Winter is for growing up fry around here.

Now in Perth - you will get good low systems coming through with the storms. - especially with the cyclone up north. If you want to manipulate the environment, you will need to build a fish maturation room. This an enclosed enviroment room where you can manpulate the parameters I have already talked about. Changing the atmospheric pressure is the hard one, so even if you manipulate most of the parameters, the fish will still spawn better in the Summer time when lows are dominant. Uni of Tasmania has a room where they can actualy change the airpressure inside -very expensive and is used to try and trigger spawnings of tropical reef fishes. They have used it and have spawned Heckels also. I have heaps of info on environmental manipulation - or you can jump on the net and look for more.

Squid

[G-1000]

Squid

That is awesome advice!

I bow down before your wisdom - amazing

G

[jim from sydney]

Squid......that is of great value Pal.......talk to Merrilyn (Ladyred) and see if you can write a sticky on the subject...it will be of great value to all......Jim

[Mattzilla]

great info squid

[Squid]

I'll talk to Ladyred next week after I come back from my fish buying trip down south. Probably put some more info on fish maturation and some on hormone induction also in a sticky

Squid

[rytis]

I have 3 breeding pairs, all in seperate tanks and filtered independently (no shared water)

3 weeks ago I had 2 pair begin spawning within 5 minutes of each other, this I thought to be a coincidence. Tonight the same thing happened. both pairs began spawning at the same time.
exact same thing hapens with mytwo pairs of angels: both pairs spawn at the exact same time on each end of the tank...

[sponge2]

I have this quite often but all my fish are in a fish house and at night even with the tanks heated and the shed.
If it rains heavily at leased 3 of my 9 pairs will lay.

[godprint]

both my pairs of discus just laid eggs in the space of less than 12hrs...

they live in the same tank, only seperated by a piece of opaque acrylic with holes...

i was thinking maybe they "smell" the other pair spawning, hence they wanted to spawn too??

[ILLUSN]

your not wrong, they reconised the hormones in the water from the other pair, its a trick I've used on stubborn pairs to get them to spawn.

[Squinchy]

i Guess wether dose have a great effect on the spawning, my discus pair just spawnd for the first time after a big storm here in iceland, all eggs ver eaten thoug after a few days :(

[stupiddiscus]

Is this true?

If you do lets say a 30 % water change but befor you retop up your tank, let it stay the 30% empty for a couple of hrs then top it up it will set them off to spawn?

Someone told me something about the water pressure sets them off by giving them few hrs b4 adding new water to your tank.

Thanks