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GETTING STARTED:
SELECTING A FAIRLY LARGE AQUARIUM WITH WELL FITTED TOP,MONITONING YOUR SELECTED BREEDING PAIR,& PAYING ATTENTION TO THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEWLY PRODUCED OFFSPRING,OTHERWISE KNOWN AS FRY,TOGETHER AS A COLLECTIVE PROCESS WILL ASSURE YOUR REPRODUCTIVE A SUCCESS
WITH ANY AQUARIUM SPEICES.THE SYSTEM OF MANY FISH IS BASED UPON AGGRESSION & TERRITORIALITY.THERE CAN BE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES WITH FIGHTING BETWEEN FISH,ESPICALLY IF THE DEFETED CONTENDER CANNOT GET OUT OF THE REACH OF THE VICTOR OF THE BATTLE.IN MOST CASES,ITS AS SIMPLE AS PROVIDING A LARGE ENOUGE TANK WITH PLENTY OF HIDING PLACES FOR EACH SEX TO KEEP OUT OF REACH OF EACH OTHERS WAY,TO AVOID THE THE LOSS OF ANY PRIZED FISH.TO DETERMINE THE SIZE REQUIREMENT OF THE TANK,IS DEPENDENT ON A SPECIES-BY-SPECIES BASIS.SO DO YOUR RESEARCH.
TANK MANAGEMENT:
OTHER THAN THE MAIN AQUARIUM,ONE OR MORE INDEPENDENT TANKS MUST BE ESTABLISHED FOR VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE BREEDING PROCEDURE,SUCH AS CONDITIONING THE CHOSEN BREEDS,SPAWNING,& REARING THE FRY.EACH OF THE AQUARIUMS MUST ALSO BE SEEDED WITH GOOD BACTERIA.BE SURE TO CAREFULLY MONITOR THE WATER & TO PERFORM REGULAR WATER CHANGES.
IN THE CASE WHEN FRY ARE COMBINED WITH OTHER FISH THAT CAN BE A POSSIBLE THREAT TO THE VERY YOUNG FRY.MAKE SURE THAT THE HEATER IS TILTED TO REMAIN SUBMERGED,THIS IS WHY A COMPLETELY SUBMERSIBLE HEATER IS THE BEST BET.THIS IN COMBINATION WITH LOWERED PLANTS,BOTTOM LAYING ROCKS & OTHER DECORATIONS IF ANY,WILL HELP TO CREATE MORE HIDING SPOTS FOR THESE LITTLE GUYS.WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG THE WATER IS LOWERED TO ONE THIRD OF ITS MAXIMUM CAPACITY.AS THE YOUNG GROW LARGER,THE WATER LEVEL IS RAISED ACCORDINGLY.
CONDITIONING:
IT IS USALLY BEST TO MOVE THE CHOSEN BREEDERS INTO SEPERATE TANKS FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION AIMED AT GETING THEM INTO TOP REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION.THE TWO SEXES SHOULD BE PLACED SEPARATELY & FED HIGH QUALITY,HIGH PROTEIN FOODS SUCH AS LIVE OR FROZEN FOODS,AT LEAST TWO OR THREE TIMES DAILY.
THE DELIVERY TANK:
A DELIVERY TANK IS OFTEN USED WHEN BREEDING LIVE BEARING FISHES BECAUSE OF THE WIDESPREAD OCCURRENCE OF CANNIBALISM.GENERALLY THE WATER SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF THE MOTHER'S ORIGINAL QUATERS.USE A TIGHT COVER ON THE TANK,FOR THESE FISH ARE EXCELLENT JUMPERS & ESPICALLY SKITTISH FROM BEING MOVED.
SPONGE FILTERS POSE LITTLE RISK TO THE FRY & IT'S ASSOCIATED MICRO-FAUNA IS BENEFICIAL.,PROVIDING IMPORTANT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.THE DELIVERY TANK SHOULD RECREATE THE SAME LIGHT & DARK CYCLES AS THE MOTHERS FORMER RESIDENCE.
FEEDING THE FRY:
THE REQUIRMENTS OF MANY FRY SPECIES INITIALLY IS CULTURED MICROORGANISMS,WHICH REQUIRE MUCH PRACTICE TO PRODUCE.MICROWORMS ARE MORE EASILY CULTURED & MORE NUTRITIONALLY CONSISTENT.WHEN FEEDING THESE MICROWORRMS,TRY TO INTRODUCE AS LITTLE OF THE CULTURE MEDIUM AS POSSIBLE INTO THE TANK.EVEN THE SMALLEST QUANTITIES CAN FUEL A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS BACTERIAL BLOOM.BRINE SHRIMP ARE THE LARGEST OF THE LIVING FOODS WHICH ARE COMMONLY USED TO FEED FRY.BRINE SHRIMP POSE LITTLE THREAT OF INTRODUCING DANGEROUS BACTERIA INTO THE REARING TANK.SUCCESSFUL FISH BREEDERS RELY UPON THEM AS THE CHOSEN FRY FOOD WHENEVER POSSIBLE.SEVERAL FEEDINGS DAILY WILL ENSURE MAXIMUM GROWTH,BUT BE SURE TO MAKE THE FEEDINGS SMALL.TRY TO AVOID LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD INTRODUCED TO PREVENT DECAY IN THE REARING TANK.
THE REARING TANK:
FREQUENT CARE & PARTIAL WATER CHANGES ARE THE EASIEST WAY TO MAINTAIN A SUITABLE GROWING ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUR NEW ADDITIONS.ONCE THE FRY ARE MOVED TO LARGER REARING TANKS,IT IS SUGGESTED TO START WITH 10% WATER CHANGES THE FIRST FEW DAYS,INCREASING UP TO 80% EVERY OTHER DAY TO ENCOURAGE MAXIMUM GROWTH.USE OF CHEMICALLY ACTIVE MEDIA SUCH AS CHEMI-PURE,WILL ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF THE WATER % CAN EXTEND THE INTERVAL BETWEEN CHANGES.
IF YOU DESIRE OPTIMAL SURVIAL OF THE FRY,YOU MUST BE PREPARED TO SORT THE SIZES OF THE GROWING FRY,TO PREVENT LARGER ONES EATING SMALLER ONES.USALLY THE LARGEST,FASTEST GROWING FRY PROVE TO BE MALES.
LIVE BEARERS:
A SPECIES THAT DELIVERS LIVE YOUNG INCLUDE MANY OF THE MOST POPULAR & WIDELY AVAILABLE ORNAMENTAL FISHES.ALL LIVE BEARING FISHES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY INTERNAL FERTILIZATION.IN SOME FAMILIES,THE ANAL FIN OF THE MALE HAS BEEN MODIFIED INTO A SPECIALIZED,PHALLUS LIKE STRUCTURE CALLED THE GONOPODIUM.IN THE PIPEFISH,THE FEMALE DEPOSITS HER EGGS IN THE MALES BROOD POUCH,WHERE FERTILIZATION OCCURS.IN FRESHWATER STINGRAYS,THE MALES VENTRAL FINS HAVE BEEN MODIFIED TO PERFORM THIS FUNCTION.SPERM TRANSFER IN THE GOODEIDAE & THE HEMIRAMPHIDAE OCCURS THROUGH DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE CLOACAL OPENINGS OF THE MALE & FEMALE.
LIVE BEARING FISHES SPAN THE CONTINUUM FROM OVOVIVIPARITY,IN WHICH THE FEMALE PRODUCES HEAVILY YOKED EGGS THAT CONTAIN ALL THE STORED FOOD THE EMBRYO WILL REQUIRE,THROUGH THE TRUE VIVIPARITY,IN WHICH THE YOUNG ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO & NOURISHED BY THE FEMALES CIRCULATORY SYSTEM.SUCH DISTINCTIONS HAVE CONSIDERABLE BEARING ON THE CARE OF GRAVID INDIVIDUALS,OVOVIVIPAROUS LIVE BEARERS SEEM MORE PRONE TO MISCARRIAGE,WHILE THE NUTRITIONAL DEMANDS OF GRAVID VIVIPAROUS FEMALE'S ARE STRONGER.
THE USUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG IN LIVE BEARING FISHES RANGES FROM 28 TO 32 DAYS.THE LENGTH OF THIS DEVELOPMENT IS INFLUENCED BY THE FOLLOWING:AMBIENT TEMPERATURE,PHOTOPEROID,THE FEMALES STATE & HER AGE.ONCE THE FEMALE HAS DROPPED HER YOUNG SHE BECOMES IMMEDIATELY RECEPTIVITY IS BREIF,& IN NATURE THE COMPETITION FOR ACCESS TO THESE FEMALES IS INTENSE.
MALE GROWTH:
IN MANY POECILIID SPECIES,FURTHER LINEAR GROWTH CEASES ONCE A MALE'S ANAL FIN UNDERGOES ITS METAMORPHOSIS TO BECOME THE GONOPODIUM.THE MATURE MALE MAY BECOME DEEPER BODIED BUT HE DOES NOT GROW ANY LONGER.HOWEVER,LATE MATURING MALES GROW LARGER THAN EARLY MATURING MALES.GENETIC FACTORS LARGELY DETERMINE THE ONSET OF MALE REPRODUTIVE MATURITY.ALSO,WHERE THE LIVING CONDITIONS FLUCTUATE & ARE UNPREDICTABLE,THE EARLY MATURING MALES PREDOMINATE.ON THE OTHER HAND,IN LIVING CONDITIONS THAT ARE PREDICTABLE & MORE STABLE,LATE MATURING MALES ARE MORE COMMON.
SEX REVERSAL:
IN SOME SPECIES,OLD FEMALES DEVELOP THE FULL ARRAY OF SECONDARY MALE SEX CHARACTERISTICS,INCLUDING METAMORPHOSIS OF THE ANAL FIN INTO A GONOPODIUM.EVEN THROUGH THEY LOOK LIKE MALES THE DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF FUNCTIONAL SEX CHANGES IN THESE FISH IS LACKING.LIKE MANY LOWER VERTEBRATES,POECILIDS HAVE GONEADS THAT ARE COMPRISED OF BOTH TESTICULAR & OVARIAN ELEMENTS.AS LONG AS IT REMAINS FUNCTIONAL,THE DOMINANT ELEMENT WILL SUPPRESS THE ACTIVITY OF THE SUBORDINATE.FEMALE POECILIIDS HAVE ONLY A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FOLLICLES IN THEIR OVARIES CAPABLE OF MATURING INTO EGGS.ONCE THESE HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED,THE DOMINANT OVARIAN ELEMENT OF THE GONADS NO LONGER PRODUCES THE HORMONES THAT SUPPRESSES THE ACTIVITY OF THEIR TESTICULAR ANALOG.
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