Neon: reproduction and conditions of fry

For a long time, neons were a "tough nut to crack" for aquarium fish lovers: they swam swiftly, but could not breed. And today many do not immediately guess what is the reason, and they hurry to enter the phrase "neon reproduction" in the search engine . What is the mystery of these fish?

The Truth in ... water

To start a little history. With neon aquarists met in 1935, and quite by accident. The French businessman and adventurer Auguste Rabot was looking for gold in the tropics of the Amazon, and also caught butterflies and collected orchids for rich collectors. Once the Frenchman fell down a tropical fever. Fortunately, it was sheltered by local Indians. At them in the hut Raboch saw beautiful fish with stripes shining in the dark. They resembled the already popular in those years neon advertising. For which they received their name.

Having recovered, the enterprising Frenchman decided to earn money on fish and organized their delivery to the USA. Later, neon hit the Europe. For a long time, the fish remained imported, due to the fact that none of the aquarists could understand how to breed the neon: they willingly lay eggs, but the offspring for some reason did not appear. At last, it was possible to the Germans. It turned out that neons, the reproduction of which seemed such a mystery, do not want to be born because of ... the composition of the water. Hard water makes the eggs impenetrable for spermatozoa, and the spermatozoa themselves become inactive. In the nature of neons, the reproduction of which has so puzzled the specialists, bring their offspring in soft water, poor in salt. Such water in European water bodies and in the USA does not occur, it can be replaced only by rainwater, and it is heavily polluted. Therefore, all that can be done in this case is to soften the water from the water pipe, adding distilled water to it.

But not only the composition of water is important for the successful breeding of neon. It should be remembered that these fish do not like bright light - they are used to living in shaded water bodies in nature. Therefore, the aquarium can not do without a lot of plants and some shelters - fish are timid. Especially important is the presence of a shadow for the fry. They have poor eyesight (they can only distinguish light from shadow), therefore it is normal to eat only in the congestion of ciliates. But, like infusorians, have a strong desire to move to light from the dark. This helps them to quickly find food. Therefore, the walls of the aquarium, in which the fry will grow, should be covered with black paper, leaving only a narrow window for light.

How the neon breeds

At the age of 6-8 months, neons are already ready for reproduction. Before the spawning begins, the parents should be seeded in different aquariums and gradually reduce the temperature to 20 ° C in them. To start in the prepared water of small fishes it is necessary not at once - distilled water needs to be held in the sun approximately two weeks, and cationized it is possible to use already for the second day. At the bottom of the aquarium, where the spawning takes place, a separator grid is installed.

Before the spawning, water must be decontaminated with ultraviolet radiation. Future parents should be placed in the aquarium in the middle of the day or closer to the evening. The spawning process can take about three hours. At a time, the female sweeps out about 150 small eggs that the male immediately fertilizes with sperm. After the spawning, parents are again planted in different aquariums. On average, during the week, you can spend 6 spawning. After this, the fish need to rest for at least a month. Fry are born on the fifth day. They are able to swim and actively feed. As a starting feed for them you can use infusoria, rotifers, etc. Raging neon, the reproduction of which due to the large number of fry can also become a source of income, can throughout the year.