Breeding Ornates
- Thread starter Shopko
- Start date
Just measured my large juvenile today. It is 9.5cm. I was planning on finishing the updates when they reached 10cm. But since this is the 100th post, I figured this is as good a time as any. Here is a summary for this forum.
Summary:
Size matters! References indicate that Ornate Bichirs are sexually mature at 25 cm (10 in). However, I found that spawning was not initiated until after the adults grew at least to 30cm (12 in). It is difficult to get breeding size Bichirs in the hobby today. Most Bichirs grow slowly. It took 5 years to go from a 15cm (6 in) male, to a robust 42cm (16.5in).
To induce spawning, simulate a rainy season. Although water quality is not super critical, the influx of better quality water can stimulate spawning. You can also induce a spawn with steroid injections, however, steroids may be difficult to obtain unless you are a commercial fish breeder. In addition, these mass produced Captive Bred (CB) fish tend to have an abundance of poor phenotypic traits. In my opinion, Bichir keepers that can breed will look for traits that will strengthen the species and not be too concerned with mass production.
Feeding fry has been my nemesis. Initial batches of fry died off because I did not have food readily available at the important time when fry are at their smallest. Daphnia, micro worms and brine shrimp nauplii are all great for getting some success. Earlier attempts at spawning resulted in a 0% survival rate. With the help of Monsterfishkeepers forum, this spawning had a 27% success rate. Hopefully future spawning will yield greater success!
Growth rate of fry:
The graph shows the growth of smallest and largest fry over time:
For the first month fry grew slowly, up to 1.5cm. When Daphnia ran out and I switched to black worms, growth rate showed a consistent increase (1cm per month). When I switched to frozen blood worms, growth rate increased to almost 4cm in a month. Over the span of five months, the average growth rate for fry was 1.9cm per month.
Challenge to all Polypterus fish keepers. Try to successfully breed and raise your own Bichirs! Many of us are looking for quality polys. One way to do it is to breed our own. I have been in contact with several Ornate owners who have successfully got theirs to spawn. So it can be done. Plus, there is something really cool about raising your own Bichir from an egg!
Good luck and good breeding!
Summary:
Size matters! References indicate that Ornate Bichirs are sexually mature at 25 cm (10 in). However, I found that spawning was not initiated until after the adults grew at least to 30cm (12 in). It is difficult to get breeding size Bichirs in the hobby today. Most Bichirs grow slowly. It took 5 years to go from a 15cm (6 in) male, to a robust 42cm (16.5in).
To induce spawning, simulate a rainy season. Although water quality is not super critical, the influx of better quality water can stimulate spawning. You can also induce a spawn with steroid injections, however, steroids may be difficult to obtain unless you are a commercial fish breeder. In addition, these mass produced Captive Bred (CB) fish tend to have an abundance of poor phenotypic traits. In my opinion, Bichir keepers that can breed will look for traits that will strengthen the species and not be too concerned with mass production.
Feeding fry has been my nemesis. Initial batches of fry died off because I did not have food readily available at the important time when fry are at their smallest. Daphnia, micro worms and brine shrimp nauplii are all great for getting some success. Earlier attempts at spawning resulted in a 0% survival rate. With the help of Monsterfishkeepers forum, this spawning had a 27% success rate. Hopefully future spawning will yield greater success!
Growth rate of fry:
The graph shows the growth of smallest and largest fry over time:
For the first month fry grew slowly, up to 1.5cm. When Daphnia ran out and I switched to black worms, growth rate showed a consistent increase (1cm per month). When I switched to frozen blood worms, growth rate increased to almost 4cm in a month. Over the span of five months, the average growth rate for fry was 1.9cm per month.
Challenge to all Polypterus fish keepers. Try to successfully breed and raise your own Bichirs! Many of us are looking for quality polys. One way to do it is to breed our own. I have been in contact with several Ornate owners who have successfully got theirs to spawn. So it can be done. Plus, there is something really cool about raising your own Bichir from an egg!
Good luck and good breeding!
