why would goldfish breed in winter?

Question

i have three ornamental goldfish in a 15 gallon tank. this morning i saw that they were breeding so i set up a ten gallon tank and put the eggs in there so they wouldnt get eaten. i havent done anything different with the fish and there havent been any temp. changes for months. why did they suddenly breed in december? also what do i feed them once they hatch?

Answer 1

Indoor goldfish don't know what the weather is like outside. They bred now because now is when they were ready, or maybe your tank cooled off for a little while and warmed back up (which, in the great outdoors, is what triggers spawning).

Put 5mL (1 capful) of hydrogen peroxide OR enough malachite blue to taint the water blue in the 10 gal with the eggs, to see fungus away.

You can feed the babies liquid fry food, powdered eggs, and you can also breed infusira or baby brine shrimp for them. The better quality the food, the faster they'll grow.

If you plan on keeping some of the babies, or on continuing to breed your fish, you may want to look into upgrading a larger tank. 15 gal is cramped for 3 fancies, something like 40-50 gallons would be more appropriate, and the empty 15 gal would then be perfect for raising fry.

Answer 2

All goldfish only breed in the spring. What happens, some fish grow larger because they have plenty of room and food. In order for pet shops to carry small goldfish in the winter months, many more baby goldfish are crowded together in a pond and not fed as much. If you see goldfish in the spring that are still grey colored, this is because they are too young to get the orange color. The winter goldfish in pet shops are stunted from being crowded and fed a lot less, and are the same age as the goldfish in the spring. My grandmother had a outdoor pond, and every spring the cover would be removed, and the water would be changed. She always had hundreds of baby goldfish. Goldfish will eat their own eggs and fry, and the many that made it would be hiding in her lilly pads. If you don't have plants for your goldfish to hide in, you could get mop heads and place them in the water. You might have to remove the mop heads after they lay their eggs in them. It takes the second summer for goldfish to be big enough to breed. You are right about noticing the bumps on the males and the roundness on the females. Because we are in Michigan and you are in Florida, your goldfish would spawn sooner the the ones up north here. I answered this question before, so feel free to see what else I wrote.

Answer 3

Breeding Goldfish

Goldfish mature at about 1 yr; however, they are in their prime about their 3rd year. A male that is ready to spawn will usually have tubercles about pin size that appear on the pectoral fins and gill covers. However, this does not always occur and has been seen in some females. (see photo of tubercles on male fish)

Temperatures should be about 700F. during the day and 500F. at night. You will notice the spawning chase occur. The male will begin chasing the female for two to three hours, bumping into her abdomen. If she is ready eggs will spurt out and stick to the first thing they come in contact with. They are usually released in batches with the first batch being the best. The male fertilizes the eggs immediately by spraying milt over them. Good sized females can lay anywhere from 500-1000 eggs a spawn.

Goldfish usually spawn in warm waters in the morning sun

You should remove the eggs immediately and rinse them in a bucket of aged water that is the same temperature as the tank they were removed from. Your goldfish eggs should be kept in water that is not deeper than 6 inches. In deeper water the pressure can damage the fry and make it hard for them to reach the surface. After rinsing the eggs place them in a 20 gallon tank. You should raise the temperature to about 700F. The fish will hatch in 3-4 days. By the end of the first day you will notice that some eggs are clear tan to yellow while some are white. The ones that appear almost clear are the ones that are fertile. The others are more than likely infertile and will be subject to fungus. The fungus-ed eggs should be removed immediately, or the fungus can spread to kill the other eggs.

Some breeders add a few drops of methylene blue to the water to cut down on the fungus occurrence.

The fish will hatch out along the region of his back, pulling his tail out first, then moving it to release its head. At birth the fish is about a 16th of an inch to an 8th of an inch long with two black eyes, a long notochord, and a full yolk sac. These transluscent fry should not be disturbed. Do not be alarmed if they fall to the bottom. Within 48 hrs of hatching they will have absorbed their yolk sacs and an air bladder and rudimentary pectoral fin will become noticeable. After about 48 hours they're air bladders will fill and they will start swimming normally seeking food. They will eat anything they can fit into their mouths. This is when it becomes important to have some food on hand.

See chart below for feeding instructions

Feeding the babies can be somewhat troublesome since they are so small. You must be sure to place enough food in the water that they can find it, but no too much to pollute the water. Keeping a continous supply is needed. It is best to remove the uneaten food within a few hours and add more. Doing this helps maintain the water conditions. These little guys will grow rapidly and soon be requiring a lot of food.

As the fish grow you will need to place them in larger tanks or divide them into tanks.

Feeding Schedule for Babies

The following shedule is one that I have found and seems to be recommended:

After 48 hrs Crushed yolk of hardboiled egg and oatmeal paste, or there is a liquid available commercially

After 2 weeks Baby brine shrimp and infusoria

After 3 weeks Powdered foods can be used

First 4 weeks Feed 3 times each day

Up to 4 mths Feed 2 times each day

After 4 mths Once daily

(Feedings should be as much as they can eat in 20 minutes)

You should always siphon off any uneaten food, but be cautious so you do not siphon your fish. Once a month a tablespoon of salt should be added to the tank. Artificial aeration can be provided after 1 month.

Answer 4

Goldfish breed if the tank becomes cold - then warms back up. Your tank might have gotten colder...for whatever reason...then warmed back up.

After they hatch they need fry food. You can make it yourself by taking the egg yolk from a hard boiled egg, and mixing it with SAFE WATER! 1 drop 3 times a day or you can buy commerically made food for babies. There is one that is excellent called golden pearls that can be bought at Kensfish.com.

Hope this helps! And good luck!

Answer 5

they can still sense a change in the weather and the change in daylight and this could cause them to spawn
your eggs should hatch in 3-5 days, you will notice babies that look like clear hairs with shiny eyes clinging to the side of the tank
do not feed them until they start free swimming
you can get a powder baby food or a liquid baby food at pet shop
make sure you keep the water as clean as possible

Answer 6

you feed the baby fish regular fish flakes but crumble it up good into tiny pieces....i have two catfish in my tank with the other fish and now and then i'll find their eggs stuck on the glass like little bubbles....i just leave them as i don't want more catfish now,they disappear after awhile so i think they are eaten. maybe at a later date i can try hatching them..good luck with yours....

Answer 7

first feed them infusoria for a week, then baby brine shrimp or microwoms... after week 4 you can introduce crushed flakes or pellets.

when they first hatch, they're really small so you need to feed them protozoans.

oh, you can feed them a little hard boilded egg yolk too. make mash it and give them a very little amount.

Answer 8

Our live birthing fish seem to breed all year. How would they really know the difference of the seasons when it is temperature controlled year-round?

Answer 9

You've got them in a controlled environment. They have no idea how cold it is outside. I would imagine you could feed the babies small bits of goldfish flakes until they get larger.

~Kyle

Answer 10

the male wanted to snuggle next to his honey its cold and you know things happen and when your fish hatch give em wheaties and spinach