I noticed an odd observation in my minnow and darter tank the other day.
After feeding and my minnows eating until bloated my three blacknose dace went into a breeding frenzy. no not a feeding frenzy, a breeding frenzy. They chased each other around getting side by side trying to made, then tried mating while darting upward. My one longnose tried joining them. Then one of them tried mating with all my other dace (the mountain redbelly, northern redbelly, and even the male longnose). Oddly enough the blacknose ignored the fathead minnow, darters, and bumblebee barb and only tried breeding with other dace species.
This brought some questions to my mind.
How common is it for fish to breed after a big meal? (I seen a nature show showing signs of prespawn behavior in sharks that feasted on a dead whale once and they asked in the show if maybe that is required for breeding).
If blacknose dace are so open to breed with any dace does that mean blacknose hybrids are common? Is this just a reflection of my tanks small population (thus limited mating choices) and close mixing of species who never occur in the same habitat naturally?
I doubt I'd get offspring from this, my darters and non dace minnows seem to enjoy getting fresh eggs.
post feeding breeding frenzy
Started by
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
, Jan 25 2012 01:59 AM
2 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 25 January 2012 - 03:07 PM
This brought some questions to my mind.
How common is it for fish to breed after a big meal? (I seen a nature show showing signs of prespawn behavior in sharks that feasted on a dead whale once and they asked in the show if maybe that is required for breeding).
I have seen and we have discussed similar behaviour in shiners (specifically my yellowfin shiners Notropis lutipinnis) in a mixed community tank. They color up, they chase each other, etc. I don't understand the biological processes, but it makes sense that fish from small streams woudl see an influx of insect food in the spring and this could be part of their breeding cues... no sense in laying eggs if there is not going to be food for the fry.
Feed like crazy for three straight days and then do a large water change in the winter time (like now)... the rush of cold water drives them crazy as well... small stream fish, cold water, high quality food, its time to go...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_steve_*
Guest_steve_*
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- Guests
Posted 25 January 2012 - 03:45 PM
I've witnessed my redside dace doing this just after eating heartily as well.
Yeeeehaaaa.......................... http://forum.nanfa.o...h__1#entry88112I have seen and we have discussed similar behaviour in shiners (specifically my yellowfin shiners Notropis lutipinnis) in a mixed community tank. They color up, they chase each other, etc. I don't understand the biological processes, but it makes sense that fish from small streams woudl see an influx of insect food in the spring and this could be part of their breeding cues... no sense in laying eggs if there is not going to be food for the fry.
Feed like crazy for three straight days and then do a large water change in the winter time (like now)... the rush of cold water drives them crazy as well... small stream fish, cold water, high quality food, its time to go...
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