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My one experience with getting a Lepomis to spawn involved Orangespots that I raised from quarter sized in a room temp 75 (temps at spawning were probably mid to high 70s) with a light fixture on 10 hours a day, but bright ambient light for a much longer , random and even intermittent period. In winter water temps might get below 70, but not by much, so temps didn't seem to be a factor. They spawned the following spring after I got them in June. I probably got lucky with the lighting.
Getting Bluegill to Breed
Started by
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, Jul 10 2012 03:57 AM
99 replies to this topic
#22
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Posted 14 July 2012 - 01:38 PM
@ subrosa how long were your fish inside your tank before they spawned? 6months- a year?
My bluegills have only been inside the pool for about 3 months, and it was only last month that they started getting really comfortable. So it might be just a matter of time spent in a body of water, or maybe not.
Another thing however is does elevation effect the fishes biology? We picked them up from a farmer in SoCal, which is almost below sea level and brought them to our property which is 500 ft above sea level.
My bluegills have only been inside the pool for about 3 months, and it was only last month that they started getting really comfortable. So it might be just a matter of time spent in a body of water, or maybe not.
Another thing however is does elevation effect the fishes biology? We picked them up from a farmer in SoCal, which is almost below sea level and brought them to our property which is 500 ft above sea level.
#23
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Posted 15 July 2012 - 04:04 PM
Almost a year. I got them in June and they spawned the following April or May.
#24
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 01:07 AM
Well I don't have much experience with Bluegills but can tell you one of mine is trying to spawn right now. My fish have been in an aquarium since last Sept , and was moved to a 75 gallon tank in Feb. Tank is kept in somewhat unheated basement and the temps got down to about 58. Water temp right now about 72-74. I had just lowered my hanging lights and increased the photoperiod by 1 hour, now on 10 hrs day plus ambient light from my bedroom and living room until about 3am. Problem is the females don't want anything to do with the male. He's so frustrated it's driving him crazy & I feel so sorry for him. Aquarium is moderately planted with regular aquarium gravel. I was just getting ready to change the substrate when he started making his nest. I'm not sure if the change in light triggered it or not but it sure is a coincidence he started the day after I lowered the lights.
#25
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 02:08 AM
Thanks for contributing Katfisher.
I think your Gill is building a nest because A) they seem to be familiar with the location/you/and enviroment for quite some time. B)they had a cold period. and C) the increase in water temp and light. I think all of that has triggered the breeding response in your gills.
Mine have been in the pool for 3 months, and are constatly at 70+ degrees (funky weather in california this year and temp dipped from 82degrees to 68 in a day) yet no breeding activity, or any interesting activity whatsoever has taken place.
I have noticed though that bluegill seem to behave differently in an aquarium as opposed to a swimming pool. In a swimming pool they seem to lose any and all sense of being a wild animal and generally just dont do anything. They dont claim territory, they dont swim around, all they do is sit and eat.
Wheras in an aquarium the bluegill will claim territory, they will interact with each other, and they will swim around its quite perplexing to me.
I should have photos of my setup by tomorrow, and I will show you the horror of totally docile/feed trained bluegills.
I think your Gill is building a nest because A) they seem to be familiar with the location/you/and enviroment for quite some time. B)they had a cold period. and C) the increase in water temp and light. I think all of that has triggered the breeding response in your gills.
Mine have been in the pool for 3 months, and are constatly at 70+ degrees (funky weather in california this year and temp dipped from 82degrees to 68 in a day) yet no breeding activity, or any interesting activity whatsoever has taken place.
I have noticed though that bluegill seem to behave differently in an aquarium as opposed to a swimming pool. In a swimming pool they seem to lose any and all sense of being a wild animal and generally just dont do anything. They dont claim territory, they dont swim around, all they do is sit and eat.
Wheras in an aquarium the bluegill will claim territory, they will interact with each other, and they will swim around its quite perplexing to me.
I should have photos of my setup by tomorrow, and I will show you the horror of totally docile/feed trained bluegills.
#26
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 08:58 AM
Just talking without a lot of experience here, but I think someone once said...
...that males will get interested in spawning based on all these external cues (temp, daylight, etc.)
...however, females need high quality food stuffs to develop eggs... and then when they have a belly full of ripe eggs, they are ready.
So, if you want a spawn and your male is ready... you need to start feeding those females high quality, high quantity diets
...that males will get interested in spawning based on all these external cues (temp, daylight, etc.)
...however, females need high quality food stuffs to develop eggs... and then when they have a belly full of ripe eggs, they are ready.
So, if you want a spawn and your male is ready... you need to start feeding those females high quality, high quantity diets
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#27
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 09:17 AM
@ MWolfe
My females are swollen with eggs. And they get plenty of high quality food/ all the live prey they can eat.
However the males will not make nests.
My females are swollen with eggs. And they get plenty of high quality food/ all the live prey they can eat.
However the males will not make nests.
Edited by sam585, 20 July 2012 - 09:25 AM.
#28
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 10:38 AM
@ sam585,
Isolate such deadhead males for a few days. Then add a some water from tank holding "ripe' females. Such treated males will often then start digging.
Are you providing some sort of artificial nest site like a gravel filled bowl? Sometimes doing such reduces threshhold for digging and spinning up.
Isolate such deadhead males for a few days. Then add a some water from tank holding "ripe' females. Such treated males will often then start digging.
Are you providing some sort of artificial nest site like a gravel filled bowl? Sometimes doing such reduces threshhold for digging and spinning up.
Edited by centrarchid, 20 July 2012 - 10:38 AM.
#29
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 05:23 PM
Here are pictures of the setup. Sorry if they are not that good, but you can see the kiddie pools filled with gravel and some plants.
We have some anxiety with removing the fish to condition them in this way Centrarchid, in our experinces the Bluegill are extremely sensetive to any form of stress (atleast this group) and rmoving the males from the pool would be our last resort.
Do you think the Kiddie pools would cause the fish to not dig?
If you look closely at the 2nd pic you can see them starring at us. Additionally the fish hang out near the surface like that until they go to sleep. They completly ignore the kiddie pools.
We have some anxiety with removing the fish to condition them in this way Centrarchid, in our experinces the Bluegill are extremely sensetive to any form of stress (atleast this group) and rmoving the males from the pool would be our last resort.
Do you think the Kiddie pools would cause the fish to not dig?
If you look closely at the 2nd pic you can see them starring at us. Additionally the fish hang out near the surface like that until they go to sleep. They completly ignore the kiddie pools.
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Edited by sam585, 20 July 2012 - 05:29 PM.
#30
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 05:30 PM
I think you are overestimating the cool down period. Bluegill will breed all summer long in ponds, not unlike a pool. I would bet that it is either a substrate problem, or a feeding problem. I am sure you are feeding them well, but are you feeding them the right product. Aquamax is a complete aquaculture diet, versus the pond diet foods from farm stores. Your pool is more like an aquaculture system, than a pond, so an aquaculture feed is in order. I may be way off base, but that is the first thing I would suspect.
#31
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 06:03 PM
It quite posibly could be the diet, though i feed them heavily with daphnia, live blood worms, bugs, red worms, mosquito larvae etc in hoping that the live foods would be a safe gaurd to any gaps my artifical feed would produce.
#32
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 09:24 PM
Problem I see is too many darn fish in tank! Knock number down to about 5 males and females to twice that number. Then push all nests to one side of tank. Otherwise setup looks very good.
Bluegill (all subspecies) do not require a cool down period to spawn. You can take a tank reared fish and keep them at 78 F for entire life. They will start to spawn when big enough and some can do it almost at 2 week intervals for as long as 2 years with a constant temperature regime. We have done that with males used to generate experimental broods.
Bluegill (all subspecies) do not require a cool down period to spawn. You can take a tank reared fish and keep them at 78 F for entire life. They will start to spawn when big enough and some can do it almost at 2 week intervals for as long as 2 years with a constant temperature regime. We have done that with males used to generate experimental broods.
#33
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Posted 21 July 2012 - 01:53 AM
Ok, I felt in my gut that we had to many fish. We will alter this.. Thanks Centrarchid!
We currently have no other place to put the Bluegills in the pool so we will now focus on trying to spawn them in a 75gal tank.
But just to be clear, Centrarchid would a 75Gallon tank be able to support a big male bluegill with 2 or maybe 3 big ripe females? Or should a 75 Gal tank just hold 1 male 1 female?
We currently have no other place to put the Bluegills in the pool so we will now focus on trying to spawn them in a 75gal tank.
But just to be clear, Centrarchid would a 75Gallon tank be able to support a big male bluegill with 2 or maybe 3 big ripe females? Or should a 75 Gal tank just hold 1 male 1 female?
#34
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Posted 21 July 2012 - 02:22 PM
Yes, will support a group. If males small then two could be kept. Small means 4 to 6". Think partition between the males and females. When males start to spin, remove partition.
Where do you plan to rear fry?
Where do you plan to rear fry?
#35
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Posted 21 July 2012 - 03:35 PM
The male we have is about 10", females are 6 and 8". We transfered them into the 75gal tank this morning and they seem to be adjusting fairly well to the new enviroment and started eating again fairly quickly. We are bringing the temp up to 78 degrees.
After they spawn our plan is to remove the females, leave the male to take care of the eggs till hatch, remove the male and then readjust the filteration (so the little guys dont get sucked up) and raise the fry in the 75gal tank until they are large enough to be moved, after which we will purchase another 1400 gal pool and grow them out. We plan to purchase a new pool for each spawn until we have 10 pools worth of Bluegill not including our brood stock.
After they spawn our plan is to remove the females, leave the male to take care of the eggs till hatch, remove the male and then readjust the filteration (so the little guys dont get sucked up) and raise the fry in the 75gal tank until they are large enough to be moved, after which we will purchase another 1400 gal pool and grow them out. We plan to purchase a new pool for each spawn until we have 10 pools worth of Bluegill not including our brood stock.
#36
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Posted 22 July 2012 - 03:20 PM
Well I must have missed the Bluegill spawning which I really wanted to see. My male is now acting like he is guarding a nest with eggs than wanting to mate. Before he would chase the females trying to corral one in the nest, but no egg release. Now he just circles the nest and never ventures far from it except for the occasional short chase for anyone that gets to close.
Since I wasn't sure what their eggs looked like I Googled and found a couple photos and yep ... sure looks like I got eggs. Probably not as many as should be since the nest is right next to the sponge filter which had been running. Wish I could get a good photo to post but can't seem to get a good enough shot. I only have a Canon s5is advanced point and shoot, not a DSLR.
It would be nice to see them grow and mature but I don't know what I'd do with them once they got to be adults. I do have a 10 gallon and 30 gallon that would work for a little while but after that ????
Since I wasn't sure what their eggs looked like I Googled and found a couple photos and yep ... sure looks like I got eggs. Probably not as many as should be since the nest is right next to the sponge filter which had been running. Wish I could get a good photo to post but can't seem to get a good enough shot. I only have a Canon s5is advanced point and shoot, not a DSLR.
It would be nice to see them grow and mature but I don't know what I'd do with them once they got to be adults. I do have a 10 gallon and 30 gallon that would work for a little while but after that ????
#37
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Posted 22 July 2012 - 10:31 PM
The big male has truly intensified his coloration and has taken over half of the tank, im eager to see him begin constructing nests. Tank is being kept 78-84 degrees (its hot in california). The tank is somewhat heavily planted on the left side where the female is hanging out at, the male comes over and chases her a little bit. Feeding them copious amounts of daphnia and worms so far they have turned away from artificial feed upon entering the new tank.
Switched out the smaller female BG with a female GSFish.
Switched out the smaller female BG with a female GSFish.
#38
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Posted 22 July 2012 - 11:27 PM
Keep male in until larvae swim out of nest. Survival will be better.
#39
Guest_sam585_*
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Posted 24 July 2012 - 02:21 AM
An interesting development occured today.
Origonally the Male Bluegill took over the right half of the tank away from the plants while the female Bluegill and female GSF occupied the left half with the female Bluegill chasing and nipping the female GSF. Around 11PM last night I noticed the Male BG in the planted side of the tank with both females with him (he used to chase them around and nip at them if they came to his side),
Now tonight the Male BG is still on the female side of the tank, no agressive behavior such as nipping or chasing occured at all while I observed them, just the occasional nudges from the male Bluegill to the female Bluegill. Additionally the female Bluegill has stopped all aggresive behavior toward the GSF, and the GSF and female Bluegill are sticking close, about no more than 2inches away from the Male Bluegill at all times.
What do you guys make of this behavior?
Origonally the Male Bluegill took over the right half of the tank away from the plants while the female Bluegill and female GSF occupied the left half with the female Bluegill chasing and nipping the female GSF. Around 11PM last night I noticed the Male BG in the planted side of the tank with both females with him (he used to chase them around and nip at them if they came to his side),
Now tonight the Male BG is still on the female side of the tank, no agressive behavior such as nipping or chasing occured at all while I observed them, just the occasional nudges from the male Bluegill to the female Bluegill. Additionally the female Bluegill has stopped all aggresive behavior toward the GSF, and the GSF and female Bluegill are sticking close, about no more than 2inches away from the Male Bluegill at all times.
What do you guys make of this behavior?
#40
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Posted 24 July 2012 - 06:20 AM
Breeding effort terminated. Brooding male will deny females access to nest site. Best sign for breeding was in beginning when males excluded females from his half of tank and duration should push 10 days. Often when efforts abort as you describe, something is not right with male. Best to scrutenize male for health defects.
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