Advice needed....Pond Comet is preggers

Mike T., Swampeast MO

If they're like many other fish, not only will they eat their young--they'll eat their own eggs. I have a feeling that goldfish are among those whose ONLY part of breeding is the laying and fertilization of the eggs.

I've tried MANY times to breed egg-laying fish with very little success. Best success is outdoors--seems very difficult in an aquarium. Zebras are quite easy--in anywhere near the right environment it just happens. Goldfish seem even easier--I did nothing except build the pond.

My loud "everything's OK alarm" frog <I>finally</I> found a mate this year--last couple years he only attracted another male for a calling contest. The "hidden" pond is filled with tadpoles (actually polywogs now). The goldfish in there are only 2"-3" but I'm still a bit surprised that they didn't eat the eggs.

Mad Dog_2

Should I seperate her?

Mike form Swampeast????anyone. Mad Dog

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Took me a minute...

They're egg layers so you'd need to separate out a male as well. They're not picky and and don't make pairs so any male will do.

Now is breeding season--it happens once a year as the water warms. It's also the only practical time to differentiate the sexes. Females will be fat with eggs. Males will have little white bumps on their head around their gills--looks rather like Ick in tropical fish.

If the pond is decent sized, fairly deep and has some cover for babies it should happen naturally and some should survive. Mine successfully bred once, but they were all killed when neighborhood boys turned on hose and left it running. (Can't gripe at them too much as I did the same thing once. One of my old books on fish claims that goldfish ponds are irresistable to boys--glad things haven't changed too much...)

Mad Dog_2

I knew you would know Mike

That;s funny cuz the wife thought one had ick. I have a smaller 25 gallon pond next to it that would do. So, I should just switch em you think and put a male in there? Will they eat the young? Mad Dog

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