I think my Sarasa might be spawning?

Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
I need to try and get a video but after researching and watching other videos the behavior seems similar. Sometimes in the mornings, this morning even, I see the fish "wriggling" oddly in areas around the edge of the pond up in the rocks and crevices. I have recently started water cress that is rooted and growing and I had thought the fish where eating on it...maybe they are. I am finding the roots waving out in the water in different areas I have the cress anchored. But I sometimes catch the fish almost trying to get up into the cress and rock crevices sometimes nearly exposing their whole body to open air before fliping about and getting back into the deeper water. There are usually several fish in the area rubbing around each other. They are beating up the cress a little but it's for them so they can do what they want :p I also see them poking at the water lettuce I just added this weekend so I'm still a little unsure if they are just trying to expose roots in the cress and in other areas where plants are near the edge or if they are spawning...or both??

All the fish are pretty close to the same size maybe a couple smaller, I may contact the previous owner and ask if they spawned before. I think the only plants he had where the water lillys, I know have cress, a couple water lettuce, and a couple hyacinths.
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,091
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Mine like to spawn around the edge of the pond in any plants that are there. Then they come back and snack on the eggs. They go crazy jumping, smashing into plants, rubbing then done.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
That sounds like what my fish are doing. I talked to the previous owner and he said that generally few if any babies thrived. He said the eggs would get eaten, and if any fry actually emerged most of those where also eaten. He thought it possible that a couple of the fish may be offspring. He mentioned a neighbor that had a pond (have not met yet) that was deeper and his fish seemed to produce almost of control to the point he had to get rid of some. He thought the depth may have something to do with it. Maybe some will survive if the fish don't shred the watercress so any fry can hide there. I'd really like to get some Koi at some point so I don't think I will go crazy with trying to "help" produce new fish other than adding the vegetation that I already wanted.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
Messages
6,275
Reaction score
2,817
Location
Plymouth
Hardiness Zone
7a
Country
United Kingdom
I think you are both right here did you know you can buy koi spawning ropes with thousands of long green threads coming off it for the eggs to be laid and fetilized by the males.
The other old fashioned way was to secure mop heads in the water which the fish would use, you could even make them yourself .
That way it'll save your watercress and other plants from being beaten up.
Also with the mops and spawning ropes you then have the option to remove them from the pond and QT them in a safe enviroment so that they can survive beening eaten by other fish.

rgrds

Dave
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Well I can say the fish are officially spawning like crazy. I've been watching them in the mornings while getting ready for work. This morning they where going even more crazy than usual! They where flipping and wriggling through the water cress and mashed it all down flat so the stems that were mostly upright where laying down in the water. I'm not so concerned about, the cress has been pretty hardy and I started it from a single small bunch from the grocery store.

Last night after spraying most of the gunk off the skimmer brushes I noticed there where tiny eggs in the bristles. I felt a little bad, although I don't really want more comets. I also found two of them IN the skimmer one morning, they got out easily as I was about to lift out the leaf net to put them back in the pond.

I don't really want more comets, I just added 4 Koi but it would be neat to see some fry survive. I would likely sell them for cheap or give them away. I was thinking about putting some fencing in the pond on the shallow edges so that the larger fish could not get through, but fry could get in and out. I would put some floating plants in that area also, does this sound reasonable or am I being irresponsible by providing a possible haven for fish I don't intend to keep?
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,091
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
I don't do anything to help them survive, some always make it. I would rather let the pond balance out. My arizona pond never got overwhelmed by fish, they snacked on the eggs, some made it some didn't.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Probably best for me to do also...nothing. The previous owner said he didn't think any survived, or if they did it was 1 or 2 and they went unnoticed. I don't think he had a lot of plants in the pond besides the lillies so no real place to hide. I've started water cress, water lettuce, and water hyacinths.
 

JohnHuff

I know nothing.
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
2,257
Reaction score
1,621
Location
At my computer
Hardiness Zone
1a
Country
Kyrgyzstan
When they are wriggling like that, they are trying to eat fry. When they are spawning, they are chasing each other all over the pond!
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
So my comets have continued to spawn off and on. I pulled a few of my floating plants out of the pond that had eggs on them and set them in a rubbermaid tub a couple days ago. Yesterday I started seeing "things" on the bottom of the tub and with closer inspection found they are hatched fry. Thing is most of them are not moving...at all. I would see one wriggle a couple times here and there but most look like they are just laying on the bottom possibly dead already. I had not changed the water in this tub since putting the plants in maybe 3 days ago. I did change most of the water yesterday and added an adjustable air pump on the lowest setting...it does not agitate the water much at all. This morning I see more or maybe the same just laying at the bottom not moving. There are some viable eggs not hatched yet and I see a few fry in the plant roots but I don't think I saw any movement while looking closely for several minutes. Did I mess up with not changing the water? it is not a big tub but the water is clear, using mostly pond water for the change.

I'm not going to be totally heart broken if they don't make it but thought I would try my hand at raising some fry. Do they become active right away or do they dissolve the egg sack and then start looking for food and if so any generalized period of time? I've looked at some videos of fry and they all seem to be active.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Between yesterday and this morning I now have a BUNCH of live fry! I'm not sure if all of the ones sitting on the bottom "woke up" or just more hatched but I don't see as many sitting on the bottom. Most of them are clinging to the sides of the tub and I am seeing more movement today. I have ground up some fish flake and doing water changes with mix of our well water and water from the pond. I'm trying to get some algae from the pond also for additional food source.

I'm not sure if I should come up with better filtration or wait until they get bigger. Depending on how many survive I will need something bigger also. I have seen those plastic pools at our local meijer so that is an option and I could set it up i our sun room which is where I have them in a tub now. I keep the windows all open so it doesn't get to hot in the sun room. Need some input/research on what sort of filtration would be safe for them...and cost effective.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Picked up the last index 158gal kiddie pool at meijer today and it range up for less than $10! Probaly a bit more than I need now but if these fry live I will need the space. Any suggestions on filtering for this setup? I will have it setup in my sun room with plenty of ventilation just not sure what is safe to use for filtering.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Intex pool setup today in the sun room. Filled it about half way for now and added a few gallons of of water from my actual pond along with purposely trying to catch some algae as a food source. The fry are about 4 or 5 days old now and more active every day. The pool is huge in comparison to the number of the fry and their curnent size. I thought I would let the pool sit for a few days and give the fry more time to develop. I can't guess how many fry there are but it's not hundreds. Will I need filtration right away? -sorry I feel like I'm repeating this question. In the tub I'm doing daily water changes and things are progressing fine.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Just throwing a picture up to bump this topic and show what I'm working with. The rubbermaid tub shown is what the eggs hatched in and the fry are currently in. The pool is what I will move them in a couple days or later this week. Thinking now I should just fill it up more...higher volume will stay cleaner longer. I was at Harbor Freight this weekend but didn't even think to see if they had any cheap pumps in stock, I've looked at some online I think will work for this setup. I'll stop back in or order 1-2 online. I am also going to cut up some 1" PVC pipe to put in for hiding tunnels.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95980543@N05/9230736217/
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
94
Reaction score
18
Location
W. Michigan
Fry at around 3 weeks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95980543@N05/9357991105/

Of the probably hundred plus I'm only able to count half a dozen or so at a time now in the bigger pool. I'm sure some have died off but I'm not seeing "bodies". Maybe there are still more in there than I think but harder to see in the bigger pool.

Also i think my ruby red minnows are reproducing in the pond, I am seeing some nice healthy fat ones picking at larva and such and also some much smaller ones now. I think they are helping greatly with mosquito control.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,782
Messages
508,588
Members
13,042
Latest member
lucaryan

Latest Threads

Top