Breeding Report of angle

Breeding Report of angle

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  1  Introduction Fish breedingis a challenge that attracts many aquarists. While some species reproduce freely in community tanks, most require special conditions, known as spawning triggers before they will breed. The majority of fish lay eggs, known as spawning, and the juvenile fish that emerge are very small and need tiny live food or substitutes to survive. A fair number of popular aquarium fish are livebearers which produce a small number of relatively large offspring. These usually take ground flake food straight away.  Types of fish Breeding  Egg scatterer: These species simply scatter their adhesive or non-adhesive eggs to fall to the substrate, into plants, or float to the surface. These species do not look after their brood and may even eat their own eggs. These, fish spawn in groups or in pairs. Often there is a large number of the small eggs laid. The fry hatch quickly.  Egg depositer: These species deposit their eggs on any of the substrata such as a tank glass, wood, rocks, plants, etc. Egg depositors usually lay less eggs than egg-scatterers, although the eggs are larger.  Egg burrriers: These species usually inhabit waters that dry up at some time of the year. The majority of egg burriers are annual Killifish, which lay their eggs in mud. The parents mature very quickly and lay their eggs before dying when the water dries up. The eggs remain in a dormant stage until rains stimulate hatching.Mouth-brooders: species that carry their eggs or larvae in their mouth.  Mouth-brooders: Species that carry their eggs or larvae in their mouth.  Nest builders: Nest builders build some sort of nest for their eggs. The nest is usually in the form of bubble-nest formed with plant debris and saliva-coated bubbles (labyrinth fish, catfish), or a excavated pit in the substrate (cichlids). Nest builders practice brood care. There are another three types of fishes based on breeding. Like  Oviparous fishes are fish that lay eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother.  Viviparous fishes are producing living young instead of eggs from within the body .  ovoviviparous fishes are producing young by means of eggs that are hatched within the body of the parent.  Conditioning the Fish Before placing the brood fish together for spawning, they should be conditioned. Conditioning is feeding the fish a variety of healthy foods to get them in top condition for spawning. Many species can be conditioned using a well-balanced flake food, though others should be conditioned on live foods such as brine shrimp, insect larvae, and flying insects. The brood fish can be while conditioning. This way, when the fish are reintroduced, they are eager to spawn.
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  2  Rearing ofFish The rearing tank should have a protected heater, a sponge filter or a filter with a sponge on the intake, and plastic or live plants. In addition, three of the tank sides should be covered with black paper, because a light can encourage fungal infections and cause discomfort for the fry. The water in the rearing tank should be similar to the water used for spawning.  Selection of Fish We have selected angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare) for our practical work. Selection of angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare) depends on the following characteristics:  Angel fish is known for its aesthetic beauty .  It has a good market value in both domestic and international markets.  As it belongs to family cichlidae , it is a hardy species .  It also has a good fecundity rate.  Brood fishes of this species are also easily available.  It is also not prone to disease.  Breeding Equipments The fish tank stand should be flat and level. Commercial fish tank stands made specifically made for aquariums are a good choice and can coordinate with the room’s decor, but anything that is flat and level will work.  Substrate 1. If using an undergravel filter, it will be the first thing put in the tank. Instructions for assembling the filter should be included with the purchase. These filters require course grained gravel as fine gravel or sand will clog it up. 2. It should be noted however that undergravel filters don’t encourage plant growth. Plants require nutrition in the gravel, and using a gravel specifically for plants is recommended. Plant gravel may be more expensive than other gravel, but the savings will come in the results. A three inch or more depth of gravel is needed to grow plants. 3. Wash the gravel and place it in the bottom of the tank. Grading the gravel so that it is deeper at the back than the front gives an illusion of depth. Put an air stone under the gravel for bubbles coming from the gravel if you want, although angelfish do not require this. Just remember to hook the tube to it before putting it under the gravel.  Adding Water 1. Put things like rocks, the heater, internal filter, ornaments, and aquarium décor in before adding water. Cover the bottom of the aquarium with a newspaper or a plastic sheet to keep the water from disturbing the landscape. Pour the water on the newspaper. When the tank is full, remove the paper.  Accessories 1. Now is the time to hook up the accessories. This includes air pump to power the undergravel filter, décor and air stones. Assemble and attach the outside filter. Put in a thermometer on the side that is on the opposite side of the angelfish tank as the heater. Add water supplements to encourage bacteria growth. Use a plastic or glass divider to keep evaporating water from getting into the light system in the hood.
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  3  Selection theBrood Fish Once males and females have been distinguished, a suitable pair or spawning group should be chosen. There are several important traits to seek in choosing the parent fish. 1. Choose fish that display good markings and color, that should produce attractive young. 2. Only use mature, healthy fish for spawning because unhealthy fish, if they will spawn, may produce unhealthy or deformed young. 3. Be sure that the pair is compatible. Many species cannot be put together in a breeding tank and expected to get along and produce young. In fact with many cichlids, pairs form only after a group has been raised together for months if not years. In certain species, one partner will bully the other to death if there is not compatibility. 4. Avoid crossing different strains or color forms because the young are often unattractive. 5. Make sure that the pair are both of the same species because hybrids are sterile. With some cichlids and Killifish, females of different species look similar.  Water Quality Management Date pH Dissolved oxygen(ppm) Temperature (o c) CO2(ppm) Hardness 20.03.17 7 7.6 27 3.2 186 03.04.17 7.2 7.4 25 3.1 190 24.04.17 7 6.8 27 3.2 192 15.05.17 6.8 6.5 26 3.3 188 05.06.17 6.9 7.2 25 3 191 19.06.17 7 6.8 26 3.2 196  Breeding Procedure 1. Select healthy sexually matured breeders. 2. Place the paired Angelfish in the breeding aquarium with slanted brick tile. The pair should be compatible & should not be aggressive to one another. Aeration may not be required. 3. Monitor their mating behavior. The female deposit the eggs while male fertilizes the eggs with milt in the brick tile. 4. Transfer brick tile with fertilized eggs to another aquarium for egg rearing after spawning.  Rearing of Fry 1. Put methylene blue/tetracycline in rearing water when transferring the fertilized eggs to another aquarium, and provide mild aeration underneath the eggs. 2. Eggs hatched after 3 days. The newly hatched fry still have yolk sac for their own nourishment. 3. Feed the fry with artemia at least three times a day for two to three weeks. 4. After about three weeks, Angelfish looks identical to its parents. Transfer them to grow-out tanks or hapa in ponds at 30-50/sq m. 5. Feed them with artificial feeds (fry mash or crumble feeds) at least three times a day. 6. After 3-4 months they are ready to market.
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  4  CULTURE OFARTEMIA 1. Weigh amount of artemia for culture (1 gm artemia per 1,000 fry per day) 2. Put artemia in a beaker or in a small glass jar 3. Add 100 ml water then add 1 ml zonrox 4. Leave for at least 15 minutes 5. Wash thoroughly with water using plankton net to avoid escape of cyst 6. Put the washed artemia in conical-shaped container (ex. Coke bottle) with salt water and with aeration 7. Harvest after 18-24 hours  HOW TO HARVEST HATCHED ARTEMIA 1. Remove aeration to make the cyst settle down at the bottom for 5 minutes 2. Harvest brine shrimp by siphoning out to plankton net (using plastic hose). Avoid siphoning shells of artemia 3. Wash brine shrimp with clean water 4. Transfer brine shrimp to container with water 5. Feed artemia to fry of fish.  DISEASE TREATMENT Use commercially available treatment chemicals 1. For white spot disease/”ich”:  5 drops anti-ich (malachite green)/gal.  Permanent (24 hrs) bath  Everyday, change water  For 5-7 consecutive days. 2. For Anchorworm:  5 drops anti-anchorworm (neguvon)/gal.  Permanent (24 hrs) bath  Everyday, change water  For 5-7 consecutive days 3. For Tail Rot or Fungus:  Methylene Blue or Oxytetracycline  HCl/Tetracycline HCI – Permanent (24 hrs) bath  Everyday, change water  For 5-7 consecutive days Note:  During treatment, provide vigorous aeration.  Add 1 teaspoon salt/gal water.  No feeding during treatment
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  5  Result Because ofbeing unable to make the ideal conditions for breeding and also the fishes not gaining maturity enough to mate due to the short time span of practical work, we have not succeeded in breeding.  Conclusion Thus for doing this practical we have gained profound knowledge about angel fish breeding through the guidance of our course teacher Prof. T.K. Ghosh. From selection of species to conditioning them, setting up the tanks, rearing of fishes, pairing of fishes and maintaining the optimum water quality, we have both enjoyed and learned a lot. Gallery