Baby australe orange.

[petey]

Back in November I bought 2 pairs of australe orange. At one point, one of the females appear to be pregnant but I was not sure. Later I thought it looked slimmer but I did not think much about it. Yesterday, to my surprise, when I was feeding them, I noticed a small fish (about 5 mm) swimming in between the plants. I guess eggs must have been laid and only one fish survived.

Question. How am I to know the fish is really pregnant and not just fat? I don't want to miss out the next time.

[zmzfam]

Hello Peter,

did you read this article - Raising Lyretails. In there you will notice the line "lyretails will lay many eggs if they are well conditioned".

So, if you have been feeding them regularly, chances are that your australe will spawn frequently for you in your planted tank. Are they in a community tank?
If you are keen in getting lots of australes, put them in a separate breeding tank and collect the eggs. 5mm frys are only a few weeks old - so it couldn't be from the original spawn as water incubation period for australes is between 7-14 days.

Good luck!

[RonWill]

Hi Petey (or is that Peter?),
Your 2 month old AUS should be at least 2cm now, if you're feeding them well, and they are ready to breed.

If you really want to have a whole school of AUS, transfer a pair to a small plastic tank with 4 inches of water and throw in a spawning mop. Betcha you'll get about 20 eggs in 3 days. Incubate them as per mentioned link.

Good luck with the fry and have fun!

[petey]

To zmzfam; I not sure on the meaning of community tank. If it means mixing with other breeds, then the answer is no. I have these two pairs in one single tank.

Thanks for the advices from zmzfam and Ron. Will transfer a pair to a smaller tank with a spawning mop and see what happens.

Regards,
Peter

[zmzfam]

Thanks for the advices from zmzfam and Ron.

You're welcome! BTW, my name is in the signature. :wink:
zmzfam is just my nick.

[timebomb]

Question. How am I to know the fish is really pregnant and not just fat? I don't want to miss out the next time.

Peter,

As far as I know, you can actually see the eggs inside the abdomens of the females. But that is provided your water is crystal clear and there's good
lighting. I was able to see my female australes carrying their eggs when I kept them in my cube tank a while back. I even had photographs and if my computer had not crashed, I would have shown you one.

Loh K L