Breeding Ryukin goldfish is not that difficult. Even beginners can learn how to mate male and female Ryukin. Follow these simple steps and turn your hobby into money-earning.
Having a hobby keeping goldfish in an aquarium can turn into money-making activities. If all this time you are simply growing goldfish for your pleasure, you can consider breeding them and making some money.
Among goldfish varieties, Ryukin is very easy to breed with a high success rate. However, breeding decorative fish is, of course, different from reproducing fish for consumption. Quality is more important than quantity. Read on for we are going to share some easy ways for breeding Ryukin goldfish.
Preparing Aquarium
The first thing to prepare when breeding Ryukin goldfish is creating a perfect habitat for them to live. You can use an aquarium of 80 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm. For beginners, this dimension is the most ideal.
Because it is not too big or too small, the maintenance is easier. You can always keep the water quality. Moreover, Ryukin is also perfect for an outdoor pond. They have an excellent skill to endure cold temperature.
Fish Type
When breeding Ryukin goldfish, try not to blend or add other varieties of goldfish in the aquarium. Since you are focus on breeding Ryukin, pay attention only to this type. The thing you need to think about is mating male and female sires.
There are some tips for choosing the best quality Ryukin. First is their body shape. Don’t buy Ryukin with a big belly. The body must be proportional. Secondly, pick goldfish with upright upper fins. If the fish’s fins or tail is bent, it indicates they have health problems. Thirdly, pick the active and agile one.
Distinguish Male and Female Parent
To breed Ryukin, you must know how to differentiate between male and female fish. Male Ryukin has a slimmer body while female features a fatter or more round body shape. You can also see the front fin. If it has white spots, it is male. Meanwhile, female Ryukin doesn’t have it.
The male rectum is oval and flat, while the female has a round and more visible anus. Furthermore, when you press the male’s belly, you will see white semen coming out from the secretion part. Meanwhile, female Ryukin secretes yellow liquid, showing that they are ready to breed.
Breeding Fish Broodstock
To start breeding Ryukin goldfish, place the male and female fish in an aquarium which has previously been given water hyacinth plants. The water hyacinth can provide comfort as the broodstock mates, and it can also serve as a perfect place to put fertilized eggs.
A male goldfish can fertilize two female at once. The male and female Ryukin will chase after one another, and later on, the male will fertilize the eggs released by the female Ryukin. This is called external fertilization.
Fertilized Fish Eggs
The fertilized eggs will hatch into larvae in two to four days. When eggs fail to hatch, you should take them because the eggs may root and reduce the water quality. After that, you should add an aerator to add the amount of dissolved oxygen because the population is increasing.
The fish larvae that have hatched have yellow bundles looking like egg yolks around their stomach. The yellow bundles are the food intake that the larvae use for approximately four days. Make sure to feed them with boiled yellow eggs when the food intake runs out. Feed them sufficiently and control the water condition.
By taking care of them carefully, you will make sure that there are no fish will die. So, that is how to breed Ryukin goldfish. Quite easy, isn’t it?
Breeding Ryukin goldfish is as simple as breeding other varieties of goldfishes. As long as you maintain their habitat, the larvae will grow well. Happy trying!