Interesting paper on Colomesus asellus reproduction
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Interesting paper on Colomesus asellus reproduction
I found this paper very interesting. It is about Colomesus asellus and how it breeds. The science explains a few interesting things about this fish:
It's a schooling fish, even when breeding, because it casts eggs and sperm into the water and "hopes for the best". There's no nest or brood care. This explains why they are not aggressive to one another (though in small groups I think there is a heirarchy, just as with barbs or tetras, and you need to work around that).
The larvae drift down stream, developing on the way, sort of like plankton. This suggests that Colomesus is closer to its marine ancestors in this regard than the Asian and African nest spawners. So far as I know, marine puffers are non-guarders, and throw their eggs to the mercy of the plankton.
They spawn at a certain time of the year, in rivers and not lakes, at the start of the flood season. Presumably by spawning in flooding rivers, they ensure the larvae get carried by the river for the longest possible time, giving scope for proper development and eventually colonising other bits of the river system. If they spawned in a lake, the eggs would sink, and during the dry season, the larvae might not be carried so far.
Unsurprisingly, they produce lots of small eggs. For the hobbyist, this means that even if we do get them to spawn, the fry will likely be very difficult to raise, even by pufferfish standards.
Anyway, if you're into SAPs, this paper is definitely worth a look.
Cheers,
Neale
It's a schooling fish, even when breeding, because it casts eggs and sperm into the water and "hopes for the best". There's no nest or brood care. This explains why they are not aggressive to one another (though in small groups I think there is a heirarchy, just as with barbs or tetras, and you need to work around that).
The larvae drift down stream, developing on the way, sort of like plankton. This suggests that Colomesus is closer to its marine ancestors in this regard than the Asian and African nest spawners. So far as I know, marine puffers are non-guarders, and throw their eggs to the mercy of the plankton.
They spawn at a certain time of the year, in rivers and not lakes, at the start of the flood season. Presumably by spawning in flooding rivers, they ensure the larvae get carried by the river for the longest possible time, giving scope for proper development and eventually colonising other bits of the river system. If they spawned in a lake, the eggs would sink, and during the dry season, the larvae might not be carried so far.
Unsurprisingly, they produce lots of small eggs. For the hobbyist, this means that even if we do get them to spawn, the fry will likely be very difficult to raise, even by pufferfish standards.
Anyway, if you're into SAPs, this paper is definitely worth a look.
Cheers,
Neale
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Re: Interesting paper on Colomesus asellus reproduction
Any updated information on breeding these guys?
Re: Interesting paper on Colomesus asellus reproduction
Does anyone still have or know where to find a copy of this article? The link in the op is dead. Would love to read it.