Goldfish show many signs when they are about to lay eggs. So what are the signs your female goldfish shows when they are about to lay eggs?
Female goldfish appearing more broad than usual is the primary sign of your goldfish laying eggs. Other factors like refusing to eat and being lethargic indicate your goldfish is about to lay eggs. Provide a stress-free environment and ideal water parameters in the tank to ensure healthy spawning.
The below article will discuss the 8 signs shown by your goldfish while they are about to lay eggs. In addition, we will also discuss the ways to take care of your goldfish fry.
Contents
Is your goldfish about to lay eggs?
Your goldfish shows many signs when it is about to release its fry. However, the primary sign of your goldfish about to release its eggs is appearance change.
Your female goldfish will appear more broad than usual when it releases its eggs.
Many other signs like not eating, hiding, and being lethargic indicate that your goldfish is about to lay its eggs.
Therefore, we advise you to provide a stress-free environment and adequate water parameters to create an ideal condition for your goldfish to lay its eggs.
8 signs that your goldfish is about to lay eggs?
Here are the signs that show your goldfish is about to lay eggs
- Female goldfish get chased by the male.
- Your female goldfish is hiding.
- Your female goldfish appear more broad than usual.
- Your female goldfish is being lethargic.
- Eggs are coming out when picked up.
- Your female goldfish is being aggressive.
- Your female goldfish is refusing to eat.
- Your female goldfish will swim at one spot.
Chasing
Your female goldfish chased by the males indicates that your goldfish is about to release its eggs.
Female goldfish signal the male by releasing unique pheromones in the water, indicating that she is about to lay eggs.
Your male goldfish then starts chasing the female and rubs himself against her to make her lay eggs.
The process continues until the female goldfish releases its eggs.
However, there are many other reasons behind your goldfish chasing each other, like territoriality or competing for food.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Chasing Each Other?
Hiding
The hiding behavior of your female goldfish indicates that she is about to release her eggs.
Your female goldfish will separate itself and start hiding behind the aquatic plants or at the bottom of the tank when it is about to release eggs.
However, like an overcrowded tank or aggressive tankmates, many other reasons can make your goldfish hide around the tank’s corner.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Hiding?
Your female goldfish appear more broad than usual.
Female goldfish are larger than males due to their round belly.
However, if your female goldfish appearing more broad than usual indicates that she is about to release her eggs.
There can be many other reasons behind your female goldfish appearing more broad than usual. Some of them are as follows:
- Your female goldfish got chubbier due to overeating.
- Abdominal infections can also be why your female goldfish appears more broad than usual.
- Dropsy can also make your goldfish look swollen behind the gills.
Lethargic
Your female goldfish being lethargic shows that she is about to release her eggs.
However, unfavorable water conditions and stress can also make your goldfish lethargic.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Lethargic?
Eggs are coming out when picked up.
When you put your hands inside the aquarium to hold your fish and notice many eggs coming out while she twists and turns around your hand, it indicates that your goldfish is about to release her eggs.
It also indicates that there are still a lot of eggs inside your female goldfish.
We advise you not to squeeze the eggs out from your fish as it can lead to severe health issues for your fish.
Male goldfish makes the female release her eggs by rubbing up against her.
Aggressive
Your female goldfish being aggressive indicates that she is about to release her eggs.
However, many other reasons, like an overcrowded tank or competing for food, can make your female goldfish aggressive.
Also read: Are Goldfish Aggressive?
Refusing to eat
Your female goldfish refusing to eat indicates that she is about to release her eggs.
However, many other factors like constipation can also make your goldfish refuse food.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Not Eating?
Swimming at one spot
If you discover your female goldfish swimming at one spot, it shows that
your goldfish is about to release eggs.
Your female goldfish will separate itself from the other tankmates and start swimming at one spot while it is about to release eggs.
How do goldfish mate?
Goldfish are not livebearers as they lay eggs. Your goldfish mate by chasing each other until the female goldfish releases her eggs.
It takes 72 hours for your goldfish eggs to hatch.
Female goldfish can release thousands of eggs at each spawning, but the males fertilize only a few as many of them get consumed by the adults in the tank.
The male goldfish fertilizes the eggs by releasing its milt upon them.
Your goldfish spawns when the cold water starts getting warmer during the spring season.
You can ensure healthy spawning by increasing the tank’s temperature from 50°F to 64 °F.
Outdoor goldfish can spawn 3-4 times in warmer climates, whereas under right water conditions, goldfish kept in captivity can spawn all year long.
It usually takes a week for your goldfish to complete the spawning process.
We advise you to maintain appropriate tank conditions to ensure healthy spawning.
Also read: Can Goldfish Get Pregnant?
Goldfish fry care
It would be best to place the goldfish fry in a separate tank to protect them from the adults in the tank.
You should avoid feeding your goldfish for 2-3 days after they hatch, as they will have about three days of food in their sacks. At this age, they are called larvae.
Once your goldfish starts swimming freely in the tank and can feed themselves, they are called goldfish fry.
Your goldfish fry diet should hold around 40% protein for proper growth and development.
The best live food option for your goldfish fry are
- Mosquito Wriggles
- Daphnia
- Egg Yolks
- Brine Shrimp
We advise you to start by feeding egg yolks to your goldfish as it is a rich source of protein required for the proper growth of your fry.
Avoid providing artificial foods like pellets at this stage as it holds fewer nutrients than live food and can also contaminate the tank’s water.
Goldfish fry requires a warmer temperature than an average fish to thrive.
The ideal water temperature for your goldfish fry tank should be between 70-75 °F.
We advise you to add a heater to your goldfish fry tank to maintain adequate water parameters and for the well-being of your fry.
Conclusion:
- Your female goldfish shows many signs when it is about to release eggs.
- The primary sign of your goldfish laying eggs is the change in their appearance.
- The other signs of goldfish about to lay eggs are chasing, swimming at one spot, refusing to eat, and being lethargic.
- Your goldfish mate by chasing each other until the female goldfish releases her eggs.
- It would be best to place the goldfish fry in a separate tank to protect them from adults in the tank.
Reference: NCBI ResearchGate