I have about 60 cardinal tetras and one is huge so I'm assuming she's pregnant. Should I just leave it alone, or get some kind of separation net for her? If she's pregnant, I don't want anyone eating the babies. Any suggestions?
Pregnant cardinal tetra
- Thread starter Diann62
- Start date
Spawning occurs in low TDS water and the eggs are light sensitive.
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Jez_Cardinal_Tetras.html
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Jez_Cardinal_Tetras.html
Don't count on any spawning unless you have low light, blackwater conditions, as jpappy alluded to above.
Well I wish I had a picture because the belly is huge. There's no discomfort to the fish so I don't think it's just bloated. It's eating and acting like everyone else. I guess time will tell.
The OP does seem to imagine that the babies or eggs appear some time after the female has been in contact with a male. This is not so; the eggs are laid at the point of mating; the fertilisation happens outside the female's body. Putting the female alone in a breeding net would simply guarantee the fish could not breed.
This confusion is why I think that using the term "pregnant" in this way encourages confusion and should be avoided.
The fish may well be swollen with eggs, but it's extremely unlikely it will breed. Cardinals are not easy to breed and require very soft water, very subdued lighting and a lot of luck.
This confusion is why I think that using the term "pregnant" in this way encourages confusion and should be avoided.
The fish may well be swollen with eggs, but it's extremely unlikely it will breed. Cardinals are not easy to breed and require very soft water, very subdued lighting and a lot of luck.
