Over the years, we’ve gained a lot of experience, spawning native and non-native fishes alike. We’ve also spawned Amano Shrimp (Cardinia multidentata), many species of snails, and other organisms common in the aquarium hobby.
Please find below a list of most of the native species we’ve spawned. We hope that this list inspires you to attempt to spawn native species yourself. Some are harder to spawn than “regular” aquarium species. Some are easier. If you’re interested in spawning fishes, we encourage you to give it a try. Who was it, Coldplay, that said, “if you never try, then you’ll never know?”
Here’s our list:
- Blackstripe Topminnows (Fundulus notatus)
- Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei)
- Everglades Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma evergladei)
- Fantail Darters (Etheostoma flabellarae)
- High-Color Rainbow Darters™ (Etheostoma caeruleum)
- Johnny Darters (Etheostoma nigrum)
- Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa)
- Lowland Shiners (Pteronotropis stonei)
- Spotfin Shiners (Cyprinella spiloptera)
- Western Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus menona)
Here are some photos detailing some of the species we’ve spawned:
Johnny Darter male (upside-down in cave) and female, ready to lay more eggs in the cave.
Johnny Darter male guarding his eggs in his chosen cave.
Fantail Darter fry at the bottom of a rearing container. The types of containers you raise the fry in is not really important. This container was a vodka dispenser. The important things are to keep the fish fed, keep them well-oxygenated and keep the water clean.
Fantail Darter juveniles from the fry we raised. These were photographed in the bag, ready to be turned in at the local aquarium club for Breeder Award Points (BAP).
Blackstripe Topminnow fry rearing container. This was a 2.5-gallon all-glass aquarium, with Java Moss and a sponge filter in it. One important thing with Blackstripe Topminnow fry is to keep the water clean. The fry really suffer (and sometimes die) if you let the water quality degrade too much.
Another view of the Blackstripe Topminnow fry rearing container.
A closeup of one of our Blackstripe Topminnow fry.
Another closeup of one of our Blackstripe Topminnows.
A photo of a Banded Killifish egg on the spawning “mop”. Spawning mops are made of acrylic yarn. It is important to use acrylic, as it will not degrade in water. The egg was plucked from the mop by hand and placed in a rearing container.
Banded Killifish eggs and newly-hatched fry in the hatching container. Banded Killie eggs are quite large for the size of the adults, and the fry also hatch out large. This makes Banded Killies one of the easiest native-fishes to spawn. Fry are also tolerant of a little “dirtier” water than Blackstripe Topminnows.
Banded Killifish fry in their rearing tank. A 2.5-gallon aquarium was used and contained black sand, Java Moss, Manzanita driftwood and a sponge filter.
Lowland Shiner fry in their rearing tank. A glass fishbowl with Indian Almond leaves, and an airstone were used. The fry were started on infusoria and were transitioned to powdered prepared food and baby brine shrimp. Regular water changes and “aquariponic filtration” were employed, to keep the water clean.
Check out our video of the Lowland Shiner fry on YouTube:
Spotfin Shiner eggs on the disassembled spawning “trap”. Look at the absolute profusion of eggs that the adults laid in the trap! The disassembled trap pieces with eggs on them were transferred to rearing containers, as the adults would eat the eggs and fry if left with them.
Spotfin Shiner fry in their rearing container. A simple recycled cheese balls container was used. Aeration, “aquariponic filtration” and regular water changes kept the water clean.
Check out our video of the Spotfin Shiner fry on YouTube:
Spotfin Shiner fry in a 2.5-gallon aquarium. A sponge filter and Java Moss were used to keep the water clean.
Some of our Spotfin Shiner fry as they got larger.
We have a few more videos of our fishes and fry on our YouTube channel. Feel free to check that out by clicking the button below. And if you’re thinking about spawning native fishes, give it a try! You never know what you can accomplish!
