Poll of the Day > I just realized something troubling: Pet store fish never have babies.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Have you ever bought fish from a pet store? Have they ever had babies?

I've owned fish all my life. Various kinds. Never saltwater fish, though (toooo expensive). Always in very big tanks that I treat with love and care. I do my research (so don't try to shame me before you know all the facts). I make sure the breeds that I have living together get along with each other. I make sure they don't live in too small or big of a tank. I clean the tank and the water often.

And I don't know why it never occurred to me before....but it hit me today how strange it is that my fish have never had babies. Ever.

I have never seen my fish lay eggs or give birth to live young.

Why don't my fish breed?

It's kinda depressing.

Is it because living in a tank kills your sex drive?

Is it something I'm doing wrong?

I'll have various members of the same species....so if it's a male or female thing.....surely there are two that would hit it off.

And then I thought that maybe they ARE having babies....and they are just eating the eggs/babies before I can see them.

Which is kinda fucked up, and you would think they would only resort to such behavior if they were starving to death or something.

What's up with this?

Any fish owners wanna weigh in?

I want fish babies.
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It's possible to have a tank too big? How is that even possible? Fish normally live in a huge lake or a huge ocean.
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Obviously, all the fish you buy are dudefish.
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Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

BlackScythe0 posted...

Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

Isn't that kinda....anti-Darwinian?
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They usually only breed where they were born.

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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Obviously, all the fish you buy are dudefish.

Of course there's a chance that is the case (or they are all ladyfish).....but the odds of that are so slim, dude.

I've had countless fish over the course of my life.

If I have a tank with 6 neon fish in it......what are the odds they are all the same gender??? Seems kinda low, bro.

Unless, of course, pet stores intentionally sell only one gender.

And, if that's the case....that shit is not only sexist, but they don't tell customers.

It's not like I want to breed fish as a hobby or anything.....I just think it's very strange that they aren't breeding. Isn't natural.

And I realize that keeping fish in a tank, in your home....is "unnatural" in the first place....but that shouldn't magically make them incapable of procreating.

Hell, I've had cats on farms that will shoot out litters of kittens if you don't get them spayed or neutered within 24 hours.
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Generally speaking, pet shops sell all one sex of most fresh water fish because that sex is much more brightly colored. This is particularly noticeable with guppies, neons, and betas. Many fish also do eat the eggs/fry if the conditions are not correct, or just won't breed for various reasons (ph, not enough food in their judgement, too much ammonia, etc.) in a tank.

Make a list of species you might like to breed and I'll try to get you some info when I wake up later.
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GreenKnight127 posted...

BlackScythe0 posted...

Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

Isn't that kinda....anti-Darwinian?

You're asking if things like seasonal changes in temperature and stuff are anti-darwinian?

No, the natural environment is not anti-darwnian. Temperature swings, water parameters, water size, ect are normal.

BlackScythe0 posted...

GreenKnight127 posted...

BlackScythe0 posted...

Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

Isn't that kinda....anti-Darwinian?

You're asking if things like seasonal changes in temperature and stuff are anti-darwinian?

No, the natural environment is not anti-darwnian. Temperature swings, water parameters, water size, ect are normal.

No, what I'm saying is that if conditions need to be PERFECT in a house tank in order for fish to breed.....like the average person wouldn't be able to manage it because it's super advanced or whatever.........it makes me wonder how those fish species are still alive at all.

Even if humans are homeless, sick, drug-addicted, uneducated, and blind.....they will still be able to breed in pretty much any environment. It probably won't be the happiest life for the parents or the child (especially), but it won't stop them from breeding.

So it just seems weird that fish in a tank won't be able to breed if something as petty as ammonia levels are too high, or the water is 1 degree too cold, you know?

These fish need to man up and just fuck.
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GreenKnight127 posted...

BlackScythe0 posted...

GreenKnight127 posted...

BlackScythe0 posted...

Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

Isn't that kinda....anti-Darwinian?

You're asking if things like seasonal changes in temperature and stuff are anti-darwinian?

No, the natural environment is not anti-darwnian. Temperature swings, water parameters, water size, ect are normal.

No, what I'm saying is that if conditions need to be PERFECT in a house tank in order for fish to breed.....like the average person wouldn't be able to manage it because it's super advanced or whatever.........it makes me wonder how those fish species are still alive at all.

Even if humans are homeless, sick, drug-addicted, uneducated, and blind.....they will still be able to breed in pretty much any environment. It probably won't be the happiest life for the parents or the child (especially), but it won't stop them from breeding.

So it just seems weird that fish in a tank won't be able to breed if something as petty as ammonia levels are too high, or the water is 1 degree too cold, you know?

These fish need to man up and just fuck.

Humans are able to become pregnant year-round. Many species do not.

When you reproduce in one or only a few bouts per year, like most animals, it makes sense for your period of reproduction to sync up with others of you species. Because if you become fertile and no one else does, you're not having any babies.

But how do you sync up fertility with others? Organisms use reliable cues that change over time in the environment. They sense environmental conditions and have a physiological response that induces fertility.

In the wild, this cue is not constant, but it is reliable from year-to-year.

In your tank, that cue is not occurring.
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Lol that was one of the most profoundly ignorant things I have ever read. Fish need to man up? Lol

I've had barbs reproduce but only happened a couple of times. My various cory catfish breed all the time. The most I've had survive at one time was four. My tank only has catfish now.
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BlackScythe0 posted...

Lol that was one of the most profoundly ignorant things I have ever read. Fish need to man up? Lol

You aren't good at detecting sarcastic humor are ya, pal? Here to argue or something? Why? lol Go to the Politics board. I'm here cuz my fish aren't fucking.
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GreenKnight127 posted...

Of course there's a chance that is the case (or they are all ladyfish).....but the odds of that are so slim, dude.

I've had countless fish over the course of my life.

If I have a tank with 6 neon fish in it......what are the odds they are all the same gender??? Seems kinda low, bro.

Unless, of course, pet stores intentionally sell only one gender.

And, if that's the case....that shit is not only sexist, but they don't tell customers.

It's not like I want to breed fish as a hobby or anything.....I just think it's very strange that they aren't breeding. Isn't natural.

And I realize that keeping fish in a tank, in your home....is "unnatural" in the first place....but that shouldn't magically make them incapable of procreating.

Hell, I've had cats on farms that will shoot out litters of kittens if you don't get them spayed or neutered within 24 hours.

Its possible they only sell one gender. Like someone else said, a certain fish have genders that look very different. One is brighter (usually the female for fish, I believe). Its also possible they dont want to lose costumers. Either to fish breeders who sell them cheaper or because the customer doesnt need to keep going back to buy more...

As for not telling customers, maybe they would if you asked. People usually dont ask about it. Not only that, but people usually dont seem to care. And not all of them may know how to tell the difference...

GreenKnight127 posted...

No, what I'm saying is that if conditions need to be PERFECT in a house tank in order for fish to breed.....like the average person wouldn't be able to manage it because it's super advanced or whatever.........it makes me wonder how those fish species are still alive at all.

Even if humans are homeless, sick, drug-addicted, uneducated, and blind.....they will still be able to breed in pretty much any environment. It probably won't be the happiest life for the parents or the child (especially), but it won't stop them from breeding.

So it just seems weird that fish in a tank won't be able to breed if something as petty as ammonia levels are too high, or the water is 1 degree too cold, you know?

These fish need to man up and just fuck.

There are some animals that have a harder time breeding in captivity. Or dont at all... And its probably much easier surviving out in the wild. Where the animal loves and thrives is probably in an area where things work out. Like temperature, location, etc... Which may be harder for the average human fish owner to get right...

For humans, certain things can stop them. Like not having money may stop some from procreating. And many other things. And apparently, many pregnancies fail. Some before a woman even knows they are pregnant...
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Yes
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GreenKnight127 posted...

Have you ever bought fish from a pet store? Have they ever had babies?

Yes and Yes

Some fish are hard to breed, some breed too much. My goldfish had a bunch of babies this year. Which I accidentally killed a bunch of them when I flooded the pond. Whoops!

My cousin is a fish expert and I just asked him:

Apparently for fish to lay eggs the aquarium has to be nearly perfect to encourage a breeding response.
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BlackScythe0 posted...

Fish have specific requirements to breed that tend to be too advanced for the average person.

This.

I used to have a 55 gallon fresh water tank with all live plants and an assortment of tropical fish. My Marble Angles laid eggs every few months but they'd eat em at the drop of a hat. Water too warm, water too cold, pH off, light cycling wrong, the kids being too rowdy, etc... It was infuriating.
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Dunno I got some guppies once and they bred like crazy.
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Zareth posted...

Dunno I got some guppies once and they bred like crazy.

Ya, someone even wrote a children's book about it :/
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Zareth posted...

Dunno I got some guppies once and they bred like crazy.

Guppies are one of the easiest, live bearers in general are. For guppies, all thats needed is a male, a female, water, and time.

Lokarin posted...

My cousin is a fish expert and I just asked him:

Apparently for fish to lay eggs the aquarium has to be nearly perfect to encourage a breeding response.

"Perfect"???

What is "perfect" in nature or a 20 gallon tank in your living room?

I want my fish to fuck, dammit!
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GreenKnight127 posted...

Lokarin posted...

My cousin is a fish expert and I just asked him:

Apparently for fish to lay eggs the aquarium has to be nearly perfect to encourage a breeding response.

"Perfect"???

What is "perfect" in nature or a 20 gallon tank in your living room?

I want my fish to fuck, dammit!

Perfect is different for every fish. And youd probably need to simulate their natural habitat...
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GreenKnight127 posted...

Lokarin posted...

My cousin is a fish expert and I just asked him:

Apparently for fish to lay eggs the aquarium has to be nearly perfect to encourage a breeding response.

"Perfect"???

What is "perfect" in nature or a 20 gallon tank in your living room?

I want my fish to fuck, dammit!

Perfect depends on the fish.

As previously mentioned, Guppies can do it at room temperature.
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"Perfect" doesn't exist in nature or a chemically moderated fish tank in my house.

If these fish need perfection in order to fuck....they deserve to go extinct.
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GreenKnight127 posted...

"Perfect" doesn't exist in nature or a chemically moderated fish tank in my house.

Perfect doesn't mean "10/10", it means (based on your fish) exactly a certain pH with a certain amount of nitrogen with a certain amount of ammonia with a certain amount of salt with a certain amount of pressure and so on
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My brother had a fish tank and some of the fish breeded just fine.

Two black fish breeded and had 3 babies. Both parents died and 2/3 of the kids died. Only one entered adulthood

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I had some Jack Dempseys that bred like fucking crazy.

Show them some fish porn to get them into the mood.
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Stress can stop humans from procreating. I dont get TCs point.

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You make some weird topics, TC. :p

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Sarcasthma posted...

You make some weird topics, TC. :p

That's what Poll of the Day is for!!!

Plus, I want my fish to fuck. And be happy.
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I havent read the topic yet, so maybe youve specified, but how many plants do you have in there? How many different varieties?

Fish need to have something to actually lay the eggs on. And care should be taken to remove the eggs ASAP, because Fish are dumb and tend to eat their eggs if theyre bored.

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hwat kind of set up do you have?

Is it a basic tank, or is it a freshwater pond, or a saltwater reef, or a saltwater open, or what?
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