Ember Tetras are among the most popular freshwater fish in the aquarium world. They come in various colors and are fairly easy to care for.
One day, you find your ember tetra’s belly is a little bigger than usual, and you might wonder if they’re pregnant or not. In this article, we will show the signs that you have a pregnant ember tetra fish.
Let’s get into the details to see more!
Contents
How to Notify Pregnant Ember Tetra?
Noticeable Big Belly
When pregnant, ember tetra females often show remarkable bulges on their bellies. You will easily spot these bulges when seen from the top view.
So how to identify females? Female ember tetras typically feature a more turbulent swimming pattern than males, which is the most obvious sign.
Notice the Spawning Behavior
Regarding spawning behavior, females will upside down or lie on their sides in the gravel. Meanwhile, males should swim around and release milt over them.
Females will lay eggs that are clutched with their pelvic fins for around one minute before releasing them for fertilization by males.
Sometimes male tetras will pick up eggs from the gravel to fertilize them.
How Many Eggs Do Ember Tetras Lay?
The eggs of these fish are extremely tiny, and females typically lay eggs by scattering them all over aquariums. As a result, it is hard to determine how many eggs ember tetras can lay.
However, we can provide estimates here. The number of eggs each female can lay ranges from 20 to 40, depending on their size. They will lay their eggs scattered throughout the tank without a specific location.
Ember tetra females will typically be happy to do it, provided you keep a sufficient number of males in the aquarium (more than one).
Don’t expect all those eggs to hatch. After each spawning season, you only gain a maximum of ten to fifteen ember tetra fry.
Some eggs fail to hatch, while others are eaten by their parents or other species.
How Long Do These Tetras Stay Pregnant?
First, you should know that ember tetra is the egg layer and egg-scatterer instead of the livebearer. Hence, these fish aren’t and won’t be pregnant.
The question may be, “How long will an ember tetras be gravid with their eggs?”
These fish will be gravid with their eggs for about two weeks (fourteen days) before laying them all over your tank. In a way that many are familiar with, ember tetras will be pregnant for nearly 14 days.
FAQs
How Long Will It Take for Their Eggs to Hatch?
The eggs of this fish will usually hatch within two to three days.
Juveniles are most vulnerable during their first three weeks of life when they have a higher mortality rate, often eaten by other species.
They will survive in the egg sac for a few days. No need to worry as they will start swimming three days to one week after hatching.
You can give them Infusoria after three days and can start giving them brine shrimp in a week.
Do Ember Tetras Eat Their Babies?
Yes, ember tetras can consume their tiny babies and eggs if those fit in their mouths. It isn’t intentional and purely unintentional.
The reason is that ember tetras will consume anything that fits in their mouth.
So it is essential to monitor their fry and ensure no one is near or around them.
We recommend moving parents away from your breeding tank once they have laid all the eggs. Thanks to that, you will have many more tetras in the future.
How Often Do Ember Tetras Reproduce?
In captivity, an ember tetra can reach adulthood in 12 months with proper care, allowing it to reproduce as early as its first year.
If you keep the temperature constant, these fish can produce offspring every two weeks.
It is essential to ensure you keep enough breeding-age males in the tank for ember tetra females to choose from. The more males, the higher the chances of fertilization and success.
Do These Tetras Die After Laying Eggs?
No, these fish will not die after spawning. The only reason an ember tetra died after spawning could be because it was already sick.
Ember tetras are vulnerable throughout pregnancy, making them more susceptible to disease during this time. These fish’s immune systems don’t work as well as they would when they weren’t pregnant.
Hence, when your ember tetra is pregnant and laying eggs, it is essential to maintain optimal water quality and tank conditions. Also, you need to feed them good quality food. That way, they will not die after laying eggs.
Is It Hard to Breed Ember Tetras?
It is not challenging to breed these fish. All you must do is put them in a breeding tank, and they will reproduce.
But once your ember tetras are pregnant, you may want to pay extra attention to the tank conditions.
What Temperature Is Ideal for Ember Tetras?
The excellent temperature range for these fish is between 72 to 82°F.
Do Ember Tetras Need A Filter?
It is optional to have the filter, but you must regularly clean the tank water if you do not include a filter.
Wrapping It Up
It’s hard to tell if a caber tetra is pregnant or not. The simplest way is to check out its abdomen for roundness or try to feel for eggs between its pelvic fins.
Having ember tetras in your aquarium is a good thing. They are charming, easy to care for, and peaceful. Knowing how to identify a pregnant ember tetra will allow you to prepare to welcome new members properly.
