# Gachua breeding



## timmy (Mar 29, 2004)

I havbe talked to several people who have done it, but would like som over input. What does it look like when breeding, or how do i tell which one 
is the male etc. Thanks Would some assorted small tetras eat the fry? Thank you


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Spawning normally starts in the morning and continues throughout the day. Between 1500- 2000 eggs are laid and then transfered into the hatchery. The eggs are golden yellow in colour and measure 1.5mm, after they have swollen. The oil globule constitutes a quarter of the egg, and this effectively faces the fry downward. Hatching is about 17 hours later and by the 19th day, with a size of 5mm, ( in nature, growth would be advanced to perhaps 10 mm) the yolk sac is spent. Food during the 35-105mm stage is small insect larvae, Daphnia and Cyclops (Mookerjee 1950).

Gachua's are mouthbrooders, what means that the man will hatch the youngs in his mouth. So there may be a few that will become a victim of the tetra's, but I think you will have plenty left. When they really get to the point of spanning, the female will swim upside down, right underneath the male and will release the eggs at the same time. After that they will guard their nest pretty agressive, so beware of your fingers and other fish.

As far as I know there is little known about the sexual dimorphism of channa gachua. Only thing that I have found about it, was that females tend to grow larger and somewhat thicker. Another thing which can tell the two apart are the males breeding colors. These are more intense during breeding season.
Another thing by which you can tell sexes apart is that juvi's and females have a dark occelated spot at the posterior part of the dorsal fin. (Source: Pethiyagoda, 1991) Although not all females will have an occelated spot









I hope this will help a bit, if not feel free to ask. Good luck with your Gachua's


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## RAYMAN45 (Oct 2, 2004)

thanks there ^ LOL

i have a pic that helps sex em 
let me look










A couple of C. spec. Assam. Left hand the male with its broader head and its more colorful dorsal fin. Right hand, the female whose head is not so broad but its belly.


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