Maegan Harden
Hi everyone,
We are trying to get a better handle on the average number of viable embryos people observe per pairwise mating. Anyone have any data on this topic?
Thanks! Maegan
1 Comments:
Christian Lawrence
This is a totally wide open area in the community/field. It is completely possible to have an individual pair mating yield up to 1K viable embryos on weekly (at least) basis, but this represents an extreme "high end" for the field.
Reproductive output is the result of a very complex equation that involves many interrelated factors, and is absolutely dependent upon how the fish are managed. There is a behavioral component to it (because females are choosy, a huge dietary component (you've got to be feeding them the right stuff and the right amount of it), and an environmental component (water quality). Throw in genetics and you've got a nice mess.
No abundance of data in the literature, but we do know what the high ends are (up to 1K eggs, ability to spawn daily, female preferences based on physical factors and potentially genotype). Experience teaches us that the norm is way off that; maybe 100-200 eggs per clutch - if that.
Quick and dirty as to what we know to date: manage the stocks to be as outbred as possible, feed them high quality feed in the right amounts, mix and match holding conditions constantly, and get the water quality right so that they devote all excess energy to egg production, and you WILL increase average yields. It is a careful plan that needs to be put into place to make this happen, but these are the main factors to focus on.
In the field right now I think it is safe to say that most people are operating at grossly inefficient levels in terms of realized vs. potential output.
CL