Upto 12,000 eggs have been observed per fathead nest. Only one male guards each nest. More than one female deposits eggs in the high egg density nests. Eggs are sometimes two layers deep in one part of the nest and consequently eggs of several different ages may be found in a single egg mass. A study in Iowa found total egg counts of females were 802-2,622 of which about 1/3 were ripe. A study by Markus reported one female deposited eggs on the same males nest 12 times between 16 May and 23 July. This fish pair and their nesting produced a total of 4,144 offspring. Eggs usually hatch in 4.5-6 days. Fatheads rarely live beyond 3 yrs old. FYI World record fathead was 3.97" long.
Does Cecil have a pond record size for fatheads?
