To bad there isn't a live feed of this! Loving this thread. Thanks Jim for taking the time and describing everything.
Are fish similar to farm animals? I'm way more familiar with those, education wise. The bratty female...is this similar to a heifer or cow that is bulling, fighting , riding one another, and the like?
Which one initiates this or is it completely temperature? Like in animals we are talking heat cycle, pheromones, daylight periods and such, but the female starts the process by coming into heat.
Here we see the male doing stuff first. How does he know when to start?? Does he know there are females around that are ready?
I know these are probably silly questions, but just trying to relate it to what I know.
Thanks and awsome thread!
Female actually initiates. Males simply give signs you can see.
We know pheromones are involved and they are not species specific. Our aquaculture setups make us uniquely qualified to have figured that out. We do not know the chemical(s) involved. Both sexes primed by environmental cues such as photoperiod and temperature. Social status is important as well which is particularly evident in LMB.
When everything correct and females conditioned, females generally cycle together. The pheromones they produce promote males to move into nesting areas, workout rank and territories, then construct nest.
Bratty is distinct from breeding behavior. Both sexes do it. Fish well below what even I can spawn size-wise can be brats. I have been able to spawn BG less than 2.5" when about 90 days post-hatch which means they are not stunted. Brattiness not part of that either.
I am betting spawn will be today. $1.
Some people do not sleep here. I have an excuse because in path of totality and doing some science with it.
