Tricks on how to choose high-quality goldfish broodstock

With superior carp seeds, the possibility of getting quality crops increases. Superior carp seeds can be obtained from trusted fish seed cultivators or from high quality goldfish parents with superior genes.

Do you already know how to choose superior quality carp brooders?

Before knowing how to choose one, let's review the advantages of using superior quality goldfish, namely:

• Will produce quality seeds
• Akah gave birth to goldfish seeds in large quantities
• Not easy to get sick
• The process of seed growth is faster
• The seeds have a high survival value
• Will produce eggs with good conditions, so hatchability is high

Therefore, you need to do a selection of goldfish broodstock before spawning.

One of the characteristics of the ideal parent fish for breeding is goldfish that have a body weight of 6-12 kg. In addition to body weight, you also need to pay attention to the physical condition of the goldfish (organ completeness, gonadal maturity level, body weight, etc.) and try not to stress the fish before spawning. 

Characteristics of Prospective Goldfish Parents

How to choose a goldfish parent starts from knowing the characteristics of high-quality prospective broodstock. The total fecundity produced by quality carp brooders is quite a lot, namely 15-20% of body weight. The large number of eggs is very profitable for carp cultivators.

The following are the characteristics of the best quality goldfish broodstock:

• Fish in good health, without defects or injuries
• Parent age between 1.5-3 years
• The parent scales are large and evenly distributed
• The condition of the fish scales has no wounds or defects
• Proportional body size and shape
• Body texture is not too hard or soft
• Relatively tall body size
• The shape of the stomach is flat and wide
• The tail is normal and thick, with a relatively wide tail base
• The distance between the base of the tail and the anal opening is relatively close
• Small head size with a sharp muzzle

Also Read: Want to Start Goldfish Cultivation? Check This Article!

The characteristics of broodstock goldfish

You also need to know the characteristics of the goldfish parents for each breed specifically, both male and female parents. This is to ensure that the fish breeders are suitable for spawning.

The following table shows the characteristics of the goldfish according to their sex.

You can prepare the main goldfish since the fish are still 5-8 cm in size or 8-12 cm in size. The trick is when you get a fish of that size that meets the characteristics and characteristics of potential carp brooders, then you can separate the fish into your own brood pond.

After the prospective sires grow up, carry out a feasibility check on the sires based on secondary characteristics such as the level of gonadal maturity. If all the criteria match your needs, you can also use the goldfish as a goldfish parent.

Parameters of Gonad Maturity Level

The last factor in the selection procedure for goldfish broodstock is the parameter of the maturity level of the broodstock gonads. 

There are 2 ways to check the maturity level of the gonads that can be done. The first method is checking microscopically to observe the gonadal cells in the broodstock. The second way is to look at the condition and size of the gonad itself in the goldfish parent.

The following parameters are used to determine the maturity level of the gonads of the main carp:

• Ovary shape
• Expansion of the ovary in the body cavity
• Ovarian size
• Ovary color
• Degree of ovarian smoothness (is discharge from the ovary)
• The size of the egg in the ovary
• The shape and color of the egg
• The size of the midline of the egg

To find out the maturity level of the goldfish broodstock in each broodstock, you can do the TKG procedure or procedures to find out the development of the gonads before and after the broodstock spawn.

The following is the TKG procedure and its indicators for male sires:

• Juvenile stage: Place of clear sperm.
• Young stages of development: Sperm areas are cloudy, gray in color, and translucent.
• Developmental stage I: The sperm spot is reddish like blood vessels and opaque.
• Developmental stage II: White or reddish white sperm spot at the peak of sperm formation.
• Spanning stage: Where the sperm is opaque. When pressed, the testicles will come out and the sperm has been formed perfectly.
• The mature stage is ready for spawning: The sperm spot is white and opaque. When pressed, the sperm will flow out.
• The half-spread stage: The sperm spot is slightly reddish in color, not translucent, and when pressed, sperm will come out.
• Spawning stage: The sperm spot is dark red or reddish-gray. At this stage sperm does not come out anymore.

The following is the TKG procedure and its indicators for female sires:

• Virgin stage: The ovary which is at the bottom of the spine is small and is gray or transparent.
• Stages of developing virgin: Eggs can be seen using a magnifying glass.
• Developmental stage I: The ovary is round, reddish in color, and the eggs are powdery white.
• Developmental stage II: The color of the ovary changes to a reddish-orange color.
• Pregnancy stage: The ovaries will become full and fill the space in the lower cavity. The eggs are round and clear.
• Mijah stages: Clear eggs will come out when the stomach is pressed.
• Saline spawning stage: The condition of the ovary has not been completely empty and gradually becomes empty.
• Saline recovery stage: The color of the ovary turns clear or reddish-gray.

Also Read: 4 Ways to Spawn Goldfish that are Easy to Do!

Tips for Choosing a Goldfish Parent

To facilitate the selection of goldfish parents, you can mark prospective parents who have good characteristics and criteria by cutting their fins or placing earrings. That way, you don't need to be afraid of choosing the wrong broodstock when the prospective sires are still in the same cultivation pond as other fish.

Ideally, you prepare at least 30 goldfish brooders to be spawned with a ratio of male to female broodstock of 3:1 or 3:2. With these numbers and comparison ratios, sires can spawn during the mating season. 

However, you need to ensure that the brood stock used is obtained from spawn that is different from other prospective broodstock. The goal is to avoid interbreeding. Therefore, when the parents produce quality seed offspring that will be used as potential broodstock, the goldfish parents and their offspring must be cared for in separate places to maintain gene quality.

Cross-breeding between siblings needs to be avoided because the fish seeds produced will experience a decrease in the rate of growth acceleration up to 20%, decrease in body resistance to diseases and viruses, and decrease in the success rate of hatchery. The long-term impact, interbreeding between siblings will create a decrease in the growth of 5% for each generation.

How to Care for Goldfish Broodstock

Even though already using race or strains superior goldfish, if you don't know how to properly care for goldfish broodstock, then it will be difficult for goldfish to spawn. 

One thing that needs to be considered is the goldfish feed that is given when the main carp is spawning. You can provide pelleted feed with a protein content between 20-25%. Apart from pellets, you can provide natural food such as earthworms.

Also Read: Goldfish Feeding Tips To Grow Big Fast But Save!

Spreading Feed for Parent Goldfish Made Easy with eFeeder 5!

So that the fish feed can be spread evenly throughout the spawning ponds, you can use eFeeders from eFishery.

eFeeders is a smart feeder for fish that can be controlled remotely using the application on smartphones. Through this application, you can control the duration, distance, frequency and amount of feed that is thrown. That way, the feed can be spread more evenly and the goldfish won't even be fighting over the food! 

Let's use it eFeeders 5 so that the feed is more even!