Breeding Ninespine Stickleback (Pungitius Pungitius) In The Aquarium

Location

This species lives in standing water or in the reservoir with gentle currents. These fish lives in groups in shallow, low salinity waters or in coastal areas. They can be also found in a bit cloudy waters.

Body description

Colour of the body is silvery-brown with whitish under-side. The body is fusiform with bony plates along the lateral line. There is nine spines on the back. Male has darker body and in spawning season you may see white spines on the pelvic fins.

Temperament and behaviour

This is a predatory fish. It feeds on small aquatic animals, a roe and other species fry. These fish is aggressive – especially males. The more males will be kept the larger aquarium you will need. Males are territorial and fight with each other. This species swims at the bottom of the aquarium. It hides among plants or other hiding-places. It even buries it self in the substrate when feels danger.

Aquarium decoration

These fish prefer a spacious tanks with a lot of plants, open area to swim, a lot of hiding-places, fine substrate. Water should be rich in minerals and it should have gentle flow.

Breeding

This is oviparous species and its breeding is an easy task. You need more females than males. Male builds a nest a few inches above the bottom for a several days. This nest is formed between plants with a pieces of plants and wood. Male become very aggressive and doesn’t eat for that period. Male entices female to the nest where she lays eggs. You should remove female after spawning. Male takes care and protect the nest and eggs. The eggs hatch after 2 weeks. The fry starts swimming several days later. When it happens you should remove male because he can attack the offspring.