As much as you will stay humble and downplay it I wanted to say you are more or less a professional on the subject of Medaka and I have found your videos and advice very clear and to the point. It is great that you live in such a warm climate but there simply are not enough English-speaking (British) videos on keeping Medaka. Please keep the videos coming and continue educating us in your simple but effective presentation style.
I've collected about 25 eggs so far and about 8 have eyes! I really enjoy the process of picking out the eggs every day. We don't have access to any of the fancy varieties in my area (Canada), but I'm hoping to find some with the blue shimmer colouration eventually. Currently, I have white, orange, and orange/white mix. Once I have built up my numbers, I plan to selectively breed the mixed ones to produce the red cap look. For now, the ones I have are an inconsistent mix of the two colours. Thanks for another video.
In my experience, red caps aren't really "red" ... I may be wrong but I think in Japanese it is defined as vermillion i.e orange-red instead of scarlet-red. Also red caps usually don't breed true ... maybe only, say, 15% of offspring are red (orange) cap; the other 85% are orange/white mix. Orochi (black) and miyuki ("shine" along the back) are standard types which maybe are worthwhile looking for ..... but "blue" coloring can be deceiving.
Great video, thank you for sharing? May I ask where you are located … are you in the UK? I managed to collect 37 eggs yesterday from my group of 12 red capped Medaka, 15 the day before and 17 the day before that.
Hi, I'm in Asia in a sub-tropical climate. To produce eggs like that, your medaka must be happy and healthy in the environment you've provided for them, Looks like in a month's time you may have collected 600 eggs.
@@km-qh3rs aaaahhhh I was hoping you were in the UK like me. Now watching all your videos 😂 I have established tubs outside with 3 different types of Medaka so far. I do have plants including Lily’s and use the same spawning mops as you although use the pool noodle idea. Definitely very addictive and extremely rewarding.
Hi you are doing a great job. I have about 10 platinum white Platinum Medaka live in London and my Platinum Medaka are around 2 cm long but haven't seen a single egg. It is now June 2024 and i live in London. I haven't seen a single set of clusters of eggs on the females. Could it be the case that at 2 cm in length the Platinum Medaka are not yet sexually mature?
I have had breeding groups produce a few eggs when the medaka were about 15 mm long ..... so 2 cm fish should be mature enough. I've had a group of 9 fish producing zero eggs ..... but then I found they were all females. I've also found, depending on the medaka strain, some will produce eggs with water temp at 20degC ..... others won't produce eggs until water temp exceeds 25degC ..... most will not produce eggs when water temp exceeds 30degC Some are OK with 11 hours of bright light ..... some need 13 or 14 hours of bright light. Some produce eggs in relatively poor water quality ..... others need good water quality and/or neutral to mildly alkaline PH. Some medaka seem to spawn better when moved to a tub in the sun ..... particularly early morning sun Some females properly attach the eggs to spawning mops ..... others scatter the eggs anywhere. And some groups (and I have one now) don't produce any eggs, even though the fish are fit and healthy and I've tried every remedy I can think of. One option to try ..... in a group some medaka may steal and eat the eggs from females and/or there are so many fish swimming around it disturbs the spawning process. Perhaps try dividing out into breeding trios of 1 male and 2 females and keep in separate bare containers i.e. no substrate and only very minimal floating plants. Say, 20 liter buckets ..... high protein food ..... with a bit of early morning sun...... maybe 15% water changes every few days.
@@km-qh3rs ah thank you very much for the very detailed response. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me those tips. I will try them and it is interesting to hear that you've had Medaka of 15mm length produce eggs. Perhaps they are breeding but my tub is heavily planted which may be a reason why I am not seeing anything. I will try your suggested steps and see if it brings me any success. Thank you very much once again! :)
@@H.Ali_08 One thing I forgot about and left off the list is ...... perhaps don't expect to get very many eggs if the medaka are in a heavily planted tub. Probably many would disagree with my opinion, but I've got no idea why it is often recommended that medaka need heavily planted tanks or tubs. Medakas' natural habitat is mainly open water streams and rice fields. They are surface feeders with upward pointing mouths and their eyes are towards the top of their head so they can more easily see overhead predators ..... and they need at least 12 hours of bright light to spawn (ideally with at least part of that period being sunshine). They will still survive in a heavily planted environment but will be under stress and many appear shy because ..... they can't feed properly from the surface ..... they can't see sideways properly to look for predators perhaps hiding in the the plants ..... they don't get enough bright light within the murky depths. Medaka are at their happiest and healthiest and most likely to spawn in a sparsely planted tub with a relatively large open water surface area and with bright, good quality, full spectrum light. Sorry, long-winded as usual ....... but, as with my videos, I don't have the patience to edit
@@km-qh3rs this is fantastic information thank you. In fact as per your previous advice I removed a number of plants from my tank yesterday. It's great that you are doing these highly educational videos. I think more and more people in the UK are becoming aware of how great Medaka are!
@@km-qh3rs I have purchased an aquatic thermometer and note the water temperature is around 16 degrees Celsius. I note in your earlier comment that Medaka will not produce eggs generally under 25 degrees C however in exceptional circumstances some may produce eggs at 20 degrees onwards. I just have to hope June in the UK brings warmer weathers which will raise the water temperature to around 25 degrees. Atleast this reassures me why my Medaka have not produced a single egg despite being between 1.5cm - 2.5 cm in length. Thanks for your help. I purchased Medaka fish as they are brilliant, versatile fish that tick every box as I'm sure you will agree being a huge hobbiest of the fish.
As much as you will stay humble and downplay it I wanted to say you are more or less a professional on the subject of Medaka and I have found your videos and advice very clear and to the point. It is great that you live in such a warm climate but there simply are not enough English-speaking (British) videos on keeping Medaka. Please keep the videos coming and continue educating us in your simple but effective presentation style.
I've collected about 25 eggs so far and about 8 have eyes! I really enjoy the process of picking out the eggs every day. We don't have access to any of the fancy varieties in my area (Canada), but I'm hoping to find some with the blue shimmer colouration eventually. Currently, I have white, orange, and orange/white mix. Once I have built up my numbers, I plan to selectively breed the mixed ones to produce the red cap look. For now, the ones I have are an inconsistent mix of the two colours. Thanks for another video.
In my experience, red caps aren't really "red" ... I may be wrong but I think in Japanese it is defined as vermillion i.e orange-red instead of scarlet-red. Also red caps usually don't breed true ... maybe only, say, 15% of offspring are red (orange) cap; the other 85% are orange/white mix. Orochi (black) and miyuki ("shine" along the back) are standard types which maybe are worthwhile looking for ..... but "blue" coloring can be deceiving.
Alexander Williamson said that the Mekong River ricefish (mekongensis) have a nice blue shimmer.
Great video, thank you for sharing? May I ask where you are located … are you in the UK? I managed to collect 37 eggs yesterday from my group of 12 red capped Medaka, 15 the day before and 17 the day before that.
Hi, I'm in Asia in a sub-tropical climate. To produce eggs like that, your medaka must be happy and healthy in the environment you've provided for them, Looks like in a month's time you may have collected 600 eggs.
@@km-qh3rs aaaahhhh I was hoping you were in the UK like me. Now watching all your videos 😂 I have established tubs outside with 3 different types of Medaka so far. I do have plants including Lily’s and use the same spawning mops as you although use the pool noodle idea. Definitely very addictive and extremely rewarding.
Hi you are doing a great job. I have about 10 platinum white Platinum Medaka live in London and my Platinum Medaka are around 2 cm long but haven't seen a single egg. It is now June 2024 and i live in London. I haven't seen a single set of clusters of eggs on the females. Could it be the case that at 2 cm in length the Platinum Medaka are not yet sexually mature?
I have had breeding groups produce a few eggs when the medaka were about 15 mm long ..... so 2 cm fish should be mature enough. I've had a group of 9 fish producing zero eggs ..... but then I found they were all females. I've also found, depending on the medaka strain, some will produce eggs with water temp at 20degC ..... others won't produce eggs until water temp exceeds 25degC ..... most will not produce eggs when water temp exceeds 30degC Some are OK with 11 hours of bright light ..... some need 13 or 14 hours of bright light. Some produce eggs in relatively poor water quality ..... others need good water quality and/or neutral to mildly alkaline PH. Some medaka seem to spawn better when moved to a tub in the sun ..... particularly early morning sun Some females properly attach the eggs to spawning mops ..... others scatter the eggs anywhere. And some groups (and I have one now) don't produce any eggs, even though the fish are fit and healthy and I've tried every remedy I can think of.
One option to try ..... in a group some medaka may steal and eat the eggs from females and/or there are so many fish swimming around it disturbs the spawning process. Perhaps try dividing out into breeding trios of 1 male and 2 females and keep in separate bare containers i.e. no substrate and only very minimal floating plants. Say, 20 liter buckets ..... high protein food ..... with a bit of early morning sun...... maybe 15% water changes every few days.
@@km-qh3rs ah thank you very much for the very detailed response. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me those tips. I will try them and it is interesting to hear that you've had Medaka of 15mm length produce eggs. Perhaps they are breeding but my tub is heavily planted which may be a reason why I am not seeing anything. I will try your suggested steps and see if it brings me any success. Thank you very much once again! :)
@@H.Ali_08 One thing I forgot about and left off the list is ...... perhaps don't expect to get very many eggs if the medaka are in a heavily planted tub. Probably many would disagree with my opinion, but I've got no idea why it is often recommended that medaka need heavily planted tanks or tubs. Medakas' natural habitat is mainly open water streams and rice fields. They are surface feeders with upward pointing mouths and their eyes are towards the top of their head so they can more easily see overhead predators ..... and they need at least 12 hours of bright light to spawn (ideally with at least part of that period being sunshine). They will still survive in a heavily planted environment but will be under stress and many appear shy because ..... they can't feed properly from the surface ..... they can't see sideways properly to look for predators perhaps hiding in the the plants ..... they don't get enough bright light within the murky depths. Medaka are at their happiest and healthiest and most likely to spawn in a sparsely planted tub with a relatively large open water surface area and with bright, good quality, full spectrum light.
Sorry, long-winded as usual ....... but, as with my videos, I don't have the patience to edit
@@km-qh3rs this is fantastic information thank you. In fact as per your previous advice I removed a number of plants from my tank yesterday. It's great that you are doing these highly educational videos. I think more and more people in the UK are becoming aware of how great Medaka are!
@@km-qh3rs I have purchased an aquatic thermometer and note the water temperature is around 16 degrees Celsius. I note in your earlier comment that Medaka will not produce eggs generally under 25 degrees C however in exceptional circumstances some may produce eggs at 20 degrees onwards. I just have to hope June in the UK brings warmer weathers which will raise the water temperature to around 25 degrees. Atleast this reassures me why my Medaka have not produced a single egg despite being between 1.5cm - 2.5 cm in length. Thanks for your help. I purchased Medaka fish as they are brilliant, versatile fish that tick every box as I'm sure you will agree being a huge hobbiest of the fish.