Spawns in spring and early summer once water is above about 10 °C, scattering sticky eggs onto plants; parents eat eggs, so fry are raised apart and sorted for colour.
Group in spring pond.
Pond with spawning mops or plants.
Spring warming.
A female usually lays about 2,000-4,000 eggs at a time; they hatch in 2-9 days depending on temperature.
Fry feed on infusoria then fine pellets; cull for colour.
One breeding tank for the shubunkin, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 4–26 °C · pH 6.5–8
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 30 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A row of tanks on their own stands for breeding the shubunkin in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 750 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
In the breeding season males develop small white breeding tubercles on the gill covers (sometimes on the pectoral fins); females are rounder-bodied.
Typical for egg scatterers
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.