Spawning of French grunts, Haemulon flavolineatum , in recirculating aquarium systems

PeerJ

article

Leah Maurer¹  Matthew Dawson¹  Larry Boles¹  Stacy Knight¹  Andrew Stamper³ 

[1] Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends®, Walt Disney World Resort®, New College of Florida;Leah.M.Maurer.-;Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends®

关键词: Spontaneous spawning;    Environmental parameters;    Aquarium;    French grunt;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.9417

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundBecause the French grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum, is an ecologically important reef fish prized by both recreational anglers and public aquariums, the wild population requires limits on harvests. Yet, the environmental conditions conducive for French grunt spawning in aquarium settings is not well understood. Therefore, the goal of this study was to document the conditions leading to voluntary spawning and the number of eggs produced by French grunts without the use of hormones or artificial insemination.MethodsWe hypothesized and verified that it is possible for French grunts to spontaneously spawn in human care. Forty individuals were collected around the Florida Keys and haphazardly stocked in five recirculating seawater systems each containing two 250-L circular tanks. Over the course of 87 days, eggs were collected daily from each system and environmental parameters were monitored.ResultsTotal daily number of eggs released ranged from 0 to 207,644 eggs. Of the observed environmental parameters, temperature and alkalinity had the greatest impact on number of eggs released. This study demonstrates that it is possible for French grunts to reproduce in captivity with little environmental manipulation, thus an ideal candidate to culture for the zoo/aquarium industry.

【 授权许可】

CC BY