about lumpfish eggs

[benthos]

For those who might be curious, I thought I'd share a photo of my Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) eggs at the eyed stage. They're laid in a sticky mass and the males take on guarding duties. The eggs themselves are quite sizeable, about 2-2.5mm in diameter. Females can grow up to 60cm in length and tip the scales at over 4kg, making them a potential tank buster, but despite this, they're relatively common in aquariums across Northern Europe, the UK, and North America.

[jasmy]

Congrats on the Lumpfish eggs, benthos.

[coltin]

Those little critters are literally staring me down - so many tiny, beady eyes. What's the story behind these Lumpfish, benthos? Are they from your Antarctic expedition and are they successfully breeding in your setup?

[benthos]

Those little critters are literally staring me down - so many tiny, beady eyes. What's the story behind these Lumpfish, benthos? Are they from your Antarctic expedition and are they successfully breeding in your setup?

Never thought of the pacmans, might have to use that in the future.

So the Lumpfish is common in the North Atlantic, and I'd say it's more of a Sub-Arctic species. During mating season, the males display a huge range of colours - red, green, blue, pink, orange. They've been historically fished for cheap caviar and used in traditional foods in Norway, Iceland, and Denmark.

Females can reach over 60cm in length and upwards of 4kg, the largest I've seen was about 4.5kg. They're really common in aquaria around Europe and North America - you can find them in otterix's aquarium in Toronto, or Deep Sea World outside Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Denver Aquarium in the USA.

Recently, they've been used by the salmon industry as cleanerfish to remove sea lice off the salmon, instead of chemicals. Aquaculture now produces around 18-20 million lumpfish a year.

I work with these animals at the moment, and due to their size, I don't think I'll be keeping them in my 2-bed flat anytime soon. But one day I'll get myself a pair - I love these fish, they're very personable and pretty awesome.

If anyone's interested in keeping them, they do well in water temperatures below 10C, with low water flow and low light levels. Nutrition-wise, they eat almost anything, and readily breed once mature. Water quality isn't a big deal for them - they're really tolerant of conditions, and can even be exposed to air for longer periods than makes me comfortable. The males will guard egg masses laid in intertidal zones and stay with the egg when the water recedes.

[coltin]

For those who might be curious, I thought I'd share a photo of my Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) eggs at the eyed stage. They're laid in a sticky mass and the males take on guarding duties. The eggs themselves are quite sizeable, about 2-2.5mm in diameter. Females can grow up to 60cm in length and tip the scales at over 4kg, making them a potential tank buster, but despite this, they're relatively common in aquariums across Northern Europe, the UK, and North America.

Put a curved line under the eyes and you have a smiley face

benthos said:



Anyone interesteadsly on keeping them, water temperatures below 10C,...



Won't be keeping any here then, our water temperature's all wrong - rarely dips below 10C in winter, and it's not uncommon for it to soar above 30C in the summer months.

I'm curious, though - how do you tackle gravel cleaning and tank maintenance in cold water? Do you just grit your teeth and get on with it, or do you have some secret trick for keeping your hands from freezing?

[coltin]

For those who might be curious, I thought I'd share a photo of my Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) eggs at the eyed stage. They're laid in a sticky mass and the males take on guarding duties. The eggs themselves are quite sizeable, about 2-2.5mm in diameter. Females can grow up to 60cm in length and tip the scales at over 4kg, making them a potential tank buster, but despite this, they're relatively common in aquariums across Northern Europe, the UK, and North America.

Put a curved line under the eyes and you have a smiley face

benthos said:



Anyone interesteadsly on keeping them, water temperatures below 10C,...



Won't be keeping any here then, our water temperature's all wrong - rarely dips below 10C in winter, and it's not uncommon for it to soar above 30C in the summer months.

I'm curious, though - how do you tackle gravel cleaning and tank maintenance in cold water? Do you just grit your teeth and get on with it, or do you have some secret trick for keeping your hands from freezing?

Put a curved line under the eyes and you have a smiley face

benthos said:



Anyone interesteadsly on keeping them, water temperatures below 10C,...



Won't be keeping any here then, our water temperature's all wrong - rarely dips below 10C in winter, and it's not uncommon for it to soar above 30C in the summer months.

I'm curious, though - how do you tackle gravel cleaning and tank maintenance in cold water? Do you just grit your teeth and get on with it, or do you have some secret trick for keeping your hands from freezing?

[benthos]

Those little critters are literally staring me down - so many tiny, beady eyes. What's the story behind these Lumpfish, benthos? Are they from your Antarctic expedition and are they successfully breeding in your setup?

For those pesky tasks that require getting hands wet, I swear by tools on long handles - keeps the chill off. When that's not an option, it's a case of gritting the teeth and getting on with it. A good pair of insulated gloves is worth its weight in gold, I can tell you. And, being a Brit, there's no substitute for a hot brew to warm the bones afterwards - essential kit, if you ask me.

[onyzza]

I'm a big fan of the lumpfish tank at my local aquarium. They're always so interactive, swimming up to the glass to check you out if you hang around for a bit. It's awesome to see that captive breeding programs are in place for them.

I had no idea the males came in such a wide range of colors - I always assumed the red ones were a different species altogether. Guess I was wrong, and it's just the males showing off their stuff.

[benthos]

Yeah, the male lumpfish have this crazy colour variation going on - red, green, blue, the works. Not entirely sure what's behind it, possibly to attract a mate, but honestly, it's still a mystery. They seem to be a real crowd-pleaser, especially the smaller ones. And you know what's really annoying? They always seem to steal the show, getting more attention than my own fish.