medaka rice fish outdoors - lessons learned from the spring breeding season

[@berenicehickey9755]

I have Gold Lame,Ulysses and Blue Sparkle strains here in Singapore....

[@andreagalda28]

How did your numbers end up compared to your breeding plans video?

[@fsr170409]

Just found your channel and I've subscribed. I'm thinking of getting some medaka for outside. Where did you source your original fish from?

[@km-qh3rs]

I always forget to count .......... but I'm sure I've produced more than enough. However I'll have to wait until September to see how many survive the very hot and rainy summer weather.

[@km-qh3rs]

@@fsr170409 Hi. There are none in any local fish stores but I managed to find a source on Facebook willing to let me have some. Had to drive quite a way to collect them and they are not pure bred strains. However they are reasonably colorful and I'm happy with that.

[@TheStevenshaw]

I keep seeing that medaka are prohibited from being kept outside in the UK is this true?

[@km-qh3rs]

I don't live in the UK and I'm not a lawyer so I may be wrong about this ..... but my understanding is that it is not illegal to keep medaka in outdoor tubs and garden ponds. I assume that the information you have seen has arisen from this article (or similar) ornamentalfish.org/industry-warned-to-ensure-oryzias-species-must-only-be-sold-for-indoor-aquariums/ . This appears to be only an advisory note from the trade organization to retailers that, in accordance with their license under the Import of Live Fish Act, they can "only sell medaka for indoor aquariums" and that the retailer should ensure customers understand that medaka "cannot be kept in outdoor ponds or barrels". However obviously when customers get the medaka home, the retailer has no control over where the customers keep the fish and it is incorrect for a retailer to say they "cannot" be kept outdoors.

[@AbraAbrakadabraKadabra]

Selective breeding or just let them do their stuff?

[@km-qh3rs]

Selective to the extent that I form breeding groups of all one type of medaka e.g. all orange medaka. However I've learned previously not to be too fussy about selecting only the very best looking fish to form the group if I only have a few fish of that type to select from. I only feel comfortable when I've reached what you might call "critical mass" of, say, 20 fish of a particular type. For example, if only, say, 7 or 8 orange medaka then I'd breed them all ...... if, say, 20 orange medaka I'd select the best 9 to 15 fish to breed. Personally I'm not that interested in trying to keep the most spectacular looking types of medaka outdoors and I'm happy with a shoal of reasonably good looking, well colored fish. I may be wrong but I think that a certain amount of genetic diversity helps maintain a reasonably robust line of fish for keeping outdoors ........... which is why I aim for a breeding group of that size even if the fish are not all of the very best color etc.