How do fish keep there babys safe?

Answer 1

The majority of fish are egglayers. A male and female (or sometimes a large group including both sexes) will spawn with eggs and milt (liquid containing sperm) being released at the same time. Most of the eggs will be fertilised. They may be left to fall to the bottom or into plants (egg scattering) or attached to objects like the glass, plant stems or rocks. Usually, once the eggs have been laid the parents leave and have nothing more to do with them. Some fish care for the eggs - usually one parent and usually the male, although sometimes both, will stay near the eggs and care for them. Fish that do this include plecos (ie bristlenose catfish) - the male remains with the eggs to clean them, remove any that begin to rot, and fan them to provide a supply of oxygenated water. Male anabantids also care for the eggs, which are placed in a bubblenest - the male guards the nest and picks up any eggs that fall out and puts them back. Mostly, the parents will abandon the fry shortly after hatching. The best example of parental care in freswater fish is probably the family Cichlidae (the cichlids). Many cichlids spawn in a cave or on a rock, and both parents will then guard, fan and clean the eggs until they hatch. The fry will then be cared for (herded around and guarded) until they are several weeks old and too big to be picked off by small fish. Cichlids that do this often form a permanent pair bond, with the same pair of fish remaining together and producing multiple broods. Other cichlids mouthbrood - after laying the eggs one parent, usually the female, takes the eggs into her mouth. She does not feed for the entire time they are in there, often over three weeks, and will become extremely thin. The fry that she releases from her mouth are large and well developed. Often the parents will continue to care for the fry after she releases them, and when threatened the fry will be herded back into her mouth until the danger passes. There are other fish (non-cichlids) that mouthbrood - in most of these cases, it is the male that carries the eggs in his mouth (ie mouthbrooding anabantids.) The notable exception to all of this is the livebearers. There are a lot of fish that have seperately developed the mechanism of a 'pregnancy' but the ones most people will encounter are the Poeciliidae, which are popular aquarium fish and include guppies, platys, swordtails and mollies. The male has a modified anal fin with which he fertilises the females internally. The females carry the fertilised eggs inside them for around a month and then give birth to well developed live young, that are larger and more robust than the newly hatched fry of most egglayers. Very, very few livebearers care for the fry after they are born.

Answer 2

There are many species of fish that do not protect their young at all. The ones that do protect their offspring usually keep the young together in a group and move them from place to place regularly. They will also drive away other fish from the vicinity of their young.

Answer 3

This is dependant on the type of fish. Many fish, such as goldfish, release eggs that the male needs to fertilize. Other fish, such as a molly, give birth to live baby fish.