How to Raise Speckled Trout Indoors

The speckled trout is an attractive fish native to eastern North America, where it ranges from ponds and rivers to estuarine habitats. The speckled trout is a highly popular sport fish and has been introduced to rivers around the world. Females use their bodies to hollow out a "redd" or nest, in which they lay up to 500 eggs. Although the speckled trout has a long incubation period, it is possible to rear these fish in an aquarium.

Things You'll Need

  • 200-gallon aquarium
  • Gravel
  • Chlorine neutralizer
  • Aquarium chiller
  • Power head
  • Sponge filter
  • Vibrator pump
  • Holding tank
  • Sexually mature male and female speckled trout
  • Fresh or frozen prawn
  • Earthworms
  • Daphnia
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a 6-inch layer of gravel onto the bottom of the aquarium. This depth is important, as the female will dig a nest up to 6 inches deep, in which to lay her eggs.

    • 2

      Fill the aquarium with tap water and add 20 tsps. of chlorine remover.

    • 3

      Connect an aquarium chiller to the aquarium and set it to 50F.

    • 4

      Position a power head on one side of the aquarium and adjust the outflow nozzle to deliver water across the length of the aquarium. Speckled trout prefer to breed in sections of the river where a current keeps its eggs clean and well oxygenated.

    • 5

      Connect a sponge filter to a small vibrator pump and place it into the rear of the aquarium.

    • 6

      Remove a pair of sexually mature speckled trout from your holding tanks and place them into the breeding aquarium.

    • 7

      Identify the male fish by the deep orange to red color on the belly.

    • 8

      Feed live food, such as earth worms and pieces of frozen or fresh prawn to the trout, to condition them for spawning.

    • 9

      Observe the female fish digging a nest in the gravel and laying her eggs.

    • 10

      Watch the male fish releases his milt or sperm over the eggs as they are laid.

    • 11

      Remove the parent fish after the egg have been fertilized and covered over by the female's tail fin. Return the adult fish to your holding tanks.

    • 12

      Wait for 44 days at a water temperature of 50 degrees F for the alevins or trout larvae to emerge. Speckled trout have extended incubation periods.

    • 13

      Wait two weeks for the fry to emerge from between the individual pieces of gravel. These babies will have been feeding off their yolk-sac during the time they remain hidden in the gravel bed and will not require food until they emerge. The fry will be approximately 1 inch in length when they become free swimming.

    • 14

      Add daphnia to the aquarium three times daily. Always ensure there are sufficient amounts of these water fleas for the fry to feed continually between the three feeding sessions.

    • 15

      Observe the trout fry grow. By the end of 12 months, they will be between 2 and 4 inches long.