young sticklebacks between 2 and 4 cm ,will try to include both males and females ,The 3 spined stickleback is a small native fish common and widespread across the uk found in most aquatic enviroments ,from large lakes and rivers to small streams ,ponds and even puddles and ditches it is highly tolerant of pollution and can be found in waters too polluted for other fish it can also be found in brackish enviroments and even in salt water ,sticklebacks are carnivorous and will eat almost any small creatures they can fit in there mouth including small aquatic insects ,midge larvae ,zooplankton ,worms and will even eat hydra and can help control infestations of them ,they can also be fed frozen bloodworm and daphnia ,however due to there small size there is usually enough food in decent size pond to naturally sustain them ,3 spined sticklebacks live between 1 and 4 years depending on water conditions mainly temperature and availibility of food and can reach a max size of 8cm however a size of 3 to 4 cm is more common ,they are the second smallest native fish after the 9 spine stickleback which makes it highly suitable for small wildlife ponds ,they are also easy to breed so you can create a self sustaining population in your pond.
3 spined stickleback ( gasterosteus aculeatus )
3 spine sticklebacks have an interesting breeding cycle , the breeding season starts around mid april ,male sticklebacks start to develope there breeding colouration of bright blue eyes and red breast ,they will start to defend a small territory and build a nest made of ,leaves ,sticks ,moss ,or aquatic plants ,female sticklebacks swim through the nest depositing between 40 and 300 eggs ,the male will vigorously defend his territory from newts ,tadpoles ,water beetles aswell as other fish even fish larger than himself ,he also fans the eggs with his fins too keep them oxygenated the eggs hatch in 7–8 days at 18–20 °C Once the young hatch, the male attempts to keep them together for a few days, sucking up any wanderers into his mouth and spitting them back into the nest. Afterwards, the young disperse and the nest is either abandoned by the male, or repaired in preparation for another breeding cycle ,the 3 spine stickleback is easy to breed and provided you have both males and females they will breed naturally in your pond they can also be bred in aquaria.
