# Eggs & hatching

_What happens between placing an egg and having a fish._

## Every fish starts as an egg

Buy an egg in the [shop](https://fishies.lol/wiki/mechanics/shop), then tap the water where you want it. A shop egg hatches after 1 minute, right on time, even if nobody is watching.

An egg sent as a [gift](https://fishies.lol/wiki/mechanics/gifts) waits in your Pantry first, so its clock only starts once you place it yourself.

## A newborn's first meal

A fish that has just hatched is hungry straight away. Give it its first meal to start its care cycle. [Feeding & hunger](https://fishies.lol/wiki/mechanics/feeding) explains what comes next.

## Eggs from your own fish

A grown pair of one species can also lay an egg in your aquarium on their own, with no button to press. A bred egg hatches after twelve hours, or after thirty-six if you tap it and choose Incubate, which improves its odds (with the Hatchery research, one incubated egg at a time hatches after thirty hours instead); an egg from two gold or two diamond parents may start life a tier or two higher. [Quality, condition & breeding](https://fishies.lol/wiki/mechanics/quality) explains when it happens.

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In the game: https://fishies.lol/wiki/mechanics/hatching · Fishies 0.8.24

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