the sandfish goes through 6 stages of growth before maturing into an adult. this starts when the adults spawn. after a day the fertilized eggs develop into a first planktonic phase, a gastrula, then after two days it becomes a auricularia, the feeding planktonic stage. within the next 14 days the sandfish will enter a non-feeding doliolaria stage and a final planktonic pentactula stage, before becoming juveniles and settling into the sea grass meadows to mature.