How To Breed

fishfrenzy328 · 09-17-2005, 08:17 PM

Ive heard of breeding and am thinking of trying it. What are the best fish to breed, how big should the tank be, how do you tell if the fish is a male or female and what should I do when the babies are hatched

Hamm35924 · 09-17-2005, 08:23 PM

the easiest fish to breed are guppies, mollies, and platys. they are livebearers and do not lay eggs, so you will have a bunch of little fry. but they breed ALOT. maybe you could trade them into your LFS for store credit.

cucci67 · 09-17-2005, 08:33 PM

Well, it will be best for you to start with a common livebearer, guppies seem to be the easiest. A 10 gallon tank will be ideal for this setup. It is easy to tell gender on guppies, as males will have large brilliantly colored tails whereas females have a smaller tail with little to no color at all. Make sure you get atleast 2 females for every male, or the male will haras the single female until exaustion. The females will have babies about every 4 weeks. Over taht time period she will continue to grow fatter and the gravid spot ( little black spot towards the back of her) will darken and grow larger. She will look "squarish" right before she is about to have her fry (babies), and she will start sitting in a corner. This is when you should put her in a breeder net/trap (a small box that sits in the main tank where the female can have her babies without them being eaten by other fish). Be careful with the mother, as she will also eat the fry if you don't remove her after she gives birth to her 10-30 fry. The easiest food for the fry is finely crushed flake food. Just put some flake food in a zipper bag and start crushing it with your fingers. Keep the fry in the breeder trap until they are about 1/2-3/4" long about 3-5 weeks old, when they can be released back into the main tank with the parents as long as there are no fish large enough to eat them.

Mobydock · 09-17-2005, 09:28 PM

Judging by the question, I assume you haven't been in the hobby long, so learning good basic fish keeping skills(water maintenance, feeding, recognising abnormal behavior, etc.) is the most crucial part of getting into breeding. Livebearers like mentioned above are probably the easiest to breed, because they really only require conditions they can live in and they'll breed. I've never tryied myself, but convicts(cichlid) are also supposed to be very easily bred, if you wanted to try an egg layer. I can't remember exactly what you'd need, but it'd be a bigger tank than guppies(40G?) and probably just some caves or flat rocks(not sure which they use).

cucci67 · 09-18-2005, 07:11 AM

Well, another option is White clouds. They will readily breed in good conditions, and they do not eat their own fry or eggs. All you need is a 10 gallon and 4-5 white clouds. The males have a slimmer body than the females, so maybe you'll want 2M3F or 1M4F. They will scatter their eggs in plants where the male fertilizes them. You can feed the fry a liquid fry food or baby brine shrimp.

If you choose convicts of kribs, you'll need a cave.

Shane T. · 10-21-2005, 11:02 AM

if you're looking for easy fish to breed, get some convicts. Buy a pair, provide them with a flat stone, and they are sure to breed. They also do all the work for you except feeding them. Just buy some liquid fry food. but try to keep them in a tank of their own because they are aggresive.

**Cichlid Man** · 10-21-2005, 11:27 AM

Having a bare bottom tank with lots of Java moss, LOTS OF IT and adding a few guppies is the perfect recipie for breeding fish. Make sure that the tank is clean all of the time or your fish may be suspectable to bacterial infections.
Also, make sure that you feed your fish very little, and preferably special fry food, even for the adults as if the food is too large it may pollute the tank if not eaten. Also, use a sponge box filter, this means that the guppies won't get killed if they are sucked into the filter, add graval to the filter so that bacteria can establish to keep your fish alive. When the fish get to about 1 inch long, you can aclimatize them into a brakish tank to prevent bacterial infection to the males long fins, though almost everyone keeps them in fresh water as it's easier to do.

solar-ton · 10-21-2005, 12:52 PM

just make sure theyre going to a good home!

maxpayne_lhp · 10-21-2005, 04:39 PM

For my advice, livebearers are good, but not neccessarily perfect for several reasons:
1. They may eat the offspring.
2. They may overpopulate: Consider if you can afford room and money for the young.

However, it seems to be the best kind of fish to start off. If you have time to study more about other fish breeding technique, it's worth it!

G'luck.

solar-ton · 10-21-2005, 05:15 PM

ahhh yes go'ole livebears like people but they dont cause global warming. just remember a swortail can grow to 6"-or 5- so they can produce like 300 fry i think.

maxpayne_lhp · 10-21-2005, 05:17 PM

Quote:

ahhh yes go'ole livebears like people but they dont cause global warming

Huh.......?

micstarz · 10-21-2005, 07:19 PM

i would say mollys are good- put say- six female, and half the amount of males, leave them to their own thing for as long as you want, but at least a week. Some of the females will get plump, but they should be already plump. Put them in a breeding trap or in a breeding tank with weeds with lots of roots, say Java ferns. Watch, wait and good luck

micstarz · 10-21-2005, 07:20 PM

ps all mollies can breed togheter, say a sailfin molly with a black lyretail, or a potbelly molly with a dalmation potbelly and so on....

fishn00b · 10-21-2005, 09:38 PM

You know... I've had my guppies for atleast 4-5 months now (1 male 2 female) and I have yet to see a single fry. I know the females are getting pregnant because I notice they get bigger and bigger and then all of a sudden go back to their normal size, but I still haven't seen any of them.

awesome kid · 10-22-2005, 09:15 AM

guppys get a gravid spot (a dark patch near the tail stem) when they are about to release their load.

solar-ton · 10-22-2005, 10:10 AM

they are probably hiding in the gravel or they got eaten

fishn00b · 10-22-2005, 07:38 PM

I think they got eaten, I've searched the gravel for them but I can't find them. Oh well, in a few weeks I'm sure I'll get to try again.

**Cichlid Man** · 10-23-2005, 05:54 AM

What Solar ton is trying to say Max is, that livebearers breed like rabbits, but they don't ruin the earth like people do.

fishfreaks · 10-24-2005, 07:19 PM

I also say convicts. Check out the profile and articles section

Fish Friend · 10-28-2005, 12:29 PM

kribs kribs kribs

they are soo easy!!!

09-17-2005, 08:17 PM	#1
fishfrenzy328 Newbie Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 29 Posts: 17	How To Breed Ive heard of breeding and am thinking of trying it. What are the best fish to breed, how big should the tank be, how do you tell if the fish is a male or female and what should I do when the babies are hatched

10-21-2005, 11:27 AM	#7
Cichlid Man Super moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,100	Having a bare bottom tank with lots of Java moss, LOTS OF IT and adding a few guppies is the perfect recipie for breeding fish. Make sure that the tank is clean all of the time or your fish may be suspectable to bacterial infections. Also, make sure that you feed your fish very little, and preferably special fry food, even for the adults as if the food is too large it may pollute the tank if not eaten. Also, use a sponge box filter, this means that the guppies won't get killed if they are sucked into the filter, add graval to the filter so that bacteria can establish to keep your fish alive. When the fish get to about 1 inch long, you can aclimatize them into a brakish tank to prevent bacterial infection to the males long fins, though almost everyone keeps them in fresh water as it's easier to do. __________________ If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded: Serrasalmus Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the exception). I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families: Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.

10-21-2005, 12:52 PM	#8
solar-ton guardian of the sea Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: a tree Age: 16 Posts: 685	just make sure theyre going to a good home! __________________ minimum oscar tank size: 75 gallon for 2 a 125 goldfish can cause hith diesease! so dont feed them goldfish as a staple diet!

10-21-2005, 04:39 PM	#9
maxpayne_lhp Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: West Michigan Age: 20 Posts: 2,174	For my advice, livebearers are good, but not neccessarily perfect for several reasons: 1. They may eat the offspring. 2. They may overpopulate: Consider if you can afford room and money for the young. However, it seems to be the best kind of fish to start off. If you have time to study more about other fish breeding technique, it's worth it! G'luck. __________________ ~Nam Nguyen~

10-21-2005, 05:15 PM	#10
solar-ton guardian of the sea Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: a tree Age: 16 Posts: 685	ahhh yes go'ole livebears like people but they dont cause global warming. just remember a swortail can grow to 6"-or 5- so they can produce like 300 fry i think. __________________ minimum oscar tank size: 75 gallon for 2 a 125 goldfish can cause hith diesease! so dont feed them goldfish as a staple diet!

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09-17-2005, 08:23 PM	#2
Hamm35924 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 16 Posts: 229	the easiest fish to breed are guppies, mollies, and platys. they are livebearers and do not lay eggs, so you will have a bunch of little fry. but they breed ALOT. maybe you could trade them into your LFS for store credit.

09-17-2005, 08:33 PM	#3
cucci67 No Longer Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 481	Well, it will be best for you to start with a common livebearer, guppies seem to be the easiest. A 10 gallon tank will be ideal for this setup. It is easy to tell gender on guppies, as males will have large brilliantly colored tails whereas females have a smaller tail with little to no color at all. Make sure you get atleast 2 females for every male, or the male will haras the single female until exaustion. The females will have babies about every 4 weeks. Over taht time period she will continue to grow fatter and the gravid spot ( little black spot towards the back of her) will darken and grow larger. She will look "squarish" right before she is about to have her fry (babies), and she will start sitting in a corner. This is when you should put her in a breeder net/trap (a small box that sits in the main tank where the female can have her babies without them being eaten by other fish). Be careful with the mother, as she will also eat the fry if you don't remove her after she gives birth to her 10-30 fry. The easiest food for the fry is finely crushed flake food. Just put some flake food in a zipper bag and start crushing it with your fingers. Keep the fry in the breeder trap until they are about 1/2-3/4" long about 3-5 weeks old, when they can be released back into the main tank with the parents as long as there are no fish large enough to eat them.

09-17-2005, 09:28 PM	#4
Mobydock Where's the beef? Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 22 Posts: 153	Judging by the question, I assume you haven't been in the hobby long, so learning good basic fish keeping skills(water maintenance, feeding, recognising abnormal behavior, etc.) is the most crucial part of getting into breeding. Livebearers like mentioned above are probably the easiest to breed, because they really only require conditions they can live in and they'll breed. I've never tryied myself, but convicts(cichlid) are also supposed to be very easily bred, if you wanted to try an egg layer. I can't remember exactly what you'd need, but it'd be a bigger tank than guppies(40G?) and probably just some caves or flat rocks(not sure which they use).

09-18-2005, 07:11 AM	#5
cucci67 No Longer Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 481	Well, another option is White clouds. They will readily breed in good conditions, and they do not eat their own fry or eggs. All you need is a 10 gallon and 4-5 white clouds. The males have a slimmer body than the females, so maybe you'll want 2M3F or 1M4F. They will scatter their eggs in plants where the male fertilizes them. You can feed the fry a liquid fry food or baby brine shrimp. If you choose convicts of kribs, you'll need a cave.

10-21-2005, 11:02 AM	#6
Shane T. Fishy Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Age: 15 Posts: 23	if you're looking for easy fish to breed, get some convicts. Buy a pair, provide them with a flat stone, and they are sure to breed. They also do all the work for you except feeding them. Just buy some liquid fry food. but try to keep them in a tank of their own because they are aggresive.

10-21-2005, 07:19 PM	#12
micstarz I'm Back! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Earth Age: 13 Posts: 658	i would say mollys are good- put say- six female, and half the amount of males, leave them to their own thing for as long as you want, but at least a week. Some of the females will get plump, but they should be already plump. Put them in a breeding trap or in a breeding tank with weeds with lots of roots, say Java ferns. Watch, wait and good luck

10-21-2005, 07:20 PM	#13
micstarz I'm Back! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Earth Age: 13 Posts: 658	ps all mollies can breed togheter, say a sailfin molly with a black lyretail, or a potbelly molly with a dalmation potbelly and so on....

10-21-2005, 09:38 PM	#14
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 21 Posts: 401	You know... I've had my guppies for atleast 4-5 months now (1 male 2 female) and I have yet to see a single fry. I know the females are getting pregnant because I notice they get bigger and bigger and then all of a sudden go back to their normal size, but I still haven't seen any of them.

10-22-2005, 09:15 AM	#15
awesome kid Huh? Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: I'm right behind you, hahahahaha Posts: 268	guppys get a gravid spot (a dark patch near the tail stem) when they are about to release their load. __________________ Here are my virtual pets! 55 mbuna 29 community clueless cat even more clueless dog

10-22-2005, 10:10 AM	#16
solar-ton guardian of the sea Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: a tree Age: 16 Posts: 685	they are probably hiding in the gravel or they got eaten __________________ minimum oscar tank size: 75 gallon for 2 a 125 goldfish can cause hith diesease! so dont feed them goldfish as a staple diet!

10-22-2005, 07:38 PM	#17
fishn00b Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Age: 21 Posts: 401	I think they got eaten, I've searched the gravel for them but I can't find them. Oh well, in a few weeks I'm sure I'll get to try again.

10-23-2005, 05:54 AM	#18
Cichlid Man Super moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,100	What Solar ton is trying to say Max is, that livebearers breed like rabbits, but they don't ruin the earth like people do. __________________ If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded: Serrasalmus Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the exception). I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families: Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.

10-24-2005, 07:19 PM	#19
fishfreaks M&F Couple Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: PA Age: 21 Posts: 4,303	I also say convicts. Check out the profile and articles section __________________ VOTE FOR FISH FORUMS

10-28-2005, 12:29 PM	#20
Fish Friend Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 234	kribs kribs kribs they are soo easy!!! __________________ "Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it." ================================================== 32g:Freshwater Community 10g: Rearing tank soon to be upgraded to a 15g and turned into a nano setup!! -Parky

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