# Breeding Fish? Help! =)



## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

Hello!

I would really love to get into breeding fish, only problem is - I don't know 'how' .

Like I know how the fish breed, but is there any special procedures I can take? Or type of fish to get? 

Thanks!!


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

well, when a mommy fish loves a daddy fish very, very much...

just kidding.

what were you interested in? are you new to the hobby? you may want to try live bearers like guppies, endlers, swordtails or platys, they're basically a "just add water" sort of breeder.

otherwise, your best bet is to pick a fish that interests you and research their specific breeding habits. like I said, what did you have in mind?


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

twoheadedfish said:


> well, when a mommy fish loves a daddy fish very, very much...


You are funny as heck twoheadedfish, in case you wondered.

Agreed that starting out with livebearers and working your way up is a good start. Provinding you have ample tanks to spare to rear the fry in.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

ROLMAO that was too cute!!!!!!
I thaught that was true lol


hubby says use an ambient atmosphere......lol


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Clean the tank, dim the lights, feed some live bloodworms, and play a little soft music...

Really depends on what you are trying to breed, the reasons for breeding (are you breeding to make a profit or just to have the experience?), and the biggest, your own experience level. Also, what kind of space do you have to accomplish this?


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## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

Haha!

That was funny!

Well, I want to start with cool looking fish.. I know they all look cool, but something with lots of colour I guess? I'm doing this for experience and I just came into fish keeping in september last year, so not too long. I have a 55 Gallon tank and a 29 Gallon.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Try your hand at some of the live bearers like guppies, swordtails or mollies. Try and raise the fry without losses, etc and get used to feeding small fish and all the tank maintenance required for keeping fry. I say try live bearers since getting them to pop them out isn't hard, which can be the most frustrating part of the process.

Then move on to other spawning methods like egg scatterers, bubble nesters, mouth brooders, cave spawners etc etc. They are tougher to induce spawns and the fry are much harder to care for.


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## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

Sounds good! I will try that!
What doy ou mean by tank maint. ?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Fry require clean water, and the feedings you have to do (small foods, often) often pollute the water very badly, so you have to do a fair number of water changes, but also general things like cleaning up, etc.


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## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

Is it harder to breed Cichlids?


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## coryp (May 28, 2008)

get yourself a m/f pair of convicts lol


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

If you want to breed Cichlids start off with Convicts as cory said they breed like rabbits Mine just had fry about 3 weeks ago and now have laid about another 100 eggs . They are very intresting to watch and good parents. Mine are so cute one keeps trying to peek in the coconut hut but the other one wont let him. Yesterday I put a plant in there and I knocked the hut by accident a few of the eggs came out. The male was swimming around the tank collected them up but the female wouldnt let him in so he spit them at her and she put them back.


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## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

Haha! Aw , that is so cute! 
I'm debating on making my new fish tank a cichlid tank!
They are just so much more playful and colourful!

So, in order to breed cichlids I need a lot of rocks to make homes and such, then I need to get a place where eggs can be laid?
If I get 2 female convicts and 1 Male, how long would it take them to have babies?

Thanks so much!


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

If you are new, I'd suggest just trying to keep them alive and healthy before you actively breed!

That said, if you accomplish the aforementioned, they will likely be spawning without any help from you.


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

i agree with cory. i wanted to breed immediately after i got my fish and tanks, but keeping them healthy is a big deal. i had a lot of problems in keeping stable water params, treating ich, and then theres feeding them properly, ect ect. now, having said all that, i now have my water params stable and near perfect, no more diseases (in my fish tanks) have gotten my routine down now. (water changes on sunday, feedings 3 times daily, different foods at every meal, checking tanks numerous times a day) i now have 6 different kinds of fish ready to either give birth or spawn. im now having the problem of finding a place to put them to do it! i figure ill have to buy more tanks, and set up sepcies only tanks. 

my dwarf gourami are ready to go, but the current in their tank is far too fast for them to build a bubble nest. my long finned leopard danios are ready to spawn too, but to trigger them i need to take out 95% of the water. my guppies, mollies, platies and endlers livebearers are ready to friggin exlpode too, but im not ready. i got way over my head when i started buying females, pairs and schools. 

so, now im done my ramble, and ill just re-iterate what i said earlier, that i agree with cory. if water is kept good, then they will naturally want to breed. (sorry for the ramble, just really excited about breeding too)


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## Daveyman (Jan 28, 2009)

newbiefishfanatic said:


> (water changes on sunday, feedings 3 times daily, different foods at every meal, checking tanks numerous times a day)


How much do you feed them to be fed three times a day? And how do you check the tank? Do you do water tests? Or just eye ball something?


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

i have 4 test kits. i test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and the ph of my water. (soft, hard or neutral) i normally do this before water changes on sunday. if i notice a smell from my tanks, or if its getting cloudy, or if the fish are acting different than normal. (i normally check all my tanks at least 3 times daily, looking at the water, filters, gravel, plants and of course the fish.) ammonia is deadly toxic, and i know because i had a 4ppm+ spike for at leats 2 weeks before buying SuperBac nitrifying bacteria from big als. (it worked in 2 days to bring me down to 0 ammonia) 

i feed them small feedings at each feeding. 
2 day rountine as follows:

day 1: morning-flakes afternoon-freeze dried bloodworms evening-floating pellets
day 2: morning-flakes afternoon-frozen bloodworms or "emerald entree" (krill, brine shrimp, bloodworms, ect) evening-floating pellets

i also have sinking pellets which all the fish enjoy, but are mainly for my plecos and cories. i put those in after the lights are out. ive got some water sprite in there and the fish love to nibble on it. i have found it very important to feed them different foods. they love the variety, but most importantly, it keeps them regular, and their colours just shine!

i also have MANY fish in my 75 gallon, so a pinch of food 3x daily doesnt go to waste. and i go a day without feeding them, and that gives them the day to get rid of everything, and prepare for the next week. (fridays are my no food day)


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

ps- if your ready to take the plunge into breeding, i have a handful of already pregnant fish. i also have some female endlers livebearers if your interested. no charge, just want some pics of the babies.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I f you were closer I'd take the Endlers...and show some snap shots.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

as cute as they mightbe, but I am done with livebearers... they breed like....ants.


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

now those pics i would pay to see! your shots of endlers riceburner! well they would be top pquality, gorgeous shots. have you ever thought of hiring yourself out to take pics of ppls fish? i bet you could make a good profit, especially if you sell some to magazines and whathave you.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

Wet pet portraits!!!


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