How to Breed Tropical Fish

If you have long been a tropical fish fancier, perhaps you want to try adding to your collection by breeding tropical fish. While breeding tropical fish is quite a challenge, given that the eggs and the fry are quite small and require skill for proper handling, the reward of having beautiful fish is certainly worth the effort. Read on to learn how.

Instructions

1. Choose the kind of fish you are going to breed. Novices should opt for hardier fish like guppies, mollies or platies. Intermediate and advanced fish breeders may want to try mating cichlids, angel fish, catfish or tetras.

2. Research spawning methods. You will need information on how the fish mate as well as how they give birth to their young. Some breeds lay eggs, and others, such as guppies, give birth to live fry. Some egg-bearing fish scatter, bury or deposit their eggs, while others build nests or store the fry in their mouths.

3. Determine the sex of your fish. This is obviously an important step that requires familiarity with certain breeds. You can tell gender usually by the size and the brightness of the markings.Cichlid males are larger and more colorful than females while Rasbora females are larger and males are more colorful.

4. Select a breeding tank. You will want to allow the parents to spawn in this tank and to remove them once you see eggs, or the parents may eat the eggs. It is a good idea to keep the fry or the eggs in a net that is connected to the top of the tank.

5. Have "baby fish food" on hand. The fry will be hungry once they are born, so consult with a pet shop owner about which kind of cultures to use for feeding fry, such as worms or shrimps.

6. Find "parents" for your fish. Before breeding tropical fish, you should have in mind prospective homes or "tanks" for your fry. Try a local pet shop or a fish club as well as individual aquarium owners.

Tips & Warnings

• Try breeding tropical fish one breed at a time. Since determining the sex and mating habits requires research and some experience for complete success, work with one type of fish at a time.

• Consult with an expert, especially when you want to determine the gender and raise the fry. It is hard to do these things purely "by the book."

• Avoid putting the fry in a plastic breeding trap, which exposes the fry to harsh light and does not provide enough water circulation. For breeding tropical fish, a small net is best.

Resources

• aquariumfish.net
• fish.mongabay