Anyone who wants to breed Aquarium fish successfully has to know the requirements of the fish in question. Plus you have to create appropriate environmental conditions, in either the maintenance tank or a special breeding tank.
There are various ways for tropical fish to breed. Some are live bearers, such as guppies, where the mother expels live fry that start swimming immediately. Mouth brooders, like most African cichlids, the mother carries the eggs in her mouth for 18 days until they hatch. Egg scatterers, like catfish, will lay their eggs on rocks, plants, and logs in order to allow the water to carry the eggs away for a better chance of survival. Cave layers, such as the blind cave fish, will lay their eggs in dark places. Egg layers, like angelfish or rams will lay eggs on slate or rock or plants and they will protect their eggs. Bubblenest builders, such as gouramis and bettas, secrete a liquid to hold tiny plants together in order to form a nest.
Breeding always implies selection and culling. Sick or malformed juvenile fish should not be raised, but even among mature fish, not all are good bets for breeding!
Selecting the Proper Breeding Parents
One rule for successful breeding is the selection of proper breeding stock. Watch for the following:
- Traits of the species
The fish should conform in body shape, size and markings to the characteristic appearance of the species. In order to pass these traits on to their offspring, it does not make sense to breed fish with deviant traits. - Health of the parents
Healthy animals are most likely to produce healthy offspring. The most basic rule is that the parents should appear strong and be active as characteristic of the particular species. - Compatibility of the sexual partners
Sympathy between the partners plays a important role with all fish, regardless of whether they form extended pair bonds or come together only briefly to spawn. That is why you should pick partners that get along well in the regular tank or that may have already shown sexual interest in each other. The courtship rituals, in the course of the fish display special behavior, and even colors will give you the necessary clues! Crossing different species or different color variants of the same species should be avoided at all costs!
What encourages fish to spawn!
- The right kind of food
Some undemanding fish will spawn on a diet of just dried flake, but many others will spawn only if they are given special food that closely reflects their special dietary requirements. Experience has shown that Characins spawn especially well if they are fed Black Mosquito larvae.
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