Breeding for Beginners

[TheRealAndyCook]

I've never bred fish before, any tips or tricks?
I would prefer to be breeding a type of fish thats not very aggressive.

I've got a few goldfish who are about 6 months...obviously it'll take a while before they are ready to breed... so Id like some practice or at least some tips for when they're ready.

 

[Cheesetian]

You could try guppies for starters. They're like the easiest fish to breed. You'd get like 50 or so every 2-3 weeks. Just buy a male and 2-3 females, some foliage in the tank and you'll be a father in no time at all. They give birth to live fish, just so you now. No hassle of eggs.

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

Is there an easy way to tell male and female apart? my LFS commonly throws all there fish together.

 

[biohazardcustomz]

for guppies males usually have more color and females are larger with round plump bellies and black spot by their anal fin. the females anal fin is shaped like a v as the males is pointed backword

if you want to go larger convict cichlids are like the rabbits of the fish world and they mate at very small size. 1/5 to 2 inches.

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

My LFS doesn't have enough convicts to end up with a good pair...I have kept some before they're like teeth less piranha. =3 love the little guys.

 

[biohazardcustomz]

guppies are fun because when you buy a plump female you can have babies from her in less than a week if shes far enough along. they can carry sperm to fertilize their eggs up to 3 times from their last mate. but if you grow out females and separate them before they can get pregnant, you can mix your own colors with mates and make your own custom colored guppies

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

I have heard a bit about guppies mating abilities, its somewhat astonishing.

 

[piranha dave]

I have had success with about every chiclid that I have housed in a tank.
I have had brichardi breed like crazy, and how have electric yellows, and convicts that breed like crazy. Best advice, get about 6 of the same type, put them in their own tank by themselves, do weekly water changes of 50%, and you should have nothing but good luck. My kids have both become aquarists because our fish have babies constantly which takes away the boredom.

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

I'm not sure if I have enough space currently to provide a home for a few large sized Cichlids but I'll keep an open mind for the future.

 

[jus1time]

what size tank/tanks are available for you to breed in? What is your water like coming out of the tap? What types of fish are you interested in? When you answer some of those questions it should be easy to determine what you can do!