I have never bred fish and am thinking it this would be a fun next step in the hobby for me. I have an empty 55gal and would not be completely averse to picking up a used 75 or maybe 125 (if a good deal could be had). Would love some suggestions for fish (preferably but not necessarily cichlids) I could breed. Ideally these would be fish I could sell (not for a profit) to local keepers or fish stores so no convicts. Any suggestions?
Suggestions for a breeding project?
- Thread starter rvadog
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African cichlids have worked well for me over the years, but your question is pretty general.
I'd suggest finding fish you like; if they breed it is a bonus. A community tank set is likely NOT to be advantageous.
So get back back to us with 4 or 5 fish you like and we will try to advise you from there.
I'd suggest finding fish you like; if they breed it is a bonus. A community tank set is likely NOT to be advantageous.
So get back back to us with 4 or 5 fish you like and we will try to advise you from there.
I find these groups to work well together to breed.
Pleco/bristlenose
Livebearer
Mop layers/rainbow/panchax.
Pleco/bristlenose
Livebearer
Mop layers/rainbow/panchax.
You should do some research I. Your local area and see what’s popular there, see what your interested in and then go from there.
it’s not fun breeding something you have no interest in.
The first fish I purposely bred was bettas. (This doesn’t include live bearers bc they bred on their own).
it’s not fun breeding something you have no interest in.
The first fish I purposely bred was bettas. (This doesn’t include live bearers bc they bred on their own).
Just be aware of this re plecos. The first time mine spawned I got about 25 -30 offspring. the last time they spawned before I sold them all, the spawn was over 100 fry. I had BN offspring actually spawn inside sponge filters in grow tanks when I could not sell them fast enough and they gained some size. I had already seen the light and made a switch ro zebra plecos. They give you 10-15 fry and sell for over $100 each and you cannot produce them as fast as people want to buy them. I lean towards a more expensive species to breeding. Smaller spawns of fish which sell for more usually works well. But You must decide for yourself what to try.
The point is the more common a fish and the easier it is to breed combined with how may babies you can get determines whether you may find yourself using them for feeders or moving them along the chain with relative ease and in a way it helps to support your hobby costs.
One last observation. Fish want to spawn. Let's rule out those fish that require very specific parameters to spawn. For the rest our job is not to do things that will prevent them from spawning. This means proper parameters within a range, and more inportantly is a proper diet. Finally, it is usually easiest to have species tanks rather than communities. I can head off problems. However, this is not a hard and fast rule but is one I follow.
In the end you should do what makes you happy. Above all, this hobby should be fun.
The point is the more common a fish and the easier it is to breed combined with how may babies you can get determines whether you may find yourself using them for feeders or moving them along the chain with relative ease and in a way it helps to support your hobby costs.
One last observation. Fish want to spawn. Let's rule out those fish that require very specific parameters to spawn. For the rest our job is not to do things that will prevent them from spawning. This means proper parameters within a range, and more inportantly is a proper diet. Finally, it is usually easiest to have species tanks rather than communities. I can head off problems. However, this is not a hard and fast rule but is one I follow.
In the end you should do what makes you happy. Above all, this hobby should be fun.
I love this and really appreciate the advice. I think BNP are a good first project and then I can shift to something lower speed and higher price. I am fortunate to live in a major metro area and surrounded by half a dozen quality fish stores within an hour drive. I'm hoping I can sell babies by the dozen to the stores for store credit.
I have been finding myself falling for plecos as of late. Are there others I should keep an eye towards in the future for breeding in a 20g? Would love to keep my footprint small.
The bristlenose pleco is a great choice. It's a fun journey to see the fry grow. While the fry are still having the yolk sac, if you can see the bottom of the fish, and you have a good magnifying glass then you can watch their heart beating. Really amazing.
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You could try a tetra. Emperor tetras are an easy one. With enough cover you just might see young from both in the same aquarium.
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Some fish are strongly schooling. It's a rare treat to see a large group of fish moving together as one. It may require a separate breeding arrangement but you might find Black tetras worthy of a try too. They may bother pleco fry but not the parents. And they just might allow some pleco fry to survive.
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You could try a tetra. Emperor tetras are an easy one. With enough cover you just might see young from both in the same aquarium.
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Some fish are strongly schooling. It's a rare treat to see a large group of fish moving together as one. It may require a separate breeding arrangement but you might find Black tetras worthy of a try too. They may bother pleco fry but not the parents. And they just might allow some pleco fry to survive.
Check out Aquabid. See what the various varieties of BN are selling for.
https://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcatfishp
I am about an hour drive to mid-town Manhattan (35 mins to GW VBridge).
https://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcatfishp
I am about an hour drive to mid-town Manhattan (35 mins to GW VBridge).