Tips on Breeding Tropical Fish
By Mike LaVallee
If you’re looking into breeding your own tropical fish, there are a few tips you should keep in mind before diving into this opportunity. First, you need to decide what kind of tropical fish you want to start breeding. There are many different types to choose from, so do your research. If you’re new to the breeding business, you may want to consider getting live bearing fish. This kind of fish gives birth to live young versus those that bear eggs.

These will be easier for you to care for until you become more experienced at it. If you go with the live bearing fish, be sure to breed them in a separate tank so that other fish don’t make a meal out of them. Once the mother gives birth, she can return to the main tank.

Research the particular type of fish you want to breed. Each breed of fish has different types of care that you’ll need to give, so read up as much as you can before you begin to breed so you don’t make mistakes early on. One of the most important things you’ll need to know is the optimal temperature of the water for your breed. This is crucial to the safety of the fish you’re breeding. Tank size is another important factor.

You may not a huge tank to breed them in, but it will need to be large enough to provide them plenty of room as they grow. They’ll need to be in this tank for awhile until they’re old enough to be moved to the main tank with the other fish.

Placement of your tanks is another important factor to keep in mind. A lot of new breeders fail in their first attempts at it, due to bad placement. Don’t place the tanks near windows where the sun shines in. You don’t want to breed green algae along with your fish. You also don’t want the tank water to get warmer than the recommended temperature for the fish you’re breeding.

Provide plenty of foliage for the fish to take cover in. You want to simulate their natural environment as much as possible, so use the foliage recommended for the type of fish you’re breeding. Also, limit the amount of time you have the lights on. The recommended usage time is no more than 8-12 hours a day. Make sure the lighting is compatible with the foliage you’ve placed in the tank.

If you don’t have people to give your fish to when they start to get bigger, you may need to buy more tanks. If that isn’t possible, then at least keep the males and females separate, because your fish population will grow to become more than you can handle.

It isn’t hard to breed different types of tropical fish if you just do your research before you start this project. Consult professional breeders for tips as well as reading everything you can get your hands on to become an expert right off the bat.