Breeding question

[shaggy64200]

ok i wanna start breeding small easy fish like neon tetras and guppys.....now is that possible to do with ghost shimp in the tank?

 

[fluttermoth]

It depends.

If you're going to be breeding livebearers, like the guppies, then yes, you can have ghost shrimp; livebearer fry are quite large and free swimming when they're born, so they can easily get away from a shrimp.

With egg layers, like neons (neons are very difficult to breed by the way; I'd start with something else until you've got more experience!) you really can't have anything else in the tank, as the eggs and the newly hatched fry are very small and vulnerable. With most species you need also to remove the parents as soon as they've spawned, or they'll eat the eggs themselves.

 

[shaggy64200]

yeah i never tried with shrimp in the tank i had a feeling i couldnt but wasnt sure the guppys im gonna put them in this floating bin ill put in the tank so the fry can get out and easy cleaning. the tetras i know are gonna be tricky ive breeded them before but even if i dont get any eggs be nice decor in my sons room

 

[fluttermoth]

It's not a good idea to use breeding boxes. They're too small for the mother fish to feel comfortable, and too small for the fry to grow properly. It's much better to have plenty of live plants (for the fry to hide in) and leave the fish free in the tank. Live plants also provide microscopic foods for the fry when they're very small.

If you want to breed properly, you'll need two tanks, at least, for each species; one to keep and condition the adults until they're ready to spawn, and another for spawning and growing on the fry.

The thing to remember about neon tetra eggs and fry (before they're free swimming) is that they're light sensitive, so you need a deep layer of leaf litter or peat for the eggs to fall down into. Neon breeding tanks don't make good decor as, apart from the 'messy' bottom, you can't have the lights on for a long time.

 

[shaggy64200]

the tank i made is a old 3 gallon plastic tank i cut the bottom out and put a screen on the bottom with 1/4 gaps for the fry that im putting in my 80 gallon i got two live plants in there now im thinking of putting two more . my tetra tank is a 10 gallon so i figured two broad plants should work in there

 

[NickAu]

i wanna start breeding small easy fish like neon tetras and guppys.

What are your water parameters? Do you have soft or hard water? This is important.

What are you going to do with the Guppy fry( Baby fish )? Most pets hops I know wont take them and if they do they end up as food for bigger fish.

 

[shaggy64200]

What are your water parameters? Do you have soft or hard water? This is important.

What are you going to do with the Guppy fry( Baby fish )? Most pets hops I know wont take them and if they do they end up as food for bigger fish.

thats something i have yet to figure out im still in the process of prepping two tanks for this endeavor but as far as the fry goes...... well some im keeping, the others im going to let my sister, sister in law, best friend, and a few friends take some for their tanks. as far as the tetras they is what they is but the guppies i kinda wanna experiment with on their colors and tails but idk how far i wanna go with that since i dont need 900 gubby fry or buy more tanks

 

[shaggy64200]

ive had small success in breeding those two groups but if i tried to im curious on what comes out

 

[NickAu]

.. well some im keeping, the others im going to let my sister, sister in law, best friend, and a few friends take some for their tanks

Ok.

Just be aware that say 1 male and 3 female guppies could become 300 or more guppies in less a year ( assuming all the fry live ). Female live bearers can start producing young at around 3 months old.

You are going to need more that 2 or 3 tanks to do this, ( In my opinion you will need at least 10 tanks or tubs about 5 gal each all filtered cycled and with heaters just to start ) , you are going to have to identify and separate the females from the males before they become sexually mature and impregnated by some random male in the tank with them, female Guppies can store sperm and keep giving birth for up to 6 months from just 1 contact with a male.

Please do not misunderstand I am not against you breeding fish, I just want you to be aware of what you are in for and that you will have to kill lots of low grade fish to get a few good grade fish, I am not a fan of putting a few random males in with a few random females and see what happens. Low grade fish are of no value to anybody.

I suggest you read up on Guppy breeding.
ifga | BASICS OF SHOW BREEDING - International Fancy Guppy ...

Practical Guppy Breeding - Championship Show Guppies

 

[shaggy64200]

What are your water parameters? Do you have soft or hard water? This is important.

What are you going to do with the Guppy fry( Baby fish )? Most pets hops I know wont take them and if they do they end up as food for bigger fish.

after i let my tank set and made sure clean for the guppy tank
my nitrate - 20
nitrite - 3.0
water soft 75
chlorine - 0
alkaline- 40 ph 7.8

tetra tank just did a 90% water change last night

 

[shaggy64200]

Ok.

Just be aware that say 1 male and 3 female guppies could become 300 or more guppies in less a year ( assuming all the fry live ). Female live bearers can start producing young at around 3 months old.

You are going to need more that 2 or 3 tanks to do this, ( In my opinion you will need at least 10 tanks or tubs about 5 gal each all filtered cycled and with heaters just to start ) , you are going to have to identify and separate the females from the males before they become sexually mature and impregnated by some random male in the tank with them, female Guppies can store sperm and keep giving birth for up to 6 months from just 1 contact with a male.

Please do not misunderstand I am not against you breeding fish, I just want you to be aware of what you are in for and that you will have to kill lots of low grade fish to get a few good grade fish, I am not a fan of putting a few random males in with a few random females and see what happens. Low grade fish are of no value to anybody.

I suggest you read up on Guppy breeding.
ifga | BASICS OF SHOW BREEDING - International Fancy Guppy ...

Practical Guppy Breeding - Championship Show Guppies

yeah thats what im afraid of to be honest

 

[fluttermoth]

If you have nitrite at 3ppm, you have problems.

That amount of nitrite is enough to be fatal to fish, you need to get it down with water changes, and you need to look at why the level is that high; in a properly cycled tank, it should be at zero, all the time. If your tank isn't cycled, you might also have high levels of ammonia; you should get a test kit for that, ASAP.

Guppies don't do well in soft water...

How long have you had these tanks set up?

 

[shaggy64200]

If you have nitrite at 3ppm, you have problems.

That amount of nitrite is enough to be fatal to fish, you need to get it down with water changes, and you need to look at why the level is that high; in a properly cycled tank, it should be at zero, all the time. If your tank isn't cycled, you might also have high levels of ammonia; you should get a test kit for that, ASAP.

Guppies don't do well in soft water...

How long have you had these tanks set up?

yeah im working on that now i just recently set them up i have it on a 3 gallon external filter and four gravel filters at the moment have carbon activate and just cloth filters in the external filter just to get out the stuff from in the tank but i wanna get the ammonia filters the white bone looking things add to it once fish are in

 

[shaggy64200]

now heres another good question i rather take a more natural approach but how do u guys feel about the chemical remedies they sell like tetras safestart or tetras easy balance?

 

[SeanTrollope]

from my experience they do work but only a little. its not nearly as effective as doing things the proper way. also it is very time consuming to maintain them all. and expensive.


also i must add that two tanks is nowhere nearly enough. i bread fish from angels to cories and guppies to sward tails and its not worth the amount of fish that were actually good enough to be sold. the bland ones just end up as fish food for the pet shops. also i had 21 breeding tanks and that was not enough for 2 species.