Breeding Some Sort Of Livebearer

[betta989]

Hiya guys! The other day i was getting sad about me not getting a job at petsmart for 5 years now... And my dad sigjusted i breeded guppies, mollies or sword tails. i will be able to get a ten gallon very easy for breding but the real question is, How do i breed livebearers i am still a begginer i used google and i didnt really understand how to breed i need to know water temp if i need to change the water daily what gravel seperation of parents when born what to feed them




Betta989

 

[5teady_2012]

Hiya guys! The other day i was getting sad about me not getting a job at petsmart for 5 years now... And my dad sigjusted i breeded guppies, mollies or sword tails. i will be able to get a ten gallon very easy for breding but the real question is, How do i breed livebearers i am still a begginer i used google and i didnt really understand how to breed i need to know water temp if i need to change the water daily what gravel seperation of parents when born what to feed them




Betta989

First of all i would choose which one you like the best, (personally i would go for swordtalis)

Then your going to need 2 x 10 gallon tanks, one for the adults, one for the fry.

(dont forget to cycle your tanks) see this thread about cycling.. CLICK HERE

You will need a ratio of 1 male to every 2 or 3 males, in a 10G tank your best off with no more than 8 Swords so i would suggest 2 males and 6 females.

They will breed without you having to do anything..
Once the males has gotten the females pregnant, the females have fry every 4-6 weeks for up to 6 months just off one mating, so the male can be removed, but is not needed, just keep your males in with them...

Now the temperature will be best around 26 degrees, this way you will get a good ratio of male and female fry (babies)

On your adults tank, you can use what ever substrate you like yet i would stick to sand and sponge filters cos if any fry are born in the adults tanks, they wont get sucked in to filters.

On the fry tank, your best off using sand and a sponge filter, this way babies wont get sucked in to the filter system and wont be able to get lost under the gravel (if u was to use gravel)...

In the adults tanks, it will also be best to heavily plant it, so if any of your females do drop fry, the babies will have plenty of places to hide cos the parents may eat them. so hiding places is a must for the fry.

Another thing you could do is use breeding traps, when you think the female is ready to drop, you can place them in it and let them have thier fry in it and all will most likely survive. for more information on that, see my thread with all the info u need CLICK HERE

Resources, make sure you find some local fish stores that will take fry off you, cos you may quickly become over run and you dont want your tanks overstocked cos it will make your ammonia and nitrite leves high and could be fatal for the fish.

Regular water changes will be needed as well on both tanks (adults tank 30% weekly), do more on the fry tank (30% every 4 days) cos it promotes growth for the fry.

Feeding fry is easy, you can use flake, tropical pellets, high protein foods (make sure to crush these finely so they can fit it in thier mouths) and there is lots of good fry food now a days in fish stores..

I think thats about it so if you have any more questions please ask..


If ive left anything out please add more info....

 

[betta989]

Hey ive got a idea on the tank sich i can get a 10g and devide it in 2 will that be suitable?

 

[karigupi]

If you are going for a 10g, it would be best to go for something other than swordtails (sorry) but they need a larger tank. I agree that swordtails are lovely fish but not for a 10g.

You could divide a 10g & breed a pair or trio of guppies in either side, but if you wanted to save as many fry as possible, then a seperate fry tank would be a good idea.

Livebearers are very easy to breed, and you can just leave them all in together to get on with it, but selective breeding is a little more complicated. It depends on whether you want to develop a particular line or colour, or whether you would like them to just breed with any male.

 

[5teady_2012]

Hey ive got a idea on the tank sich i can get a 10g and devide it in 2 will that be suitable?

No not really, You need a 10G just for the adults, and then a 10G for the fry to grow them on.

10G is very acceptable for 8 sword adults. (with a mature filter)..

As above says, it does only get complicated on selective breedong, but i guess with you being new to it, you just want to breed and with any right?

 

[karigupi]

Not to hijack betta's thread here, but swordtail males need more space than a 10g can offer, I had a group of 2 males & 5 females in a 3ft & even then I think they would have preferred more room, they are very active fish & the males with their swords are much larger than a guppy or molly.

Here are the first couple of links from a quick google search for swordtail tank requirements:

http/www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Fish/Freshwater_Fish/Swordtail/Default.htm
http/www.tropicalfishtanksonline.com/swordtail-xiphophorus-helleri/

Tanks of less than 24"/15g are not advised

One quote:

Recommended Tank Size and Temperament: 2.5 to 10 gallons per fish depending on filtration, chemistry, tank décor (plants etc.), and tank mates; if you want to keep a pair, no less then a 15 gallon tank. Don’t keep this very active but beautiful livebearer in a cramped 2.5 gallon or even a 5 gallon tank. They need space to room around. Swordtails, especially the males are a more aggressive livebearer and will often harass other fish, although they are still generally a community fish, this should be considered when stocking an aquarium.

 

[5teady_2012]

I completely disagree, when i bred my swords for many years i had my adults in a 2ft tank (little more than 10G but no much - it was 12G measuring 24x12x12

They did great in there and was very sucessful, 2.5G to 10G for one swordtail is way way over the top, in my 16 years of breeding fish i wouldnt even slightly pay attention to that.

In my opinion, i would put 8 swords in a 10G tank (with a matured filter) (and have in a 12G tank) as long as the water stats read fine and the fish are healthy, there SHOULD be no problems.

Everyone though has different experiences and opinios, this way worked for me.

A healthy active fish to me is a happy fish, and my sowrds was always like that in mine when i was breeding them.

 

[karigupi]

'2.5G to 10G for one swordtail is way way over the top'

agree with you on that one Will have to agree to disagree on this one, its one of those things as a fish keeper, you have to make your own calls sometimes & work with your own experience, there are no black & white rules.