Interested in breeding... seriously this time.

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PheonixKingZ

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Hello and good day!

I have been interested in breeding for a long time now, but I never had the funds or the time... or so I thought.

After being on the forum for a while now, I have seen lots of people say itā€™s quite easy.

I would be interested in breeding schooling fish, preferably fish I already have now.

I have the following:
  • 10x Blood Fin Tetras
  • 8x Harliquen Rasboraā€™s
  • 2x Neon Tetras (yes, I know, I need more)
Iā€™m not sure if my parents would allow me to have another tank, so this is what I have now:

29g: 8x Harliquen Rasboraā€™s, 2x Neon Tetras, 5x Julii Corydoras, 1x Albino BNP, and shrimp/snails.

20g long: 10x Blood Fin Tetras, 4x Julii Corydoras, and shrimp/snails

And then I have a 5g tank with a lone Zebra Danio (I know, I know, we have been over this a lot, but I just canā€™t get myself to get rid of her. ā˜¹ļø)
I have a great LFS, very well cared for. The owner and I have done business in the past, with me selling him Cherry Shrimp and Anacharis - heā€™s a very cool guy.

Obviously I would want to see if he would take them first, so I donā€™t breed for nothing. (And also see what price he would be willing to offer me)


Thoughts?

@Colin_T @itiwhetu
 
Personally I'd put all of the Juli's the in the same tank and try breeding them! But go for the fish you'd really like to breed! Always gotta be the fish you really like, to make it fun to do!

What really appeals to you? What would you like to raise and have more of?
 
Personally I'd put all of the Juli's the in the same tank and try breeding them! But go for the fish you'd really like to breed! Always gotta be the fish you really like, to make it fun to do!

What really appeals to you? What would you like to raise and have more of?
What? Baby Juliiā€™s!?!? :wub: :wub:

I would definitely like breeding those little cuties.

The issue is... I donā€™t want to mess up my pretty 20g long. Does breeding usually do so?

I would actually like to breed the neons and Rasboraā€™s because they are super popular. The blood fins are still settling in and are super skittish, so I wouldnā€™t want to put any stress on them. :/
 
Obviously I would want to see if he would take them first, so I donā€™t breed for nothing. (And also see what price he would be willing to offer me)
My opinion, LFS have a huge advantage amatuer breeders as they can buy fish from their wholesaler and you have to get rid of fish as your tanks are getting overcrowded.

Someone said this before, bred rare fish if you want to sell them. I agree with AdoraBelle, bred the Juli's. I can't find any of these guys in my area.
 
What would you like to raise and have more of?

That would be my reason for breeding Odessa Barbs, I want more of them. From an online breeder, they may cost me ~$15-20/fish and I want about 20 of them. Plus it would be a fun project.

I am in the early planning stage for a 75 gallon Mbuna tank. I may try getting a few breeding pairs and let them populate the tank.
 
My opinion, LFS have a huge advantage amatuer breeders as they can buy fish from their wholesaler and you have to get rid of fish as your tanks are getting overcrowded.

Someone said this before, bred rare fish if you want to sell them. I agree with AdoraBelle, bred the Juli's. I can't find any of these guys in my area.
Anyone know breeding requirements/suggestions for Juliiā€™s?

I have 5 in one tank and 4 in the other tank. I would most likely put them all in my 20g long, because itā€™s more shallower, and I can see them better.

They have never been in the same tank though.
 
I canā€™t find any site that has some solid information on how to breed them. :/

Should I go ahead and move them all over to my 20g long?
 
Ok, let me recap everything Iā€™ve read so far:
  • One of the easiest Corydoras species to breed
  • Needs to have a specific breeding tank (bare bottom or fine sand)
  • Needs to have air powered sponge filter
  • Needs Java moss (no issue there)
  • The breeding tank needs to be 42.5L (which is essentially 11 gallons. I think a 10g tank should suffice)
  • Needs to have 75F water
  • Water should be slightly acidic (matches my water)
  • Should try to breed during the winter
Thatā€™s pretty much all Iā€™ve read so far.

I do think they might let me get a 10g tank for breeding.

All I need as far as equipment goes acre the following:
  • Small sponge filters
  • Heater
  • Light
Forgot to mention: itā€™s also best to have 2x the amount of males as females. Not sure how to sex them though...
 
What? Baby Juliiā€™s!?!? :wub: :wub:

I would definitely like breeding those little cuties.

The issue is... I donā€™t want to mess up my pretty 20g long. Does breeding usually do so?

I would actually like to breed the neons and Rasboraā€™s because they are super popular. The blood fins are still settling in and are super skittish, so I wouldnā€™t want to put any stress on them. :/
Neons are difficult to breed and I donā€™t know about the others. If you can move your lone danio over then your 5G would be a perfect nursery tank. Iā€™d put your Coryā€™s together and give them time to do their thing. Then, when you see eggs on the glass, gently remove them with your fingers or a credit card (gift card). Immediately place them in your cycled 5G. No substrate in bottom, just eggs. Use a small sponge filter and heater. Temp about 76-77F. Only fill tank a few inches for now so fry can swim to top. Eggs will hatch in 2-4 days. They will then feed off their egg sac for at least first 24 hours. I go ahead and add a tiny bit of First Bites on day 2 just in case. I have lost less fry by doing this. If your Coryā€™s donā€™t spawn then do a water change and add fresh water a few degrees lower than normal temp. I also feed mine live baby brine shrimp before hand in the evenings for about a week. You can also feed bloodworms. @CassCats can give you tips for raising in a breeder basket too. I prefer the nursery tank but success is achieved both ways. If you really want to start easy, get a few guppies. :)
 
So you would suggest adding them all in my 20g long tank? Would that stress the tetras in that tank?
 
I have been interested in breeding for a long time now, but I never had the funds or the time... or so I thought.
Do you need to know about the birds and the bees?
If not, get a girlfriend, get drunk and go for it :wub:
Timewise, it only takes a minute :)

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All Corydoras breed the same. They lay eggs on hard flat surfaces, usually glass or broad leaf plant leaves. If you look down on them from above, the males are slimmer than females. The females bulge out around the belly area.

You can breed them in pairs or groups. Feed them well 3-5 times a day for a few weeks and do big daily water changes. The fish will breed when they want to. Sudden changes in temperature or barometric pressure will sometimes help get them breeding.

You can breed them in any size tank from 2 foot long or bigger. Temperature and pH/ GH don't make much difference to captive bred Cories. Ideally keep them in soft slightly acid water and leave them to breed, but they will breed in water with a GH around 150-200ppm and pH above 7.0.

-------------------
Harlequin rasboras lay eggs on the underside of plant leaves. A male and female will pr off and display together. They find a nice plant leaf (Amazon sword or Anubias are commonly used) and lay a few eggs on it. They swim around for a bit longer before laying more eggs on the leaf. After a few hours they stop laying eggs and swim back to the main school.

-------------------
Glass bloodfins and neon tetras are egg scatterers. They are best bred in single prs in an 18-24 inch long tank. The pr swim into fine leaf plants like Java Moss and scatter eggs in that. They continue doing this until the female has expelled all her eggs, then they swim off.

Virtually all tetras breed in very soft acid water (pH below 7.0 and GH below 50ppm (GH 0ppm is ideal for most South American tetras and is required for cardinal tetras).

Tetra eggs are light sensitive and need to be kept in the dark while they are developing.

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Get another bristlenose (opposite sex to what you currently have) and keep them together. Feed them well and have a few pieces of pvc pipe in the tank. They breed inside the pipe and the male guards and fans the eggs. The female swims off and gets down and dirty with other males. Bristlenose catfish don't need anything special to breed, just feed them well and do water changes and gravel cleans.

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General things to do before breeding any fish.

If you separate males and females for 4-5 days before breeding it encourages them to spawn when put together. It also allows the fish to build up gametes (eggs & sperm) so they have more to release when breeding.

Feed fish on a variety of live, frozen and dry foods 3-5 times a day for at least 2 weeks before breeding the fish. This allows them to build up fat reserves and they produce healthier gametes. Mozzie larvae is one of the best foods to get fish breeding.

Do big daily water changes when feeding more often. The big daily water changes also simulate rainfall and this is when most freshwater fishes breed. If you use slightly cooler or warmer water for the water changes, it can stimulate the fish and get them going.

Most fish breed first thing in the morning and a bit of morning sunlight shining on the tank can get them going. However, you don't need morning sun for most captive bred fishes.

When a species of fish breeds, it releases hormones into the water and this can get other species going.

Remove all shrimp and snails from breeding tanks because they eat the eggs.

Have an air operated sponge filter in the breeding/ rearing tank so it doesn't suck the baby fish up. Have a heater (if required) and a thin layer of dark gravel on the bottom.

You can breed most fish in a plastic storage container. After they breed you remove the adults and reduce the water level to 4-6 inches. The shallower water means the fry are closer to the food and don't expend as much energy looking for food. Have fry food ready before you breed the fish. See following link for info on fry foods.
 
Your cories are trilineatus, not julii, so look for info on breeding trilineatus.

Pretty standard.

If you intend on breeding and raising in a separate tank, your 5g alone would be fine just would move the danio.

Fatten up your cories in the main tank for a few weeks. Feed lots of frozen foods or live foods particularly.

When you have a female who is visibly chunky and a good size, move her and 2-3 males over to the 5 gallon tank with some floating anacharis. Trilineatus lay 1-2 eggs at a time on plant leaves mostly, and do not lay mass batches in one place like aeneus do.

When moved, do daily 50% water changes, making sure the new water is colder than the original tank water by a couple degrees. Having extra airstones running in the tank helps a lot too.

The males will chase the female and will grab her whiskers with her pelvic fins and fertilize the eggs in a "T" shaped position. The female then carries off the eggs and places them where she wants, while the males continue to chase her.

Once they have spawned, remove the parents back to the community tank. Add Indian almond leaves, alder cones, or a couple drops of methylene blue to prevent fungus on the eggs, increase aeration but lower the water level in the 5g to a couple inches, gently remove any eggs above the water line and place them in the water. Or, wait til they all hatch and reduce water level then

Reason to lower water level is to make the food and the air closer for them as they need to go up for air just like adults do, and deeper tanks make it harder for them to do so. And being closer to food makes it easier for them to get enough to eat.

The eggs hatch after 3-5 days, remove any that fungus over as soon as you see them (check couple times a day), and wait for them to hatch.

Once they hatch, don't feed the fry until 2-3 days after they hatch as they still have their yolk sac. Trilineatus fry are large enough to take Hikari First Bites, baby brine shrimp, or egg yolk the first week, honestly have had best success starting them on Hikari First Bites for a week and then moving on to microworms or baby brine shrimp. Be sure to rinse the bbs in fresh water before feeding them. Feed 2-3 times daily.


As they grow, increase the water level. By 7 days old be sure they have a thin layer of sand as it increases their survival rate.

Daily also do water changes to keep the fry growing properly.

A brief and basic guide ive made here on raising fry the first week:

 
Wow! Tons of information, thanks guys! :good:

I will try to sex my corys in both tanks today... I will try to find something to do with my ZD.

I had honestly never thought about the Pleco before. Usually Albinos are hard to find where I come from, so that may be something for the future.


Your cories are trilineatus, not julii, so look for info on breeding trilineatus.
Ah, ok! I guess mine are called false Juliiā€™s? https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-trilineatus/


When you have a female who is visibly chunky and a good size, move her and 2-3 males over to the 5 gallon tank with some floating anacharis. Trilineatus lay 1-2 eggs at a time on plant leaves mostly, and do not lay mass batches in one place like aeneus do.
Ok, that sounds like a plan. I will still need to get a heater and a sponge filter for the 5g - plants are plentiful now, so that should do.



As they grow, increase the water level. By 7 days old be sure they have a thin layer of sand as it increases their survival rate.
Should I do a bare bottom or just lightly sanded tank for the fry?
 

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