How to Breed Livebearing Tropical Fish
Select the species you would like to breed., Sex your fish., Let the fish do their thing., Watch for females to become pregnant., Separate the females before they give birth., Wait and watch for the birth., Feed your fish well., Spread the fry out...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Select the species you would like to breed.
Several varieties of live-bearers are available from most pet stores, including guppies, platies, mollies, swordtails, and Endlers.
All of these have similar needs.
Whichever variety you select, ask for a 50/50 mix of males and females.Live breeders will do well in a standard 20-30 gallon tank setup.
Ask your pet store if you are unsure of how to set up an aquarium. -
Step 2: Sex your fish.
Even if your store promises an even mix of females and males, you will need to know the gender of each fish so you can separate them later on.
Live breeders have a few characteristics that you can use to sex the fish:
Females have triangular anal fins located under the belly.
Males have a modified anal fin that appears spiky.
It is used to inseminate females.
Females tend to be larger than males, since they will carry young live.
Sometimes, males are more colorful and patterned than females. , If you place male and female live breeders in a tank together, there is a good chance they will mate before too long.
You shouldn’t have to do anything to help the process.If you want to selectively breed fish of a particular color or pattern, be sure to place a roughly equal number of males and females of that type only in your aquarium.
If necessary, you can separate various colors and patterns into different tanks. , Most of the time, you will be able to tell that a live-breeder female is pregnant because its belly will swell.
Sometimes, you will also see a black mark (called a gravid spot) on the side of the fish if it is pregnant.Don’t be surprised if some of your fish are already pregnant when you bring them home, or if they mate very quickly. , Newborn fish (fry) are at risk of being eaten by other fish.
To prevent this from happening, place a pregnant female in a special birthing tank shortly before she gives birth.
This can be a smaller tank (5-20 gallons), but it should have all of the features of a regular tank.Put some plants and other objects in the birthing tank.
The female will be able to hide behind these and feel safe enough to give birth.
Remove the female from the tank after the fry are born.
You can place the fry in a net that sits in the regular tank after they are born so that they are kept safe.
Look for one at your pet store.
Birthing enclosures are also available.
These are clear boxes that clip inside the birthing tank.
They have small slits in them that the fry can escape through after birth. , The exact amount of time it takes for live breeders to give birth varies based on species.
The gestation period ranges from about 28 days for guppies to about 48 days for mollies.Just before she gives birth, a female may rub her abdomen back and forth on a plant in the aquarium.
The number of fry a live breeder will produce varies based on species, the age of the fish, and other factors.
It can range from just a few to well over
100.
Live breeder females can store sperm, producing several groups of fry after mating just once. , Live breeders can be fed a regular diet of fish flakes, available at your pet store.
You can also supplement with dried blood worms, flies, or other treats.
Most fry will begin eating regular food right away, although you can buy specially marked fry food if you want.
This is formulated to encourage growth., Once fry have grown larger than the mouths of adult fish, they can be moved out of the birthing tank into a regular one.
If you have a large number of fish, you will need to separate them out into multiple tanks to prevent overcrowding.Talk to a pet store or consult a species guide if you aren’t sure how many of your type of live breeder can be housed per tank. , Live breeders produce fry frequently, and in large numbers.
This means you can quickly become overrun with more fish than you can handle.
Pet stores are not usually interested in buying fish from you, since there is such a huge supply, but you could ask.
You could also try to give fish away to other people looking for a pet. -
Step 3: Let the fish do their thing.
-
Step 4: Watch for females to become pregnant.
-
Step 5: Separate the females before they give birth.
-
Step 6: Wait and watch for the birth.
-
Step 7: Feed your fish well.
-
Step 8: Spread the fry out when they’re grown.
-
Step 9: Prepare to have lots of fish.
Detailed Guide
Several varieties of live-bearers are available from most pet stores, including guppies, platies, mollies, swordtails, and Endlers.
All of these have similar needs.
Whichever variety you select, ask for a 50/50 mix of males and females.Live breeders will do well in a standard 20-30 gallon tank setup.
Ask your pet store if you are unsure of how to set up an aquarium.
Even if your store promises an even mix of females and males, you will need to know the gender of each fish so you can separate them later on.
Live breeders have a few characteristics that you can use to sex the fish:
Females have triangular anal fins located under the belly.
Males have a modified anal fin that appears spiky.
It is used to inseminate females.
Females tend to be larger than males, since they will carry young live.
Sometimes, males are more colorful and patterned than females. , If you place male and female live breeders in a tank together, there is a good chance they will mate before too long.
You shouldn’t have to do anything to help the process.If you want to selectively breed fish of a particular color or pattern, be sure to place a roughly equal number of males and females of that type only in your aquarium.
If necessary, you can separate various colors and patterns into different tanks. , Most of the time, you will be able to tell that a live-breeder female is pregnant because its belly will swell.
Sometimes, you will also see a black mark (called a gravid spot) on the side of the fish if it is pregnant.Don’t be surprised if some of your fish are already pregnant when you bring them home, or if they mate very quickly. , Newborn fish (fry) are at risk of being eaten by other fish.
To prevent this from happening, place a pregnant female in a special birthing tank shortly before she gives birth.
This can be a smaller tank (5-20 gallons), but it should have all of the features of a regular tank.Put some plants and other objects in the birthing tank.
The female will be able to hide behind these and feel safe enough to give birth.
Remove the female from the tank after the fry are born.
You can place the fry in a net that sits in the regular tank after they are born so that they are kept safe.
Look for one at your pet store.
Birthing enclosures are also available.
These are clear boxes that clip inside the birthing tank.
They have small slits in them that the fry can escape through after birth. , The exact amount of time it takes for live breeders to give birth varies based on species.
The gestation period ranges from about 28 days for guppies to about 48 days for mollies.Just before she gives birth, a female may rub her abdomen back and forth on a plant in the aquarium.
The number of fry a live breeder will produce varies based on species, the age of the fish, and other factors.
It can range from just a few to well over
100.
Live breeder females can store sperm, producing several groups of fry after mating just once. , Live breeders can be fed a regular diet of fish flakes, available at your pet store.
You can also supplement with dried blood worms, flies, or other treats.
Most fry will begin eating regular food right away, although you can buy specially marked fry food if you want.
This is formulated to encourage growth., Once fry have grown larger than the mouths of adult fish, they can be moved out of the birthing tank into a regular one.
If you have a large number of fish, you will need to separate them out into multiple tanks to prevent overcrowding.Talk to a pet store or consult a species guide if you aren’t sure how many of your type of live breeder can be housed per tank. , Live breeders produce fry frequently, and in large numbers.
This means you can quickly become overrun with more fish than you can handle.
Pet stores are not usually interested in buying fish from you, since there is such a huge supply, but you could ask.
You could also try to give fish away to other people looking for a pet.
About the Author
Bruce Hernandez
Bruce Hernandez specializes in lifestyle and practical guides and has been creating helpful content for over 12 years. Bruce is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: