How to Make a Homemade Fish Breeding Net

Breeding fish can be a very exciting experience for an aquarist. There are literally hundreds of breeding contraptions on the market that claim to keep newly hatched fry safe from predators in the tank -- including their parents. Most of these are variations on a segregation netting system and can cost between $10 and $50. The good news is you won't have to shell out nearly that much and you'll be able to have a safe and efficient fish breeding net to protect your fry.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 Popsicle sticks
  • Hot glue gun
  • Hot glue
  • 2 pieces of 6-inch mesh fabric
  • 4 small balloons
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Arrange the Popsicle sticks to form a square and use hot glue to attach them together.

    • 2

      Glue the mesh fabric to the Popsicle sticks. Attach one side of the 6-inch fabric to the bottom of a Popsicle stick and the other end to the Popsicle stick opposite it. Do this with the other piece of mesh as well. The mesh pieces will form a cross pattern beneath the sticks.

    • 3

      Pinch together the edges of the two separate mesh pieces to form a complete enclosure. Glue the mesh together at the seams.

    • 4

      Inflate and tie the four balloons and glue them to the top of the Popsicle structure at the corners.

    • 5

      Set the floating net in the tank and herd the fry into it. The balloons will keep the net high enough -- the Popsicle sticks will be at water level -- that the fry will not be able to escape.