Fish Breeding Techniques

Fish breeding can be a fun activity or lifestyle for those who love rearing and observing the growth of fish. Many types of fish are available for breeding, including live-bearers, cichlids, sword-tails, guppies, goldfish and many more. Proper fish breeding techniques will provide fish breeders with the proper strategies to raise a crop of strong, active and healthy fish.

  1. Selection

    • Choosing healthy fish is a must in order to conduct good breeding. The head, body and fins should have proper shaping and the color of the fish should be strong. In addition, the females need to be stronger than the males in order to avoid being injured by males during the breeding process. Select several fish and allow the breeding process to take its natural course. The fishes can then discover their own mates.

    Water Quality

    • Breeding requires sufficient water quality and filtration. Poor water conditions can cause many dangers to the fry (small fish). For example, smaller fish or fry can become victims of parent fish when water is full of bacteria and fungi and other debris. Also temperature, bacteria and pH levels can also harm the fry due to their high sensitivity to such conditions. Removing gravel and using a filter to clean the water, at least once a week, will help protect the fry from being harmed. Adding a spoonful of rock salt will also help decrease bacteria and fungi growth in the tank.

    Diet

    • The appropriate diet also must be provided to keep the breeding fish healthy and alive. Use frozen fish such as worms, brine shrimp and cichlid to keep your breeding pairs healthy and alive. Feed on a consistent basis, but do not overfeed or leave excess food in the tank. Although live bait such as mosquito larvae and fruit flies is probably the best, it can cause diseases and other unhealthy conditions in spawning tank, thereby resulting in unhealthy breeding.

    Breeding Process

    • To get the breeding pairs active, you must simulate the rainy season in which most fish breed. First make sure the water conditions in the tank match those of the natural environment. Start by reducing tank water to half full and then add 5 percent volume of water daily. The added water should be a little cooler than the tank temperature. Use a spray bar for at least 2 or 3 hours daily to simulate rainy conditions. To create the effect of thundering and lightening, you can use bass music, flashing lights and rattling pots and pains. Perform this activity until you eventually see evidence of spawning.