Economic Breeding
by Joseph W. Gardner
July 1998 Issue # 15
Talk about breeding programs often conjures up the view of a fish room with dozens or hundreds of tanks. While this is often true, it does not mean that effective breeding can not be done with a small set-up. Before joining the Grand Valley Aquarium Club, I had bred nearly 40 species using a breeding system which utilized no more than 4 tanks. Much of the time I used only two tanks.
I have been fish keeping since 1964 when I returned from Bermuda with my family. My dad had been stationed there and I was 13 when we returned. I began serious fish breeding when I returned from Spain in 1976. At that time I had a 20L and a 29 gallon aquaria. Both tanks were set up as community tanks. Being in the military, I moved a lot and was under the poverty line. Needless to say, a fair amount of planning needed to go into selection of fish and equipment.
The tanks were set up with undergravel filters and 2 - 2 1/2 “ of gravel. I preferred natural or black gravels. The fish I chose were smaller fish like dwarf gouramis, live-bearers and dwarf cichlids. I also used live plants, rocks and coconut shells. Net breeders were also used. The fish were not crowded and water changes were frequent. I knew about water chemistry but really could not do much about changing the chemistry so I stopped worrying about trying.
Breeding fish, I am convinced is providing a stable environment (including water conditions), frequent and good foods, consistent water changes and compatible tank mates. A typical set-up would include kribensis, honey dwarf gouramis, a couple of corydoras and maybe a plecostomus. Breeding stock came from pet shop specials, club auctions and trades/castoffs with other aquarists. Frequently several species would be breeding at the same time. There would be harmless face-offs between a cave spawner and an anabantoid. Anabantoid fry were placed in a net breeder in the same tank in which they were bred. Apart from the African mouth brooders, most of the time, cichlid fry were left to the care of their parents. And in most cases, the cichlid parents did a fine job of caring for their fry. Unless I really liked the particular fish, once they had bred and I had earned my breeder points, I sold the parents and the fry and moved on to new fish. This was especially true of African cichlids.
I use a lot of net breeders. I prefer the fine meshed, nylon breeders because the tiny anabantoid fry (lalia, chuna and pumilis) could not slip through. There were times when I had 3 - 5 net breeders set up in an aquarium. I also usually do not use the bottom bracket. I use the top bracket and the four small posts. The reason I do not use the bottom bracket is because I have lost fish which got caught between the net and the bracket. The fry also are harder to catch with the bottom bracket in place. The net breeders allow me the luxury of raising several broods of fry (either one species or several) at one time in the same tank. They also allow me the freedom of feeding the fry in a contained area and the left over food is easily dealt with. The water continually flows through the mesh, preventing the build up of waste products. Be sure to do frequent water changes because the fry are putting out a lot of ammonia since they are growing fast.
A word of caution, with African cichlids use two net breeders. Place one breeder inside the other or use a regular net and place it inside the net breeder. I made the mistake once of placing the eggs in the net breeder one night and by morning they were gone. The adults Africans in the tank had sucked the eggs through the mesh. Once the eggs have hatched and the fry are free swimming, the risk is reduced but still very real.
Another breeding set up which does not require a great deal of space is the breeding of various types of killifish and bettas. These species require little space. Bettas require higher temperatures but killies rarely do. Both types of fish can be raised, maintained and bred in containers ranging from quart jars to 5 1/2 gallon aquariums.
It is true some fish require large aquaria, no one in their right mind would try and breed oscars or piranhas in a ten gallon aquarium. But there are hundreds of species of smaller fish which can easily be bred and reared in a small aquarium. So, head on out and get going. The End