Breeding Rainbows?

[smithpants94]

I've been doing some online research and I just can't find anything that seems to hold water.

Have any of you had success breeding rainbows?

What are your methods?

 

[Tony Gill]

Ironically, I breed them in the back yard in anything that holds water! (I have tubs of Rhadinocentrus ornatus and Pseudomugil mellis outside, and just let the fish do their thing ... though I move some of the fry into their own tubs periodically.) Some species are tricky, but for the most part rainbows are relatively easy to breed. I think the key things are to make sure you have good breeding stock to start with (check out one of the dedicated rainbowfish forums), a good sized tank positioned where it can get some morning sun, frequent water changes, and a diet that's heavy on green matter. Chuck some mops in for a week or so and you should get a good yield of eggs. The eggs may take a while to hatch (depends on species, but most are a week or so). I've had success starting fry on commercial fry foods like Liquafry, but it's worth getting a couple of cultures of vinegar and micro worms going as well. The other thing that can really increase your success is to throw in a handful of shellgrit to your raising tanks. Sorry if this post doesn't help much, just wanted to mention some of the basic requirements. You can get a lot more detailed information (on all things rainbowfish) if you download Adrian Tappin's e-book: Free eBook Download: Rainbowfishes: Their Care and Keeping in Captivity by Adrian R. Tappin — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

 

[smithpants94]

Thanks, Tony, I'll definitely be looking into some of that!