DIY spawning pad

[butterfly_koi]

After reading on the new emperor tetras I got today I got really interested in trying to breed them. The tetras need some kind of pad/moss to lay their eggs on, I'm not wanting to get any live plants in my tank because its only my 29 gallon that they are in I'm going to save that till I set up my 55 gallon. I started making a "spawning pad" for them. Question is will it work? Any thoughts?

 

[jetajockey]

Spawning mops work great for egg scatterers, do you have a separate growout tank for the fry?

 

[butterfly_koi]

Spawning mops work great for egg scatterers, do you have a separate growout tank for the fry?

Yup, I have a separate cycled 10 gallon that I used to use for guppy fry. This is what I stated making


View attachment 94224

Was just kind of wondering if it would work just as well

 

[Andy Sager]

In my experience.....

Yup, I have a separate cycled 10 gallon that I used to use for guppy fry. This is what I stated making


View attachment 94224

Was just kind of wondering if it would work just as well

In my experience breeding Tetras, I found that they spawned AMONGST the plants and not ON the plants. They mostly are egg scatterers and breed closer to the top of the tank (and plants) and not on the bottom. Another thing I used was eggcrate covering about 2/3 of the bottom (raised off the bottom with some PVC fitting in the corners) so that any eggs that didn't adhere to the plants would fall under the grating and be safe from the parents eating them. (You make a small piece of grating for the side too so that the parents can't get under the grating. ) Another option is to fill the bottom of the tank with larger sized marbles so that the eggs can get inbetween the marbles and the parents can't.
Your setup looks nice and Cudos for thinking of it but I think it will not be functionable for tetras. I'd agree and go with spawning mops that you can attach to the eggcrate and have rise to the top of the tank so you create a wall of plants for the breeders.
Hope this helps...

 

[butterfly_koi]

In my experience breeding Tetras, I found that they spawned AMONGST the plants and not ON the plants. They mostly are egg scatterers and breed closer to the top of the tank (and plants) and not on the bottom. Another thing I used was eggcrate covering about 2/3 of the bottom (raised off the bottom with some PVC fitting in the corners) so that any eggs that didn't adhere to the plants would fall under the grating and be safe from the parents eating them. (You make a small piece of grating for the side too so that the parents can't get under the grating. ) Another option is to fill the bottom of the tank with larger sized marbles so that the eggs can get inbetween the marbles and the parents can't.
Your setup looks nice and Cudos for thinking of it but I think it will not be functionable for tetras. I'd agree and go with spawning mops that you can attach to the eggcrate and have rise to the top of the tank so you create a wall of plants for the breeders.
Hope this helps...

Might be ahead of you on that lol it has suction cups on the back so it will stick to the side of the tank if I need it to. The picture I posted is just the first later of the project after the silicon is set I'm going to add another later with taller plants so they will stick out into the aquarium more

 

[Andy Sager]

Once again...

Might be ahead of you on that lol it has suction cups on the back so it will stick to the side of the tank if I need it to. The picture I posted is just the first later of the project after the silicon is set I'm going to add another later with taller plants so they will stick out into the aquarium more

I applaud your ingenuity but I could have a breeding tank set up in under 15 minutes using items already found on your pet shop's shelves.
To me, you're doing a lot of extra unnecessary work
You're also leaving too much of the tank exposed if you are securing that to the side of the tank. You want to create a batch of plants that the fish can swim through opposed to swim against. (But it does make a nice backdrop )

 

[butterfly_koi]

I applaud your ingenuity but I could have a breeding tank set up in under 15 minutes using items already found on your pet shop's shelves.
To me, you're doing a lot of extra unnecessary work
You're also leaving too much of the tank exposed if you are securing that to the side of the tank. You want to create a batch of plants that the fish can swim through opposed to swim against. (But it does make a nice backdrop )

Might have you there again Andy lol it was all made from extra aquarium supplies I had, even the bottom of it is made from a filter media I never used. The only thing I bought was the silicon which I needed anyways to reseal a tank I got today. It sticks to the side of the tank where my tall plant is so it fills out that side of the tank

 

[Andy Sager]

I think...

Might have you there again Andy lol it was all made from extra aquarium supplies I had, even the bottom of it is made from a filter media I never used. The only thing I bought was the silicon which I needed anyways to reseal a tank I got today. It sticks to the side of the tank where my tall plant is so it fills out that side of the tank

I think you are missing the point. I guarantee you that I could have set up a number of successful breeding tanks in the amount of time it has taken you to build your mat and we've had this conversation
All those short plants, USELESS for breeding Tetras. (IMO) You need long fine leaved plants that the fish can swim through to scatter their eggs. Quantity of plants necessary to breed Tetras- about 4-6 good bunches in a 10 gal tank. That's it I've given you my exact setup that bred Serpaes, Lemons, H&T lites, Silvertips, Penguins, Glow-lites, Phantoms, Neons, Von Rios, Blacks, GTOs, Congos, Emperors (should I go on??? )

But as I said, it does look nice even though I question it's effective usage for Tetras. Let us know how it comes out and your breeding results

 

[butterfly_koi]

touché Andy touché lol

 

[butterfly_koi]

I was wondering throughout this little debate though, I have two males and two females and I've read mixed things on breeding them. So I need to set up a divider between the couples? I've read that the males can get aggressive and they have already seemed to pair off

 

[Andy Sager]

I was wondering throughout this little debate though, I have two males and two females and I've read mixed things on breeding them. So I need to set up a divider between the couples? I've read that the males can get aggressive and they have already seemed to pair off

For best success at breeding these little gems, you'll need to separate the sexes and condition them. We always used different tanks because of the possibility of the fish producing hormones that either surpressed the other fish or got them overly excited and they prematurely spawned. Usually a week of steady good food and clean water led to spawnings within 2-3 days of introducing a pair into the tank. If you do try to "communal" breed them, you run the risk of the other fish eating the eggs as they are being spawned. Commercial breeders do this by breeding the fish in vats in plant filled cages that only have enough room for the fish to spawn in and the eggs fall into the vats. On a smaller scale, I do 1 pair at a time. That was enough fish for me although I sometimes did breed quite a number of pairs, "Just in case"

 

[butterfly_koi]

I didn't plan on breeding them when I bought them, heck it wasn't till I got home that I even knew how to sex them. But now that I know that I have two of each sex I think it will be an interesting experience to try for eggs i've only had livebearers. I guess I'll separate the females tonight and go from there. I'll pm you when I get ready to breed them, could use a little advice when the time comes

 

[Andy Sager]

I didn't plan on breeding them when I bought them, heck it wasn't till I got home that I even knew how to sex them. But now that I know that I have two of each sex I think it will be an interesting experience to try for eggs i've only had livebearers. I guess I'll separate the females tonight and go from there. I'll pm you when I get ready to breed them, could use a little advice when the time comes

Not a problem