How to get Tiger Barbs to do the Deed?

[fynnie]

I am officially hooked!( Haha no fish pun intended). I would really like to see if I can get my Tiger Barbs to lay some eggs. I have a small school of 5 as far as I can tell 3 are female. These " ladies" are sooo chubby and I have witnessed the dance at least 4 times in the last month. But no results.
Should I move a prospective pair into a breeding trap or into their own tank?
Would lowering the water level help? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I should say that currently the Tiger Barbs are residing in a 32 gallon community tank and I am worried that moving them out might be enough stress to stop them trying to breed.

[BrianNY]

It's actually easier to breed these fish if the males and females are conditioned seperately. In that way you control when the spawn occurs. Not the other way around. The fish also need enough space to get the job done. A breeding trap is for live bearers and would stress the barbs. They therefore require a breeding tank of at least 10g.

Here's what I would do:

1. The breeding tank needs a safe place to collect the eggs without the parents eating them. My preference is to use Java moss as a substrate but a few layers of marbles will also work. The only other equipment needed is a seeded sponge filter and a heater.

2. Place the males only in the breeding tank a few days before you want them to spawn. They should be fed with a variety of high quality foods such as frozen blood worms or live black worms. Take care that the temperature and pH are the same as the tank that the females are in.

3. The day of the spawning, lower the water level to about 6-7 inches in the breeding tank. Pick the fattest female and reintroduce her to the males. If the fish are in proper condition, the spawning should begin within a few minutes. Two males to one female is a good ratio and most of the eggs will be fertilized. When they are done spawning remove all of the fish back to the community tank and wait for the fry to hatch.

HTH

[fynnie]

OoooOoo now thats something I could definately do.... I have a 10 gallon that is empty for the moment. Of course I would have to get up up and running again but it would be a fun project. I know it will need to be cycled so dont worry I do understand enough about that.
One question though...I dont have a fully submersible heater, would it be alright to drop the water lever and turn it off during spawning? And after the spawning raise the water again and then plug in the heater?

[GouramiFanatic]

Originally Posted by fynnie

These " ladies" are sooo chubby and I have witnessed the dance at least 4 times in the last month. But no results.

I'm not trying to breed my Tigers, but I've got a few chubby ones which now I'm *assuming* they're female. What do you mean by the dance. Mine do this thing every now and then where they swim circles around each other and they peck at each other's lips as if they're planting kisses on each other. It's pretty funny and cool to watch, but I've always considered this to be a dominance thing not a breeding thing. Now I'm curious!

[BrianNY]

By seeding a sponge filter in your community tank for a week to 10 days you eliminate having to cycle a new tank. The good bacteria lives mostly in our filters. There is none present in the water column.

As for the heater, it's safe to unplug it during spawning. Save the water in a bucket and refill the tank when you remove the spawning trio. Then plug the heater in.

That "dance" is an indication that your fish are ready to spawn.

[fynnie]

Oh- La-La... the Dance.
I love watching this, it is so ritulized. First to show his amazing fishiness, He hovers head down while facing a voluptious famale. I assume it helps to show off his color. After enticing the lady in this mannor for a bit they come together in a very graceful tight spiral, almost but not quite touching. Very subtly he will come out of the dance and try to bunt the female about half way down her body forming a T position.If at all possible he will chase her into a side of the tank where he "presses" her against the glass.

[GouramiFanatic]

Originally Posted by fynnie

If at all possible he will chase her into a side of the tank where he "presses" her against the glass.

Boy.. fish are such romantic lovers!! LOL

[rkilling1]

Tiger barbs are very easy to breed. All I do is remove one of the females to a breeding tank (5 or 10 gallon bare bottom, heater, and sponge filter) stocked with plants and after 24 hours of separation I introduce her mate into this tank. They start dropping eggs within minutes most times. There is no need to feed them anything special before hand, but provide them with some food during the mating to reduce the amount of eggs they will eat.

I have never reduced the water level during the breeding. You will have to watch them and see when they are done so you can remove them before they eat too many eggs.

Here is the last time I bred them: (if you look close, you can see the eggs on the bottom of the tank)


And here are a couple of the fry I kept: