Looking to get into breeding fish!

[MDaqua]

Hey everyone im new to breeding fish and am looking to get started. Im trying to pick a type of fish to start with. I have 4 10 gal tanks only one is set up at the moment and will not be used for the breeding. Also have a 1.8 gal tank and will be growing brine shrimp to feed i recently purchased that equipment and eggs. I have heard guppies are very easy but i do not know how to find a breeding trio that is good to start with. If anyone has a set they would like to sell on the cheap im very interested! Im open to other kinds of fish than guppies also making a little money off them would be GREAT. I have a lfs that is willing to buy.

 

[Nicnet]

Hey everyone im new to breeding fish and am looking to get started. Im trying to pick a type of fish to start with. I have 4 10 gal tanks only one is set up at the moment and will not be used for the breeding. Also have a 1.8 gal tank and will be growing brine shrimp to feed i recently purchased that equipment and eggs. I have heard guppies are very easy but i do not know how to find a breeding trio that is good to start with. If anyone has a set they would like to sell on the cheap im very interested! Im open to other kinds of fish than guppies also making a little money off them would be GREAT. I have a lfs that is willing to buy.

Any guppy will breed with any guppy. Just get a male whose colors you like and 2-3 females and let your journey begin! Often times, you'll wind up with some pregnant females when you buy them too which starts you even faster. They really are simple fish to breed, since they don't need to "pair" up or anything. They just go for it lol.

 

[MDaqua]

Can they come from the a petsmart store? Also how do i tell if they are male or female?

 

[Nicnet]

Can they come from the a petsmart store? Also how do i tell if they are male or female?

Yeah you can get them from Petsmart. They can have some really beautiful ones actually. Depending on the store, they can have great quality fish or really sick ones. Keep an eye out and don't get any that are obviously sick.

Male guppies are very bright and colorful. Their whole body will have color, whereas females are usually a dull grey or have a little bit of color, but only the tail portion of their body. They're like the easiest fish ever to sex, and generally the Petsmarts will keep them in two separate tanks based on their sex, so you shouldn't even have to worry about it.

 

[Nicnet]

Here's a male and female guppy, male on right and female on left.

 

[MDaqua]

Thank you! Is there anything special i need to get to breed them? Is there anything that needs to be in the tank for the fry or to help the adults breed?

 

[toddnbecka]

Endler's livebearers are actually easier than guppies, they don't eat their own fry. Cherry shrimp are well suited to a 10 gallon tank, you can keep several hundred w/out any problems. Anything easy to breed is going to be tough to make money on though, simply because they're typically so commonly available.

 

[MDaqua]

Thank you! Do you know of a good source to find some?

 

[Nicnet]

Yeah if you're looking to make money, guppies won't make you much. We breed them and turn in babies to get food and such from our LFS. & yeah, they will eat their young. But honestly, just have hiding spots and a few females and before you know it their population will be booming. You may lose some, but just keep them all well fed and you won't lose too many.

As far as feeding I think if you manage to crush up whatever your normal food is enough that'll work. I know my brother had some micro food that he uses as well, but I usually have babies in my tank I don't even bother with giving special food and they grow up just fine.

I'd suggest lots of live plants if you can. Also, if you are new to fish, definitely check out all the info about cycling your tank. (Although you said you had another ten so I'm not sure if you're new)

Good luck!

 

[Nicnet]

Endler's livebearers are actually easier than guppies, they don't eat their own fry. Cherry shrimp are well suited to a 10 gallon tank, you can keep several hundred w/out any problems. Anything easy to breed is going to be tough to make money on though, simply because they're typically so commonly available.

This is a great idea, Cherry shrimp would be a great idea in one of your tanks! I've never done them because I'm cheap and don't want to buy them at $3.99 here (lol yes I'm cheap & would rather buy ghost shrimp) but I've heard they're great to breed. I'm thinking about converted my 5 to a cherry shrimp tank myself!

 

[Mijo51380]

Red cherry shrimp do breed very fast I started with 12 with in a few months a have three times that. I also have platy marigold they breed about once a month if not more

 

[toddnbecka]

I have hundreds of endler's and cherry shrimp, sell them for $1/each or $10/dozen. Endler's aren't usually found in stores, they mostly get passed around among hobbyists. Both are almost always available online if you look around.

 

[MDaqua]

Very interested

Can you send me an email todd/becca and we can talk about me buying some fish from you i cant send anymore pms today i used them all buying some plants.