Zebra Danio Breeding Advice?

[Koish]

I am planning on breeding some zebra danios, and have been researching on how to do that. I large number of resources have mentioned to place a large clump of java moss (or really any free floating plant) in the breeding tank to entice the fish to breed.
Do I need to do that, or will they still breed without the java moss? Are there any alternatives I can use?

Any help is appreciated

 

[Andy Sager]

I am planning on breeding some zebra danios, and have been researching on how to do that. I large number of resources have mentioned to place a large clump of java moss (or really any free floating plant) in the breeding tank to entice the fish to breed.
Do I need to do that, or will they still breed without the java moss? Are there any alternatives I can use?

Any help is appreciated

The key is to help the eggs hide from the parents because the parents will eat them if they find them.
There are a few different methods for breeding any Danio specie. One is to put a long container ( longer vs higher) with some java moss in it into the tank so that when the fish spawn on it, the container can be removed to protect the eggs and hatch them out and grow the fry out in another tank.

Another method is just using a clump of moss on the bottom and keeping an eye on it so that the parents can be removed after spawning.

Another is to make a grid of eggcrate or wire mesh over some natural stone or marbles so that the eggs will fall in between the stones/marbles and the parents can't get to them. Remove the breeders after spawning.

Then there is the method I use and prefer:
I take a 20 gal long tank ( or something smaller as long as it allows the fish to run while spawning) and fill the bottom with a single layer of natural stones ( or marbles ) and just an inch or two of water above the substrate with only an airstone. No filtration. I separate the males and females into separate tanks and fatten them up with some higher protein foods for 7-10 days. After then, I place the breeders back together into this tank and usually within 2 days, they spawn. ( Watch the females for a reduction in stomach girth to know they spawned.) After the spawning, remove the breeders back to their regular tank(s).
After removing the breeders, add an additional inch of water daily until the tank fills up. Once the eggs hatch and the fry are close to finishing their yolk sac, they will start clinging to the walls of the tank. ( Use a good magnifying glass to check the walls. The fry will look like glass slivers) At this point, add a seasoned sponge filter to the tank and start preparing food for the fry. Infusoria is what I cultured and used but there are other micro foods for marine fry now available that may work as well.

This last method is a little more complicated but I've found to be more effective for a higher yield of fry. Danios spawn close to the bottom and scatter their eggs as they swim so the low water level helps get the eggs into the protective rocks/marbles faster so less predation.

Hope this helps.

 

[Koish]

The key is to help the eggs hide from the parents because the parents will eat them if they find them.
There are a few different methods for breeding any Danio specie. One is to put a long container ( longer vs higher) with some java moss in it into the tank so that when the fish spawn on it, the container can be removed to protect the eggs and hatch them out and grow the fry out in another tank.

Another method is just using a clump of moss on the bottom and keeping an eye on it so that the parents can be removed after spawning.

Another is to make a grid of eggcrate or wire mesh over some natural stone or marbles so that the eggs will fall in between the stones/marbles and the parents can't get to them. Remove the breeders after spawning.

Then there is the method I use and prefer:
I take a 20 gal long tank ( or something smaller as long as it allows the fish to run while spawning) and fill the bottom with a single layer of natural stones ( or marbles ) and just an inch or two of water above the substrate with only an airstone. No filtration. I separate the males and females into separate tanks and fatten them up with some higher protein foods for 7-10 days. After then, I place the breeders back together into this tank and usually within 2 days, they spawn. ( Watch the females for a reduction in stomach girth to know they spawned.) After the spawning, remove the breeders back to their regular tank(s).
After removing the breeders, add an additional inch of water daily until the tank fills up. Once the eggs hatch and the fry are close to finishing their yolk sac, they will start clinging to the walls of the tank. ( Use a good magnifying glass to check the walls. The fry will look like glass slivers) At this point, add a seasoned sponge filter to the tank and start preparing food for the fry. Infusoria is what I cultured and used but there are other micro foods for marine fry now available that may work as well.

This last method is a little more complicated but I've found to be more effective for a higher yield of fry. Danios spawn close to the bottom and scatter their eggs as they swim so the low water level helps get the eggs into the protective rocks/marbles faster so less predation.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your reply. Just asking, but why do you need to start with a couple of inches of water, instead of just filling to the top at the start?

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you so much for your reply. Just asking, but why do you need to start with a couple of inches of water, instead of just filling to the top at the start?

As I explained, the fish spawn at the bottom and so they don't need much water above them. Add to that that if the eggs are seen by the breeders or other breeders in the tank who have not spawned yet, they will probably be eaten. My objective was to get as many fry as possible so eaten eggs do not help achieve that goal. The more water in the tank, the higher into the water column the fish may try to spawn in and that's just an invitation for predation.
I should add that as a hobbyist, I only added one pair or trio ( 2 females and 1 male) in the tank but as a commercial breeder, I used schools of fish in a single receptacle for maximum spawning results. Keep in mind that a mature female Zebra Danio can lay 100 eggs +/- so you want to be prepared for that as you choose how many fish to spawn.