beginner breeder looking for ideas

[Alexp08]

I have never bread fish, ive got pregnant fish from the store and successfully raised the fry. But I want to get into breeding. I have soft water, gh6, kh4, and neutral ph. the breeding will take place in either a 10 or 20 gal tank. which will also house the FRY. The adults will then be moved to a 35 or 60 gallon tank with similar water conditions.

Im starting this tank from scratch so really the set up will depend on the fish.

Basically im looking for a relatively easy fish to breed that will thrive in soft water. I also would like them to be peaceful as this tank may (but not necessarily) house some RCS.

Thanks

 

[dalto]

There are sveral Apistogramma species that are easy to breed and thrive in soft water. They are good parents and you can raise the fry with them for a time. Eventually they will need to moved as they grow out.

I have never kept them with RCS but I suspect they would eat them.

 

[Alexp08]

I was thinking of apistos but i heard they are very hard to keep alive. Also i know they are a type of cichlid, how would they do in a community tank for when they outgrew, say a 20gallon?

 

[dalto]

I was thinking of apistos but i heard they are very hard to keep alive. Also i know they are a type of cichlid, how would they do in a community tank for when they outgrew, say a 20gallon?

They stay small. A pair of most Apistogramma species could live in a 20g tank no problem.

Some are harder to keep than others. A. borellii is pretty easy to keep as an example.

Keeping them in a community can be tough if the other species in the community don't respect their territory. The female will literally work herself to death trying to protect her fry. On the other hand, something like pencilfish which will stay in the upper region of the tank and not go after fry will be mostly ignored.

 

[Alexp08]

Well the community tank that they would go into is established and I dont want to restock it so what other peaceful fish are easy to breed?

 

[toddnbecka]

Bristlenose pleco's are safe with shrimp, and you could easily keep a pair in a 20 gallon tank. However, once they start spawning they keep going for a while, and you'll have too many fry for a 20 gallon tank. There are a couple species that will only breed in soft water, L-183 would be good.