Easiest breeding fish (NON-livebearer)?

[JackSpadesSI]

I’ve got a 20-gallon tank which currently houses some guppies (all females, so no breeding there). In fact, those female guppies are the product of a batch of fry from almost exactly a year ago. It was really fun last year to raise the babies, and I’d like to do that again. However, guppies (and all livebearers) simply breed too prolifically for me to keep up. So, I’m looking for a species of fish that is relatively easy to breed but won’t involve an exponential population explosion.

Requirements:

- Not a huge bio load, as this is only a 20-gallon tank and already partially stocked.
- Only requires 1M+1F (this gets back to the first point, as I don’t have room for many more fish).
- I keep the water pretty good with weekly 50% PWCs, but I don’t want to have to do much more than that. So, nothing that’s terribly finicky about water conditions.
- No planted tank. I have some Java moss in there, but that’s probably going to be it as far as plants.

I’m currently most interested in trying GBRs (probably the Electric Blue strain). Cories may be next on my list of options. Of course, I have no clue how practical it is to breed either of those fish. I’m open to suggestions!

 

[LyndaB]

You're definitely not going to breed JDs in a 20 gallon tank, especially one with guppies!

I don't have personal experience breeding anything in less than a 30, and that was kribs, so I'd say hang on for others who have spawned egg layers and can better recommend something for you.

What about something like red cherry shrimp? You could fit a lot into your 20 gallon and they're so much fun to watch!

 

[JackSpadesSI]

I assume JD means Jack Dempsey? Yeah, I know those don't fit in a 20-gallon tank. I wasn't planning on trying those at all.

I've already got an RCS tank. I'm looking to breed fish.

 

[JackSpadesSI]

Were you confused by my GBR acronym? GBR stands for German Blue Ram. There's an Electric Blue Ram which is a color variant strain of the GBR.

 

[Gboy66]

You're definitely not going to breed JDs in a 20 gallon tank, especially one with guppies!

I don't have personal experience breeding anything in less than a 30, and that was kribs, so I'd say hang on for others who have spawned egg layers and can better recommend something for you.

What about something like red cherry shrimp? You could fit a lot into your 20 gallon and they're so much fun to watch!

Sorry lynda, i dont think he mentioned JD's as an option!

I cant think of anything that you could fit in an already semi-stocked tank. The corys would work!

 

[meegosh]

Kribs are the easiest I'd say. Pretty much get a pair and add water. You'll have new batches of fry every month or so if you keep your water clean. Give them a cave or a rock to lay their eggs on/under.

 

[LyndaB]

My mistake, I saw "electric blue" and immediately though of EBJD...... sorry about that.

meegosh, you think 20 gallons is large enough for the kribs? My one pair of adults, plus their hundreds of fry, really used all the real estate in a 30 gallon.

If the OP doesn't want to be inundated with fry, which is what I'm bringing away from their post (although I also brought away EBJD ), I actually brought all my kribs to the lfs because they were breeding so much!

 

[meegosh]

I think a 20 long would suffice with limited stocking.

 

[JackSpadesSI]

Kribs get to be 4" right? The reason I was thinking of GBRs is because they're something like half that size and I do realize that I'm working with a smallish-medium tank.

From what you've described, it sounds like Kribs are nearly as prolific as guppies in the breeding department. That's really not what I want. I just can't stock hundreds of fry.

Are GBRs not an option, or something?

Cories were mentioned above as a possibility? I've owned cories before, but no breeding has occured (it is possible that I didn't have both genders, though). Any tricks involved?

 

[Fishman94]

Zebra danios very simple

 

[meegosh]

I don't think kribs will hit the 4" mark. They are usually right around 3", at least mine are. They aren't quite as prolific as guppies are but they are pretty close. The one nice thing about kribs is you can usually sell the fry to make a couple bucks. I have two LFS's around me that will buy my krib fry at 1/2-1".

I'm not too familiar with GBRs, I got a pair once and they didn't make it past a month. The stock is not what it used to be. If you can find a nice strain of them they are beautiful fish.

As far as the cories go, I've never bred them but a buddy had a batch of albinos that he raised. He put a group in a 20g long, he conditioned them for a while and then did a water change but filled the tank back up with some colder water. This apparently can trigger some type of response from them (they think it is the rainy season) and will breed. He left the blinds open and noticed them in the notorious T position at first light in the morning. After they scattered the eggs he removed the parents and lowered the water level. The fry can have a hard time making it up to the top of the tank for air which is why you drop the water level.

 

[toddnbecka]

Cory cats breed fairly easily, eat their own eggs, and the fry are difficult to raise even in their own tank.
GBR's aren't the best choice, the electric blues in particular are touchy, and prone to die for no apparant reason. Bolivian Ram's would be a better option there.
Thing is, a 20 is the minimum size tank suitable for most established pairs of cichlids, and doesn't allow much (if any) space outside of their territory for one to escape the other if they aren't ready to spawn.
Pretty much any easy to breed species of cichlid will produce a large number of eggs, and will continue to spawn frequently after they start.
Egg scatterers like zebra danios or white cloud mountain minnows could be bred in the shrimp tank, then the adults moved back into the 20. Some eggs will hatch, (not sure whether the shrimp will eat healthy eggs or not) and the tiny fry should do well with the shrimp.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Im having good luck w/ german blue rams. I have 6 in a 20 tall with 3 ebjd's that are abt 1" each. And no worries the ebjds are only there till i get my 240gl set up.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Also, my gbr's laid eggs last night. I think you can see them on the black slate in the pic. They have been very easy for me.

 

[Rutrag]

Dwarf gouramis have been easy to get to spawn, but the fry are so tiny I couldn't feed them properly. I believe you also need to get the female out afterwards so the male can tend the nest.

 

[jetajockey]

Also, my gbr's laid eggs last night. I think you can see them on the black slate in the pic. They have been very easy for me.

How many fry do you have currently? Rams for me have been simple to breed but actually raising the fry to a viable age is another story, at least in my experience with them.


My vote is for multies (shelldwellers), they show lots of complex social behavior (colony), live in shells, and raise their young. It's great to watch and totally controllable and acceptable in a small tank.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Not many, I have only 1 pair out of my 3 that seem to be good parents.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Im contemplating pulling this batch to a 10gl to see if it raises my success rate any. Im newer to gbr breeding so learning more everyday. But like i said they've been easy so far, until i get to free swimming stage. Lol

 

[jetajockey]

Yeah, I raised all of mine artificially, it was the only way I could keep the fry alive.

 

[barterking85]

Well I find GBR Bolivian and gold rams easy to breed but that's all I breed I have no trouble crossing so I have golden GBR's and every other mixture but the golden GBR's are my favorite but Jetta is right fry are hard to mature without a grow out tank I say about 50% but easy to sell my lfs buys every single one I don't keep

Here is a pic of my raised golden GBR's