petkeeper
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2011
- Messages
- 34
I just got a 30g tank and I was wonting to make it a breeding tank but I don't know what the easiest fish to breed are and how to set the tank up for them.
Maxkolbe said:+1 for live bearers. The hard part is to get them to STOP breeding once you're out of tanks.
I just got a 30g tank and I was wonting to make it a breeding tank but I don't know what the easiest fish to breed are and how to set the tank up for them.
I definitely think that Malawi Mbuna Cichlids are worth a try. They may be recommended for a larger tank but if you stay with a species like Cynotilapia Afra they stay fairly small (3 inches). Albiet they are aggressive so it would require rocks but other than their basic requirements they will breed quite readily.
They are also mouthbrooders so by the time they are ready to release the fry, the fry are swimming about and ready to devour crushed flake and many other types of food. All that I do is put the mother in a breeding net after she has had the eggs in her mouth for about a week and a half- two weeks and by three weeks she either releases or I open her mouth and remove the fry from her and put her back into the tank. If you got the timing better I'm sure you could improve on this but I find that she deserves a rest anyways from the attentions of the male.
I would recommend 1 male and 2-3 females.
These fish are great because they are fairly small and very colorful cichlids.
I was wondering if someone could confirm that this would be good for a 30 gallon so long as they keep it as a breeding set up. I am fairly sure that it would work well but then again they generally recommend 55 gallons for most of these fish.
Another type that I would recommend is the Krib, (Kribensis/ Pelvicachromis Pulcher) which is very colorful and apparently very easy to breed and good parents.
Andy Sager said:I have a friend who has been breeding fish for a long time who also just uses 10 gal tanks to put his mouthbrooders in to when they are holding eggs so the 30 would work if the fish the OP uses remain small.
As for Kribs, I never needed any tank larger than a 10 gal to breed them. Krib fry would also be better off growing out without the parents there. Kribs will also stop breeding in the presence of the fry. So it all depends on the OP's breeding goals.
Do the kribs need any special treatment ?