Breeding Cardinal Tetra - tips please!

[Colin_T]

Yes the females get fatter when well fed. This is due to the eggs they develop and hold in their body.

You should be able to breed them in a month. Just keep feeding them up on a variety of foods and then start breeding when the infusoria and green water cultures are ready. I recommend having both types of culture (infusoria & green water) going in case one doesn't work. You should also try to make several of each culture for the same reason.

 

[Animallover😍]

Yes the females get fatter when well fed. This is due to the eggs they develop and hold in their body.

You should be able to breed them in a month. Just keep feeding them up on a variety of foods and then start breeding when the infusoria and green water cultures are ready. I recommend having both types of culture (infusoria & green water) going in case one doesn't work. You should also try to make several of each culture for the same reason.

I am doing the 24hr infusoria coz my black neons are having fry. It's super easy, just take some water that has been sitting for a long time(my dad does hydroponics and there was some he had) and add yeast. It's already quite clear this morning!

 

[itiwhetu]

Yes the females get fatter when well fed. This is due to the eggs they develop and hold in their body.

You should be able to breed them in a month. Just keep feeding them up on a variety of foods and then start breeding when the infusoria and green water cultures are ready. I recommend having both types of culture (infusoria & green water) going in case one doesn't work. You should also try to make several of each culture for the same reason.

You seriously believe that these fish will breed, and this member will raise Cardinals for sale.

 

[itiwhetu]

I spent five years trying to raise Cardinal Tetra fry, I still haven't done it. I would get them to spawn but never got any fry. I wish you all the best. I look forward to seeing your young Cardinals

 

[Colin_T]

I am doing the 24hr infusoria coz my black neons are having fry.

LOL, well done on the babies

 

[Colin_T]

You seriously believe that these fish will breed, and this member will raise Cardinals for sale.

Yep.

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I spent five years trying to raise Cardinal Tetra fry, I still haven't done it. I would get them to spawn but never got any fry. I wish you all the best. I look forward to seeing your young Cardinals

You need water with a GH of 0ppm and the eggs have to be kept dark while developing. You have the back and sides of the tank covered with a picture while the adults are in the breeding tank. After they have bred, you remove the adults and cover the front of the tank with some more card or picture to stop the light getting in. Don't have a light on the tank when the adults are in there or while the eggs are developing. Wait until the eggs hatch then remove the picture from the front of the glass and start feeding the fry.

All tetra eggs are light sensitive and cardinals need a GH of 0ppm otherwise you won't get any babies.

 

[itiwhetu]

Yep.

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You need water with a GH of 0ppm and the eggs have to be kept dark while developing. You have the back and sides of the tank covered with a picture while the adults are in the breeding tank. After they have bred, you remove the adults and cover the front of the tank with some more card or picture to stop the light getting in. Don't have a light on the tank when the adults are in there or while the eggs are developing. Wait until the eggs hatch then remove the picture from the front of the glass and start feeding the fry.

All tetra eggs are light sensitive and cardinals need a GH of 0ppm otherwise you won't get any babies.

How many Cardinal Tetras did you raise using this method? I assume several hundred.

 

[Colin_T]

A couple of hundred spread out over a number of batches. Most of my issues were food related, too big for the babies. I didn't use infusoria or green water back then, just a commercial powdered fry food.

I used rain water and couldn't get any to hatch in tap water even though the tap water had a GH of about 50ppm. They would breed in the tap water but the eggs didn't hatch. I also add peat moss to the rain water and made black water for them. I had a 72 litre plastic rubbish bin that was black water and looked really unappealing, but it worked a treat.

 

[Animallover😍]

LOL, well done on the babies

I don't understand why the lol. I've seen my fish spawning, but I haven't seen any fry. I could be wrong.

 

[itiwhetu]

A couple of hundred spread out over a number of batches. Most of my issues were food related, too big for the babies. I didn't use infusoria or green water back then, just a commercial powdered fry food.

I used rain water and couldn't get any to hatch in tap water even though the tap water had a GH of about 50ppm. They would breed in the tap water but the eggs didn't hatch. I also add peat moss to the rain water and made black water for them. I had a 72 litre plastic rubbish bin that was black water and looked really unappealing, but it worked a treat.

The black water part of this equation is what is missing for the OP. Maybe you should explain how important that is. Try to do it in a way that you don't get told off for using peat.

 

[Animallover😍]

A couple of hundred spread out over a number of batches. Most of my issues were food related, too big for the babies. I didn't use infusoria or green water back then, just a commercial powdered fry food.

I used rain water and couldn't get any to hatch in tap water even though the tap water had a GH of about 50ppm. They would breed in the tap water but the eggs didn't hatch. I also add peat moss to the rain water and made black water for them. I had a 72 litre plastic rubbish bin that was black water and looked really unappealing, but it worked a treat.

Wow thanks for all this info and sharing your experience!!

 

[Colin_T]

I don't understand why the lol. I've seen my fish spawning, but I haven't seen any fry. I could be wrong.

I thought you had baby fish and was LOL because they had bred and once they start breeding, they don't stop However, if you don't have babies yet, it doesn't really work.

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Black water is simply tannin stained water. You can buy a packet of peat moss from a nursery/ garden centre, or a hardware store. You add some of the peat moss to the rain water and leave it to soak. Tannins leach out of the peat into the water and run it brown in colour. Peat moss will also drop the pH of rain water.

 

[anewbie]

I have not bred fish before. I'll try start with something simple. Maybe I'll purchase some lemon tetras and breed them. I just wanted to start with cardinals because my other fish are all babies and juveniles, not mature yet.

Lemon have their own unique issue.

 

[Animallover😍]

I thought you had baby fish and was LOL because they had bred and once they start breeding, they don't stop However, if you don't have babies yet, it doesn't really work.

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Black water is simply tannin stained water. You can buy a packet of peat moss from a nursery/ garden centre, or a hardware store. You add some of the peat moss to the rain water and leave it to soak. Tannins leach out of the peat into the water and run it brown in colour. Peat moss will also drop the pH of rain water.

Yes I know what black water is.

 

[Animallover😍]

So my females look stuffed with eggs, I have 4 females and 5 males.
a female with eggs...

I will get a blue storage box ready for breeding.