Breeding

[husker72]

I have a pregnant female and this time I noticed before it before she laid her eggs in the tank. I moved her with a mature male to a small tank (about 2 gal) with some java moss...no gravel and an airstone. The temp in the house is roughly 74-78 degrees and because the tank is so small, I'm assuming there is no need for a heater. What can I expect, or should I do differently. Will they even finish the mating cycle? I know the eggs are prone to fungus so I am prepared with some foil to wrap the tank once she lays the eggs (IF). This is my first go at breeding neons. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[sylvia]

Raising neon fry is h*ll . If you haven't thoroughly researched it all by now, do so and do so very carefuly. Have fry foods ready... Good luck!

 

[pseud]

No light. Neon eggs are sensitive to light and wont develop if subjected to it.

(I think you can use UV light though.)

 

[LifeBear]

I believe I also read somewhere that the pH must be fairly low, though exactly how low, I hve no idea. I am not an expert and just repeating somehing I read once somewhere...I hope it works out, but I have heard it is very difficult to pull off.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

you sure about the light part? my lfs had neon fry, and the tank lights are always on

 

[husker72]

Thank you all for your replies. I've done quite a bit of research on the issue before I embarked on the challenge and yes I know it is one of the harder breeds to mate. I know about the fry eggs being prone to fungus which is why most people report to keep the light off the eggs, however, the eggs do hatch within 24 hours so just keeping the tank out of sunlight should be sufficient. Turning the tank light on briefly to see where the process is shouldn't hurt. My questions are mostly to see if I can get any personal experiences from someone who has successfully bred neons as to the mating behaviors and time line in relation to moving them to the breeding tank, actual mating, removing them from the breeding tank, and finally eggs hatching.

 

[afireinside]

turning on the lights ocasionally won't do anything. it's just long periods that efffect it.