Frisky, Frisky Fish....

[summerdragon]

Seems I have a very frisky tank of fish.... I'm not trying to breed, but the fish have there own ideas.... No live fry yet, but I'm not separating the eggs at this point....

One question is about Bloodfins.... when mine breed the females completely loose there color (scared me the 1st time thought they where sick) and wondering if that’s common?? (FYI Bloodfins will jump when breeding, so be sure your tank is covered)

Also I have been told neons don't often breed in a home aquariums, but mine go into a breeding frenzy once a week.... Are neons hard to breed, am I just lucky???

And lastly my Danios.... OMG, the egg laying NEVER ends with them.... every 2-3 days one of my "girls" gets egg heavy and the breeding madness begins (they put on quite a good show).... But does anyone know how to pick a male Danio when they are small I ask because I have only one male and three females, and it seems like the poor guy is overworked …..

Many thanks for any feedback…..​

 

[NEONCORY]

Hi Summerdragon,
I don't know much about the Danios since I never kept them. So I don't know how to sex them. And I'm sure it is different among the different Danios. It probably help if you web-search them and I'm sure someone out there have experience and/or expertise.
And you saidthat you are not trying to breed but it sounds like you are getting eggs from most of the fish you have. Which is an excellent sign. That all your fish are happy with the condition they are in. So keep up the good work. Feeding, water changing.,etc.
And since you are getting eggs from the Danios, do you consider collect the eggs and hatch them and grow them to adult? So you can get some males. And is Danios egg scatter like Tetras?
Then, of course you need to set the separate breeding tank so other fish in the tank including the parents won't snack on the newly laid cavior.
I believe Danios are like most of the Tetra that they need help from the keeper to get offspring. Same goes with Neon Tetra. They produce eggs when they are kept in good condition. Sometime without keeper knowing. However, without the special care they are almost never hatch nor survive in the community tank. Since they need really soft water to hatch. However some other Tetra can hatch in little harder water and they can survive in the community tank without the assist from the owner. Especially the tank is planted heavy so there are more place and chance for eggs and frys to hide. I think this could happen to some of the Danio also.
Although you sure get more frys when you set the breeding tank with right water prameter. That's for sure.
And it is rewarding and really interesting IMO. And open up the new dimention of the hobby. They usually not financially rewarding but experience is. And I would recommend to anybody to give it a shoot. If you can have means(tank space, time and effort) to do it. After all, you have to be their Mom. Their life depends on you.
I hope you can try sometime since obviously you can keep the fish healthy and happy. And you care about them enough.

 

[summerdragon]

Thanks Neoncory..... I think I am going to take my love of fish to the next level and set up my other tank for eggs/fry, looking forward to being a new "mom"..... As far as my happy fish, everyone teases me about overly well cared for they are.... I admit I pamper my fish........... Nothing but the best flake and LOTS of frozen bloodworm (not to mention I feed them more times a day than I feed myself, lol).... And yes Danios are egg scatters, but they are much smarter about it and lay there eggs in the moss.. Unlike the bloodfins they spew at the surface, and the whole tank gobbles up there eggs before the hit the bottom of the tank....lol, as I write this I look at the tank and see my Danios in the mating dance again...

 

[NEONCORY]

Good for you!
I hope this won't make you reconsider but I forgot to mention that you may need some special food to raise those tiny fish(frys). After all they do have a small mouth.
Some of the Tetra frys that just hatched from eggs are so tiny that you have tough time to see them with naked eyes. Not to mention, they still not have much of pigmentation. Their body is clear and transparency. I imagine Danio or Rasbora won't be much different.
Anyway, you can start feeding the most of the frys with green water(infusia)or hard boiled egg yolk or store bought baby food. Or even dirty looking squeezed water from some established filter material. Since there are some micro organism in there. But I find some live culture is quite useful. Such as walter and/or micro worms, vinegar eels. And baby brine shrimps.
Unfortunately, here is where you might find the challenge. Because sometime your living situation will not permit to keep the culture(s). The people around you(parent, boy/girlfriend, husband/wife, roommate it may) might have different opinion about the culture. If you maintain the culture correctly, it is almost undetectable. However some may give out some odor. Not to mention some people have squarmish about the word "worms".
And I am sure that raising without the culture is more than possible. After all, some fry survive on their own in community tank sometime, especially heavy planted one.
The culture is highly recommended since they are more attractive to the frys. After all they are "alive" and they may trigger their natural hunting instinct? And they are highly nutritional. So, they would increase the frys survival ratio IMO.

And let me know if you need help on the cultures. Since I do keep few of them.

And remember, it is good to have planned parenthood like real life. The baby have to be fed.