Neon Tetra Spawning Habits

[FISH-FRY]

I noticed three Neon Tetra swimming wildly around and then one of them performed a violent turn and then jetted off. One thing I saw just before them leaving the area was a spray of at least a dozen small white balls which slowly sunk down to various areas. I'm assuming these were eggs.

Is this the normal way they lay eggs? Has anyone ever seen this?

 

[Ben M]

yes, they are egg scatters i think. it's quite an achievement breeding neons! i'm not sure exactly how you hatch the eggs, but i think that the neons and most other fish that you may have with them will eat the eggs. it's supposed to be really hard to raise the fry though. i'm sure someone with more knowledge will help.

cheers

 

[Paradise3]

Characins (tetras, pencilfish, silver dollars) and cyprinids (barbs, danios, rasboras) belong to the egg-scattering group of freshwater tropical fish. They exercise no parental care for their eggs or their young. Egg-scatterers will easily breed in a community tank. This however puts the eggs and fry at risk of becoming the tank inhabitants' next meal. Therefore success depends on setting up a breeding tank.

Xxx~misscosmo~xxX

 

[FISH-FRY]

Thanks for the replies.

The area where the eggs were sprayed was a good place where several should be safe from fish because they probably would not be able to get to them. Now if the fry start swimming out in the open then it's pretty much game over for them, unfortunately.

I saw something scurry into the thermometer case this morning, before lights on, when I shined a flashlight looking for the shy guys. It could have been a Red Cherry Shrimp, Panda Cory or Neon Tetra since they may have spawned earlier than when I saw them.

Most of my creatures have been producing eggs except for the lone Siamese Algae Eater and lone Tracked Nerite Snail for obvious reasons. If my snail is a female then she could potentially lay eggs but I've read that the eggs need a brackish environment to hatch. My Harlequin Rasbora are only three strong (will add three more this afternoon) but the one that appears to be a female does look a little different from when I got her. I got them from the young tank so I'm not sure they're ready to do that thing, I think. These guys apparently turn upside down when they're doing their thing.

I'm not planning, at this time, to maintain any other tanks. If the young make it through by themselves then great, but I'll probably end up giving them away because I would be too overstocked. Now if they all become breeding happy and I can actually have a steady flow to sell enough, then it may be worth my while to get involved.

 

[FISH-FRY]

I noticed a fat Tetra accompanied with another slimmer one hanging out in the Tropical Hornwort not too long ago and that was quite odd since they don't hang out up there. The slimmer Tetra was chasing away Rasbora from the area and then noticed eggs being sprayed around. The eggs either wound up on the plants or down into the tree trunk. I did notice one other Tetra munching on an egg that sank away from the trunk.

I'm not holding my breath on fry since previous spawning observations have not resulted in fry sightings. The biggest Tetra I have has also swelled in size and think she'll be popping off some eggs soon. I've noticed Corydora eggs more frequently and still haven't seen any fry. The only things that are multiplying in numbers are the Red Cherry Shrimp and a couple unidentified tiny snails.