When did you get into breeding fish?

[itiwhetu]

I sold all my fish from my room, and ran it like an LFS. I dealt with a couple of importers and would buy fish in and sell them, I would also buy fish from local breeders and sell them. My fish room was open every evening of the week. Like I have said somethings are really worth breeding, like whiptail catfish and pure Black Angels. Other fish like Blue Gouramis or Convict Cichlids are really worth nothing. With live Bearers Black or Lyretail Swordtails are worth the effort.

 

[AbbeysDad]

The trick is to sell fish that are not easily available wholesale or non-existent wholesale.

Very true, but it must also be a fish in demand, at a price people are willing to pay. I've seen a lot of high priced, unusual fish that live in fish stores. Truth be told, there are very few hobbyist breeders making lots of money...but then for most of us it's a more a hobby than a business with a plan.

 

[Colin_T]

I had my blue gourami spawn in January, pulled the eggs out and raised the fry on my own. Been feeding them live and frozen food with high protein flakes but they are taking an INSANE amount of time to grow. Even after 8th months they are still tiny. They are kept in a 15gallon tank with an hang on the back filter and a heater at 27°C, and I try to do water changes 3 times a week. The fact that I'm seeing little growth and no breeding behaviour from other fish is really discouraging.

To grow baby fish quickly, keep the water warm (28C), is the best temperature for growing tropical fish. When they are mature you can reduce the temperature.

Feed them 3-5 times per day using newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms, prawn, fish and flake. When you feed them, the babies should have fat stomachs and look like pregnant guppies.

Make sure there is an established filter to keep the water clean. Air operated sponge filters are the best for baby fish.

Do a huge water change (50%+) and gravel clean the substrate every day or every couple of days. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank, and try to have it at a similar temperature to the tank water.

Try to keep them in a large volume of water. But even in small volumes of water, lots of food and water changes will get them to grow.

Most aquarium fish can be sexually mature and saleable at 2-3 months of age. If it takes more than 4 months to get blue or gold gouramis to 2 inches long, then it's one of the above issues.

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The following link tells you about culturing live food for baby fish and gives a few tips that might help you.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

www.fishforums.net

 

[nik_n]

To grow baby fish quickly, keep the water warm (28C), is the best temperature for growing tropical fish. When they are mature you can reduce the temperature.

Feed them 3-5 times per day using newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms, prawn, fish and flake. When you feed them, the babies should have fat stomachs and look like pregnant guppies.

Make sure there is an established filter to keep the water clean. Air operated sponge filters are the best for baby fish.

Do a huge water change (50%+) and gravel clean the substrate every day or every couple of days. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank, and try to have it at a similar temperature to the tank water.

Try to keep them in a large volume of water. But even in small volumes of water, lots of food and water changes will get them to grow.

Most aquarium fish can be sexually mature and saleable at 2-3 months of age. If it takes more than 4 months to get blue or gold gouramis to 2 inches long, then it's one of the above issues.

--------------------
The following link tells you about culturing live food for baby fish and gives a few tips that might help you.

https://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448

Thanks, I have been doing most of ... live foods hopefully that will do the trick.

 

[emeraldking]

Well, I've started breeding fish back in the seventies. My parents started off in the 1960's. And when I got my first own fishtank in the early 1970's, I've started breeding guppies. Those were my own first fish that I got from my parents. Until this very day, I'm keeping and breeding several kinds of fish (mainly livebearers). But I've kept also other kinds of fish throughout the years. But livebearers remained my main focus.

 

[Colin_T]

Newly hatched brineshrimp has a very high protein and lots of other nutrients and will make baby fish grow rapidly. I got my fish to 2-3 inches in length in 2-3 months with newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms and marine mix (prawn, fish & squid blended up). Brineshrimp was the main food for the first month and then other foods were added when the fry were big enough to take them.

The fish were fed 3-5 times a day and given as much food as they could eat. Then I added another eye dropper full of newly hatched brineshrimp to the tank so the fish could eat them over the next few hours.

 

[nik_n]

Newly hatched brineshrimp has a very high protein and lots of other nutrients and will make baby fish grow rapidly. I got my fish to 2-3 inches in length in 2-3 months with newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms and marine mix (prawn, fish & squid blended up). Brineshrimp was the main food for the first month and then other foods were added when the fry were big enough to take them.

The fish were fed 3-5 times a day and given as much food as they could eat. Then I added another eye dropper full of newly hatched brineshrimp to the tank so the fish could eat them over the next few hours.

I have a brine shrimp hatchery (DIY) and hatch and feed brine shrimp daily. I will try and feed them more often, as I normally only feed them once or twice.

 

[kribensis12]

Very true, but it must also be a fish in demand, at a price people are willing to pay. I've seen a lot of high priced, unusual fish that live in fish stores. Truth be told, there are very few hobbyist breeders making lots of money...but then for most of us it's a more a hobby than a business with a plan.

I think that's also true. The Dark Knight Ram didn't exist until circa 2011 (S. Africa) and let me tell you - demand is insatiable. I'm part of a Ram Cichlid group and people post pics of their spawns and they immediately get 10-15 comments saying "I can't find these anywhere. DM me with pricing and info" and they sell like hot-cakes on aquabid.

Cockatoos are not as in high demand and I starting breeding them knowing that it's more of a "keeping the boat, afloat" type of fish. Investment is smaller, return is smaller - but will allow me to (in my estimation) break even on expenses and then the Dark Knights will be pure profit.

Sorta like in healthcare where the provider does "fairly priced" office visits but then bills 900% of Medicare on labwork. In the end, their loss leader gains profit because they made their money on the lab work being done.

 

[Colin_T]

I have a brine shrimp hatchery (DIY) and hatch and feed brine shrimp daily. I will try and feed them more often, as I normally only feed them once or twice.

If you are only feeding the baby fish once or twice a day, that is probably the main cause of the slow growth rate. Baby fish normally eat continuously when there is light and if they go without food for any length of time, they use up all the energy they got from the food. This stops them growing because they only get enough food to move and not enough food to grow. Movement comes first because they have to move to find food and avoid predators.

Feed baby fish at least 3 times a day and give them as much food as they can eat.

 

[djohm23]

I started with Mollies, although I don't even know that I can say that I did anything considering if you turn your back on them for 5 seconds they are pregnant when you turn around again. My tiger barbs have started mating so that should be an interesting experience.

A few months back I got a job at a clownfish breeding facility and it's so great. I don't dread going into work anymore like I did when working for software companies. Cute little buggers too.

The whole breeding and collection system is fascinating and it gets a little complicated raising the larva because they need very specific, tiny amounts of the various things we feed them.

 

[Colin_T]

A few months back I got a job at a clownfish breeding facility and it's so great. I don't dread going into work anymore like I did when working for software companies. Cute little buggers too.

Can you get some pictures of the various stages needed for collecting clownfish eggs/ larvae and the system used for growing them?
I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in seeing what goes into culturing marine fish.

 

[djohm23]

Can you get some pictures of the various stages needed for collecting clownfish eggs/ larvae and the system used for growing them?
I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in seeing what goes into culturing marine fish.

Sorry no can do, they got a little agitated when I even sent pictures to my friends. It's a pretty competitive industry and I had to sign a hefty NDA. Plus it's actually tougher than you might imagine to get pictures of the fish when there is salt all over the damn place haha.

I'm happy to answer questions and give advice on various parts of clownfish breeding/feeding though.

 

[Colin_T]

Would they let you photograph tanks of adult fish with eggs and young fish, so people could see the different types of fish being bred?
That wouldn't be showing any of their techniques, just the beginning and end product.

 

[djohm23]

I will see what I can do, I'm not going to push it though since I'm pretty new still

 

[AbbeysDad]

I will see what I can do, I'm not going to push it though since I'm pretty new still

I wouldn't push it. If they had you sign an NDA, they're understandably serious about protecting their processes in a very competitive business. Even writing about it, let alone photo's, could cost your employment or worse (like a breach of contract lawsuit)! The world we live in.
(just my dime) ;-)