| Breeding tropical fish can be a lot of fun. | | | | have more room to grow. Some people have had |
| Try your luck at breeding livebearers such as | | | | bad experiences with breeder boxes and now |
| guppies or swordtails.Equipment Needed: | | | | only use a breeder net. It is also a good |
| | | | idea to purchase some real or plastic |
| Breeder Box or Breeder Net | | | | breeding grass for the top of the aquarium. |
| | | | The breeding grass is just in case the mother |
| Breeding Grass | | | | gives birth before you have a chance to put |
| | | | her in the breeder box. The young babies |
| 5 or 10 gallon tank for the baby fish or a | | | | instinctively will swim to the top of the |
| tank divider that you can use for your main | | | | aquarium and the breeder grass provides a |
| tank. | | | | great hiding place so they won't get eaten by |
| | | | the bigger fish in your tank.To feed your new |
| A pair - 1 female and 1 male, 2 females to 1 | | | | arrivals you can use finely crushed flake |
| male works even betterTwo of the more popular | | | | food. Using your fingers, you can rub the |
| tropical fish for beginners has to be Guppies | | | | flakes into a fine powder. Some only feed |
| and Swordtails. Guppies and Swordtails are | | | | live foods such as baby brine shrimp. Live |
| livebearers which means that their babies | | | | foods would definitely be the best way to go, |
| come out swimming. Like most livebearers, | | | | but for most this is simply not feasible. |
| there is not much to getting your guppies or | | | | Crushed or powdered flake food will suffice. |
| swordtails to breed. If you have a male and a | | | | Try to feed the babies 3 very small meals per |
| female then you will eventually have a | | | | day. You will invariably feed too much and |
| pregnant female. The gestation period for | | | | the excess food will drop to the bottom of |
| livebearers is usually 28 days but can range | | | | the tank or breeder box. To clean a breeder |
| from 20 to 40 days.Place the male and female | | | | box we like to take a 3 ft. length of |
| in the same tank together and they will soon | | | | aquarium tubing and a small bucket. Use the |
| mate. You are probably asking, how can I tell | | | | tubing as a siphon to clean the bottom of the |
| when the female is pregnant? When a female | | | | breeder box. Be careful not to siphon any |
| guppy is pregnant she will develop a dark | | | | baby fish.Try to perform 25% water changes |
| triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal | | | | weekly for your baby guppies. This will aid |
| vent. This will get larger and darker as the | | | | in the optimal growth of your baby tropical |
| pregnancy progresses. While you are waiting | | | | fish. After a few weeks in the breeder box |
| on the female to develop the babies it's time | | | | your new babies will soon outgrow their home |
| to make sure you are prepared for the | | | | and you will need to move them either to a |
| delivery. We use plastic breeder boxes and | | | | new tank or your main tank with a divider |
| always have without any problems. A breeder | | | | installed. By 8 weeks old your baby fish will |
| box is a small box plastic box about 4 inches | | | | most likely be able to return to the main |
| long by 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep.There | | | | tank without a divider.For more tropical fish |
| is a removable "V" shaped trap in it which | | | | and aquarium information, please visit - |
| serves to separate the mother from the | | | | Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.Mike is |
| babies. When the mother fish has babies they | | | | an editor at Designed for beginners, |
| fall through the slot in the "V" into the | | | | provides tropical fish information, how-to |
| bottom of the box. After the mother is | | | | guides, articles, fish profiles, FAQs, forums |
| finished having babies, you can remove the | | | | and more! |
| "V" trap and the mother so that they babies | | | | |