Hello i was just wondering if there are any key things you need to do when u start breeding?

Would probably depend on what you are breeding. A mature pair of cichlids is necessary to start with.

Dawg mr.green

keep checking out the forum. Look at the different species of fish.
Once you settle on what you might want to breed.
First step would be to find the fish you like. If they are mature, breeding could begin shortly depending on what you choose. If you choose the fish as babies, it wilkl take between 6 months to just over a year for the fish to become sexually matureMost species of African cichlids are very easy to breed. Most times its simply as easy as having a mature pair of fish and a male and female. A weekly water change to your tank of 25% and you are good to go.

This is an overly simplified explanation, but when you choose what fish you would like to breed we can discuss it in more detail uhhuh

Make sure you base your selection on the size of tank that your mature pair will be in. A 20 gallon tank is not suitable for large species so check into that before you make your decision unless you have the means to get the tank that they require to breed.

Dawg thumbs up

Hey Murk.

I've got a suggestion for you if your looking to start breeding but are not sure how much time you have to spend on the tank.

You can start with Yellow Labids like everyone says, but they spawn like rabbits!!!
they can have up to 25-30 fry,,,even more sometimes.also depends on floor space and access to other tanks that may be a problem.

Now this might be an off the wall idea,,but,,,how about maybe getting some Calvus juvies, or Compressiceps?? You'll need to get about 3-4 so they can be sexed for paring. These are beautiful fish IMO. They are VERY slow growing fish, but can spawn at about the same size as the Yellow Labids when they are ready..

I might be wrong but Calvus can start spawning at about 2.5-3" or 2 years. holymoly

I know,,,long time but like I said,,,depending on how fast you want babies,,and access to other tanks.

Remember, it's not a matter of what you can breed,,,,,you can breed just about any fish out there,,,,you have to think about WHERE are you going to keep all these fry?????

males and females, and patience. thumbs up With time most will breed for you. Unless its something tricky to breed. So far it seems most Africans require little "effort" on your part to breed. Just keep up on water changes and make sure everyone is doing ok. So far I've bred almost every species I've kept with little effort on my part.

I know it is unusual, but I have a reverse trio of A. compressiceps that has spawned before they got past 2". The female has a deformity, unfortunately, so I left the fry in the tank and they were gone very quickly. They like to spawn in an escargot shell.

I believe that Rusties are supposed to be "early breeders" at about an inch and a half in size. At least, I've read this many times. Here is a link to a profile on them.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=707

(Is he saying "What's with this crazy lady and the Rusties???" yet????)

But, be careful what you asked for...Breeding is why we now have 5 tanks up and running and are seriously contemplating a huge rubbermaid "grow out" bin!

The breeding is a lot of fun, but once they start, they don't stop! It's also great to buy young fish and watch them grow and mature into adulthood...By then, you'll be hooked enough to have that extra tank bought, the first fish moved into it, and you can use the 20 G for a fry tank!

Kim

Well thanks everyone for your help and if you have any other thing post away please!!! mr.green

Murk,
Sent you a PM

Dawg mr.green

If your looking into breeding but you don't have the space for fry tanks you may want to look at keeping fish that will be ok to leave in the main tank with the fry. Like Daffodils , julies for starters. or take a look at some of the shell dwellers these are very interesting fish with the most amazing behaviors I have seen.

I just thought I'd throw that in because not a lot of people really look at space once they set up their first tank then all the fry come and bang you run out of room for fry tanks and believe me they add up really really fast.. just a thought for you.

Ted

What I do is put the fry in breeding baskets in the main tank when I run out of room. Then, when they are 3/4 inches, I put them in the main tank. I have a nice big pile of small rocks, no more than 3 inches in diameter, so they hide.

Fishboy, show me some pics of those L Plecos you've got breeding. They are supposed to be tough to breed. Do the fry look at all like the parents?
Do you have them in a tank with tons of driftwood?

id like to set up to breed my albino ancistrus plecos. Any advice?

HEY,,,,,,, OUR Albinos.....

I know it's easy to forget!!!!! rolleyes

But maybe since I have an extra 10gal,,we can throw them in there??? bouncegreen bouncered bouncegreen bouncered bouncered
oh please can I ,can I,, wave wave

Just kidding,you have more options than I do. uhhuh

Ok, this will be a long post, so don't get bored. I first will start off by saying that tonight I hope I can get my pics posted. Les and AP, bristlenose are the easiest plecos to breed. That is why anyone who wants to become a pleco breeder should start with them. Here is what I would do if I were you. If you have a spare 20 long than set that up. Water should be 79F and the ph 7.0 with a TDS of 120. Do not put a substrate in their. Take 2 males and 3 females and put them in their. Then, get tons of driftwood, and 2 pieces need to have an cave with an opening where a male and female can be in there together without being stuck. This is where they will spawn, and you need 2 for each male. Once they have been in there for 2-3 weeks and they are comfortable, they should spawn. If they haven't spawned after a month, let me know. Each female will spawn every2-3 weeks. Now with breeding my L260, I have driftwood that is on no substrate and 2 caves for each male. I have already told you this, go to planetcatfish.com and go under Shane'sWorld. You will find an article under this about breeding the albino bristlenose and an article about L260. The tank does not have to be setup like the one in the article. Soon I will be getting one of the rarest if not the rarest species of bristlenose, LDA-08. You spawn them the same as all bristlenose. And if you only have a ten, put a male and 1-2 females. Same as everything, except just one piece of driftwood that has a cave inside.

Sound good Fishboy. Problem is right now I am unsure of the bristlenose's sex because they arent large enough yet to really have huge bristles.

I am probably going to go with a 1 to 1 pairing. With some fish I just dont buy into the 1 to 3 ratios. I cant see plecos becoming so aggressive that 1 to 1 is a problem, but I just might find out otherwise! winkk

I have been on planet catfish fantastic site! I highly recommend it! thumbs up

How big are they. If they are over 2 inches, could you take a picture of them together in a bucket or something for a top view photo. I can probably sex them. And what size tank are they going into. The ratio in a 20 long should be 2 males and 3 females. Trust me, the males can be aggressive. Good luck, and I am sad to say that I will not be getting my LDA-08, my Afra cobue pairs, and my female saulosi. My parents won't let me order off the internet anymore. So, my next plecos will be either L015 or L134. Go to google images for some pictures.