![]() ![]() If there are no eggs by the end of the day, turn the lights off and try again the next day. If there are no eggs present, leave the pair alone and check again in a few hours. A flashlight will make the eggs easier to see. Non-adhesive eggs will filter through the structure and lay on the bottom of the tank. Adhesive eggs will appear in the moss or yarn mop. Most tetras lay a clear egg that is slightly smaller than one millimeter. Do not disturb the pair for a few hours, and then check for eggs. Uncover the tank in the morning and turn on the lights. Turn off the lights over the tank, and if the room is bright, cover the tank with a dark towel. Move the male from the community tank to the spawning tank after doing the water change. Tap water that has been dechlorinated and aged will work, as well as water siphoned from the community tank and cooled to room temperature for a day. Use reverse osmosis (RO) water if it is available, but it is not absolutely necessary. Start with a 50-percent water change in the spawning tank using slightly cooler, aged water. Leave her there by herself for two days, and only feed her a small amount.Īn attempt to spawn the pair begins the evening before the actual spawning will occur. Step 4: Move the female of the spawning pair into the spawning tank by herself. Use enough moss or yarn to fill at least ¾ of the tank space. This structure is where the pair will scatter their eggs. Step 3: Sink a large mass of Java moss or yarn spawning mop in the tank. If the aquarium is in a drafty area or cool room, a small submersible heater will be needed to help the eggs and fry develop and grow. So long as the temperature of the tank is stable in the mid-70s, a heater is not needed. A small, air-driven sponge filter is adequate filtration. Fill the spawning tank with water from the community tank the fish were conditioned in. Step 2: A bare-bottom 2½- or 5-gallon tank is all that is needed to breed small tetras. If the fish are engaged in courting (or even spawning) in the community tank, then they are ready to breed in the spawning tank also. One way to determine if the fish are ready to breed is to turn on the lights an hour or more before the fish are fed. Most tetras spawn in the morning shortly after the lights are turned on. Female tetras that are ready to spawn will be quite plump with eggs several hours after feeding. ![]() Daphnia are also excellent for bringing fish into spawning condition. Worms such as Grindal, white-, and blackworms are the conditioning foods of choice for most serious breeders. High-quality flake, crumble, and freeze-dried foods are excellent staples, but faster results will be achieved with live foods. This can be accomplished in a community tank. Step 1: The first step is to condition a school of small tetras. Those that are not breeding are usually eating eggs. When large groups are kept together for spawning, not all of the fish are actively involved. How many fry are really needed? Even the smallest tetras are capable of producing several dozen eggs in one spawning attempt. Larger schools of fish require more space and produce larger numbers of eggs. Spawning larger groups of tetras is possible, but that presents some problems that are negated by working with just a few fish. This strategy uses a single pair-two fish that are well conditioned and ready to spawn. There are several methods used by successful aquarists for spawning small egg-scattering characins. The challenge of raising tetras usually comes with successfully rearing the very small fry. Triggering pairs to spawn can be as easy as turning on the lights or doing a cool water change. Conditioning females does not require much more than a good supply of quality foods and decent water quality. Most of the smaller tetra species from South America are not reluctant to lay eggs. I’ll cover the basic methods for spawning these fish and finish up with a quintet of tetras that are among the easiest. There are many species of tetras, however, and some of them are easier to spawn than others-in fact many hobbyists have tetras spawning in their community tanks, though the fry seldom survive. If we compare them to many livebearers and cichlids, they are not easy to spawn. Very few aquarists include characins in the category of easy-to-breed fish. One longtime aquarist provides his tried-and-true method of breeding tetras, suggesting five species to start with. Tetras are not the first fish to come to mind in terms of easy breeding, but some are easier to breed than you might have been led to believe.
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