Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

Just do a quick search on the internet and you can immediately see which fish you breed or lay eggs on. You will know whether you need to watch the belly bulge due to pregnancy or if you should watch for tiny round eggs that look like jelly in the aquarium. If you are going to keep young fish, try to learn as much as you can about the fish you are keeping, as keeping fry is usually not easy.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Know pregnant fish

1. 

   Use this method for juvenile fish species. Guppies, calves, swordfish and platy are probably the most common breeds of aquarium fish. In these fish, the male and the female mate, then the female breeds eggs in the abdomen. Within a month or two (for most aquarium fish), the eggs will hatch into fry, and the mother will lay them out.
   • Look online for the name of the fish you are keeping to see if it is oviparous or viviparous.

2. 

   
   
   Identify males and females. As a general rule, in fry species, males are usually brighter or more extravagant, with long and narrow anal fins near the tail. Females are usually duller, and anal fins are usually fan-shaped or triangular. If you can determine the sex of the fish, it will be easy to tell whether two fish are fighting (usually two males or two females) or are mating or preparing to mate (a male and a fish. pieces).
   • For some fish species that are difficult to distinguish between the sexes, you may need to seek out an expert at an aquarium store.

3. 

   
   
   Observe the mating rituals. Different fish species may have different behavior during mating, mating and other mating-related behaviors. In many species, including the vast majority of mackerel, the males often chase the female energetically, sometimes causing scratches, bites or other injuries. In other species, such as discus, a pair of male and female fish work together to protect an area of ​​the tank from other fish. In both cases, when actually mating, the male and the female may be tangled, turned upside down, twisted together, or have other subtle behaviors.

4. 

   
   
   Watch for bloating in the fish's belly during pregnancy. Usually the belly of a pregnant female fish will be swollen, round or "box-shaped" within 20-40 days.
   • Some species, such as the squid, have a natural bulge, but the bulge is in the front, just below the gills.
   • "Overweight" males may have enlarged anterior chest. If you don't feed your fish for two or three days, the bulge may shrink, while a pregnant female's bulging belly will still be visible.

5. 

   Find a red or black dot. Pregnant female fish often grow a "pregnancy spot" on the abdomen, near the point. Usually this spot is black or magenta, and is more prominent during pregnancy.
   • This dot may always appear in some fish, but the color of the dot will be brighter or darker when the fish is pregnant.

6. 

   Determine how to care for the fry. Keeping the fry can be extremely challenging and often requires a separate aquarium so that the mature fish or the water filter don't harm them. If you are not ready for this task, try contacting an aquarium shop or an experienced aquarium hobbyist who is willing to help you or take the fish away. If you decide to care for the fry, you can start with the guide to keeping the fry below, but also learn more about the breed of fish you are keeping. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Recognize the signs of nesting and laying eggs

1. 

   Use this method for spawning fish. Many aquarium fish are spawners, including discus, bettas, and most breeds of fortune fish. In these fishes, the female lays hundreds of eggs. They often lay in nests in the bottom of the tank, on the wall or the water surface. If there is a male in the tank, it can fertilize the eggs after the female spawn or mate with the female before, depending on the species of fish. The eggs will hatch into fry.
   • Find the names of the fish you keep online to see if they are oviparous, or viviparous.
   • In some fish species, the female has the ability to store semen for several months before using it to fertilize eggs, so a new aquarium with only female fish still has reproductive phenomenon.

2. 

   Watch for signs of fish nesting. Some species of fish spawn create nesting areas to protect the eggs. These nests may look like small holes or piles of gravel, but are not always obvious. Some lucky fish can form sophisticated nests out of a swarm of bubbles, usually created by males on the surface of the water.

3. 

   Check for eggs. Some females of this species swell as the eggs develop internally, but this is usually not a major change and does not last long. Spawning fish eggs usually look like tiny round jellies. Usually fish eggs are scattered in the water, but in some fish species, they can collect in the nesting area or stick to the bottom of the tank or tank wall.
   • Many spawning fish species also have mating behavior, including the majority of emeralds. They usually show a lot of enthusiasm, last a few hours and end up spawning.

4. 

   Prepare for the eggs to hatch. Caring for the fry can be difficult, but even without preparation, you still have some time before the eggs hatch. You should consult an aquarium store for advice if you plan to keep the fry yourself, as the process of keeping the fry may vary depending on the species. If you aren't prepared, consult the following section on keeping fry for basic advice, but don't expect this method to be optimal for all fish species. advertisement

Method 3 of 3: Raising juveniles

1. 

   Find out about the fish you are keeping as much as possible. The instructions below can give you the basics and are helpful coping steps if your tank suddenly becomes full of fry. However, taking care of the fry is a real challenge, and the more features you know about your fish, the better.
   • For more detailed information on a particular fish, follow these guidelines for breeding and keeping discus, gourami, betta, and guppies.
   • Seek advice from an aquarium shop employee or an aquarium hobbyist's online forum. The advice in these locations is often more helpful than the advice from general pet stores.

2. 

   Replace the regular filter with a sponge filter. If you are using a water-absorbing or flow-generating filter, replace it with an aquarium's sponge filter. If you do not, the water can exhaust the fry, and they may even be sucked into the filter and die.

3. 

   Isolate the fish. Many breeders install another aquarium and move the eggs or fry there. However, if you are not an experienced aquarium hobbyist it is difficult to create a safe and stable environment in a short time. Instead, you can use a plastic net bought from an aquarium store to isolate the fish. Depending on the species, the broodfish can take care of or eat the fry, so you should try to find advice online that is appropriate for the fish you are keeping. If this is not possible, isolate the fish based on the broodfish's behavior:
   • If the parents lay eggs in the nest and protect them from other fish, use a net to separate the broodstock and eggs on one side and the other fish on the other.
   • If the mother fish spawns or spawns in the water, keep the adult fish on one side of the net. The fry can swim through the net to avoid adults.

4. 

   Feed the fish with fry. You can sometimes purchase a "fry food" at an aquarium store, but usually you need to choose between a variety of fish foods. Grassworms, liquid fish feed or rotifers are generally safe for fry. However, the fish will need additional food as they grow up. These feed types can vary depending on the species of fish and the size of the fish. Ask the staff at the aquarium store for the type of food you are keeping.
   • If you cannot go to the aquarium store, you can feed the young fish hard-boiled egg whites pressed through cheesecloth.

5. 

   Prepare to raise the fish until maturity. Set up another tank in advance if you plan to keep some of the fish. If not, contact your aquarium store or aquarium hobbyist in advance to plan to sell or give away the fry once they reach a certain age. advertisement

Advice

• If you do not want your fish to breed, you will need to separate the male and female fish. If it is too late, you should contact the aquarium store. They can take fish.

Warning

• If your fish is fat, moves slowly and its scales build up, seek professional advice or at a pet store. It is possible that the fish is sick, not pregnant.
• Unless you can create the right environment, most or all of the fry will die.
• Never release your fish into a natural lake unless that is where you brought the fish home. If not, you may inadvertently bring about an infestation that destroys the environment in the area.

What you need

If you want to keep the fry:

• Small back-up aquarium or meshing
• Small sponge filter with pump and accessories
• Food for fry
• A good place to keep the fry when they get big and the tank gets cramped