How to breed a scalar

Video: How to Breed Freshwater Angelfish (Easiest Way)

Content

Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part One: Creating the Right Breeding Conditions
Method 2 of 3: Part Two: Starting the Breeding Process
Method 3 of 3: Part Three: Waiting to Spawn
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

The scalar is a favorite of freshwater aquarists because of their unique appearance. With triangular bodies, wide stripes and long fins, these easy-to-keep fish will color any freshwater aquarium. Native to South America and mainly found in the Amazon, these attractive fish have adapted well to being kept in properly equipped aquariums that suit their needs. Under the right conditions in the aquarium, the owners of the scalar can witness how the scalar emerge from the eggs and grow into adults. When you learn how to breed a scalar, you will succeed.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Part One: Creating the Right Breeding Conditions

1 Set up a freshwater aquarium large enough to prepare the scalar for breeding. Try to choose an aquarium that has a minimum volume of 75 liters, and ideally more than 100 liters. Your pair of scalars will do their best with enough space. In a confined space, scalars will not feel safe and will refuse to breed.
- Also try placing the scalar in a tall aquarium. Adult scalars can grow up to 30 centimeters in height from dorsal to anal fin, which means you need to accommodate unusual sizes.
2 Check the pH of the water. In natural habitat, freshwater scalars live in soft, slightly acidic water. For best results, keep the pH in the aquarium between 4.7 and 8.7, and ideally between 6.5 and 6.9. Scalarians are relatively hardy when it comes to pH and tolerate a wide range of water conditions, but you need to try to create a healthy environment to get a happy breeding pair.
- If the pH level of the water is not ideal, a deionization filter or a reverse osmosis filter can help. They are usually installed on your plumbing and range in price from quite cheap to extremely expensive. However, they are effective.
- Try not to use chemicals to change the pH level, if possible. The chemical version of pH regulation changes the alkalinity or acidity of water very sharply, and scalars are sensitive to this. Scalarians may refuse to multiply or even die if the pH level changes too dramatically from one to the other.
3 Adjust the water temperature. Again, because scalars are highly adaptable, they tolerate a wide range of temperatures. But they thrive at their favorite temperature in the range of 22 ° - 27 ° C, so it would be nice to stick to somewhere around 26 ° C.
- Be aware of the effect of water temperature on the scalar. Warmer water has a better effect on the immune system of scalar, and colder water increases their lifespan.
4 Install a good filter in your aquarium. The scalars are ideally designed to withstand strong currents, but be careful using a filter that is too strong, which can wear out the fish unnecessarily. Better to use a sponge filter, gravel filter, or both. This way, your scalars will have enough energy for love, and their brood, when it appears, will not be sucked in by the filter.
- Refresh at least 20% of the water every week as part of your regular tank cleaning.
5 Feed your scalar properly. Scalarians are usually not very selective in food, but they like live food, and their appetite is quite good. Tune in to feed the scalar at least 2-3 times a day, without overfeeding.
- Give scalars 3-5 minutes to eat whatever food you give them. Any food not eaten within 5 minutes should be removed from the tank to keep the water clear.
- The scalar is familiar with a completely new type of food, do not feed them before this for 1-2 days. Then feed enough new food for 1-2 bites, adding regular food as well. This should be enough for the fish to taste the new food.
- A typical diet may consist of dry flaked food with the addition of brine shrimp and bloodworms. Live food other than Artemia is not recommended due to the likelihood of disease introduction.

Method 2 of 3: Part Two: Starting the Breeding Process

1 Determine the sex of the scalar to plant a pair for breeding. Sex determination in young scalars is almost impossible, so don't even bother. In older scalars, sex can be determined by the tube of the anus. In males, it is smaller and more pointed, almost triangular. In females, it is larger and more square, like an eraser on a pencil.
2 Use common signs to determine the sex of the scalar. Inspection of the anal tubules is the single most reliable way to determine sex. But when you consider this in conjunction with other signs, you may find it easier to determine the sex of the scalar. Just remember not to rely on the only one a sign in determining sex - it is necessary to see the whole picture.
- Females are more rounded, while males are more angular.
- The dorsal fins of females are slightly bent back, while in males they stand right at an angle of almost 90 degrees to the head.
- Females keep the anal fin closer to the body, while males protrude it more.
- Females have a more even tilt of the head, and males often have a pronounced bump.
3 Alternatively, purchase a breeding pair. If you don't understand males and females, it may be easier to purchase a ready-made breeding pair. If this is the case, make sure the pair is young enough to produce good offspring. This is a more expensive option than trying to sex your fish yourself, but it is often a more reliable and efficient option for rapid reproduction.
4 If you are keeping more than 2 fish, wait for them to pair in pairs. This can take 6-7 months or even longer (in scalars that are wilder or weaker). In a large aquarium, you will notice a male and a female mating as they shy away from the rest of the tribe. Wait 1-2 days to be sure they are a pair.
5 Isolate the pair in a separate spawning tank. Make sure the water chemistry is the same as in the general aquarium. Scalarians feel safer and more in the mood to reproduce if not disturbed. Place them in a 75 gallon tank set at chest or eye level. So the fish will be less distracted and, definitely, will be happier.
- In the spawning aquarium, provide a surface on which the scalars can lay their eggs. A spawning cone, sponge, or just a piece of shale are often chosen options by aquarists. It happens, for example, that scalars lay eggs directly on the filter.

Method 3 of 3: Part Three: Waiting to Spawn

1 Wait for the couple to start spawning. Sometimes couples begin to lay eggs just a few days after being deposited in the spawning aquarium. In other cases, it may take several weeks of waiting and require some incentive for them to feel comfortable and want to reproduce. Here are some things you can do to encourage reproduction:
- Raise the temperature a few degrees if it is below 27 ° C.
- Perform a 75% water change, prepare it thoroughly and check that the pH level and softness of the water are close to those to which the scalar is accustomed.
- Feed them a little more than normal high quality frozen dry food.
- Give them more safety by adding extra plants, spawning sponges, and other fibrous disinfected surfaces.
- Try a larger aquarium if yours has a volume of 75 liters or less.
- Place nearby, but still separately, another scalar or a pair of scalars. Sometimes the sight of other scalars causes the couple to reproduce.
2 If all else fails, switch partners in a pair. If you have been waiting uselessly, have tried all the methods described above, it may be time to take up the selection of a pair again. There is a possibility that the pair is incompatible, so it is worth picking up other partners for each fish. Try putting them back in the communal tank and wait for them to pair up again.
3 Let the scalars raise their offspring if you like. Scalarians usually take care of their offspring, so trust them and try not to disturb them. Any minimal stress or unusual activity can result in the scalar eating the offspring.
- While the couple is raising their offspring, feed them as before, given that they will not be so hungry. Remove any leftovers from feed immediately after feeding and do your best to keep the water clean and uncontaminated.
- From time to time it happens that a couple eats their offspring. If this happens, you have no other alternative than taking the spawning cone or a piece of slate with eggs to another aquarium with the same water quality in order to raise the fish artificially.
4 Grow fish artificially if required. Transfer the eggs to a clean 4 liter aquarium with medium bubble oxygen. Treat 100% filtered water with a fungicide followed by acriflavine, an antibacterial agent. Place a piece of slate or a sponge with caviar in the aquarium near the oxygen supply, tilting the caviar towards the bottom. Consider keeping the aquarium dark to prevent dangerous bacterial growth.
5 Wait for the fry to hatch after about 60 hours at 27 ° C. At this stage, they will just wriggle and will not need food. After 5 days of this stage, they will begin to swim freely and try new food (brine shrimp works well). It is best to feed a little and often. After the brood begins to swim in flocks, it must be transplanted into a medium-sized aquarium (10-40 liters).

Tips

Since scalars are sensitive to chemicals, balance your aquarium naturally if possible. Water conditioner is less harmful than most chemicals and can help balance the aquarium by neutralizing harmful chlorine and metals in the water.
An alternative to acquiring a breeding pair is to purchase 10-12 young scalars. They will pair up and breed. Couples will stay together and lay eggs every few weeks.
When breeding scalars, it is better to use sponge filters. They filter water best, and are easy to wash and clean during a partial water change. Small fish fry will not be sucked in by this filter.
When looking into breeding scalars, try different techniques if the fish refuse to breed. Raise the water temperature a few degrees, change at least 70% of the water during partial water changes, and try feeding your fish live or frozen dry food.

Warnings

When breeding scalars, do not place gravel on the bottom of the aquarium. If the female lays eggs on the gravel, the eggs may be damaged or washed away while cleaning the aquarium.
Remember to regularly make partial water changes in your scalar aquarium. Couples are very sensitive to pollution when breeding and will not want to breed in dirty water.
Do not make sudden changes in water temperature in an aquarium with scalars. This can shock the fish. If you need to increase the temperature to stimulate reproduction, do it slowly and only a few degrees.