Corbidorbidoodle Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Hey, y'all. I'm one of those guys that'll pick up pretty much any tank he sees at a thrift store or free on CL. Currently I have several unoccupied tanks that I'm seasoning with hand-fulls of guppies. A 60, two 55 longs, two 40 breeders, a very tall 43, three 20 longs, two 20s, and a smattering of 3-10 gallon weirdos. I've got solid colonies of Red, Yellow, and Blue Neos in some of the 20s. I'm going to start separating grades into different smaller tanks as needed. So I'm mostly looking for ideas in the bigger tanks. I'm looking for ideas, maybe slightly more advanced than guppies. (I have SO MANY guppies) They're swell, but does the world need 6 more tanks filled with guppies? What I'd really like is fish that'll breed like guppies and shrimp though. They don't have to be quite so prolific, but easy-ish, ya know. Like, I'm not currently in a position to be hand-collecting eggs off of spawning mops, bottle feeding fry and rocking them each to sleep each night. But I'll put in a little work. And I don't mind setting up tanks for specific fish's needs. The perfect storm would be if I could sell some of the babies for something besides feeders. Like, obviously I'm not trying to be a pro breeder, but maybe they can help my hobby not be a total money pit. Some of my favorite fish right now are CPDs, Diamond Tetras, pretty much any Rams, Clown Killis, Kuhli Loaches, and that kind of thing. I've had CPDs breed, but the babies starved cuz I wasn't expecting them. My Diamond Tetras are breeding, but they've got some Bolivians, Corys, and a Flag Fish in there with them, so not many babies survive. I've had my two Gold Rams pair off and try to breed, but they're both boys, so once they dug a pit and cleaned off a rock, the relationship kinda dissolved. But whatcha think? Any great ideas for me? Thanks, everybody! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 If you have dense enough clumps of java moss or spawning mops, fork tailed rainbows should be able to breed and have some young survive. Maybe some clumps/mops on the floor, and some floating from the surface. What about kribensis? For the bigger tanks, you could easily do angelfish as well. Most breeders raise the from from eggs separate from the parents, but if the water quality is there, and the parents are diligent, they'll do the work for you. What about some flashy silver mollies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavdad45 Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Convicts just do their thing. Getting rid of fry is the hard part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corbidorbidoodle Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 Oooh, I forgot about Mollies. The Creamsicle and Platinum Lyretail/Sailfiin ones are my favorite. I tried Kribs once, but got all males. Might try them again. The Forktail Rainbows are real neat. I've only ever seen them a couple times. That'd be a fun one to try. I've got gallons of Java Moss, Hornwort, Pearlweed, Dwarf Water Lettuce, Water Sprite, and Pogo Octopus. I can definitely get a tank pretty full with any of those. I kinda forgot about Anglefish too. That'd be loads of fun. The babies are precious! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 For something completely passive I would suggest more livebearers. Mollies or swordtails could be fun, assuming you have the water parameters to support them. I’ve had fun with Platy’s but quickly get overrun. Some bigger livebearers in general could be a good time. A single pair of Angels could fan, hatch, and raise their own fry. It’s super cool to see! Other fish that will eat the fry obviously makes that more difficult and much less passive. Kribs are cool; their parenting skills are some of the best I’ve personally seen. I also learned a hard lesson in that I raised too many and have like 30 left that I can’t get rid of. They were my first project that wasn’t a livebearer, and I quickly learned my lesson about raising full spawns of fish. Most importantly, do something that you’ll enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corbidorbidoodle Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 Yeah, a few fish can become a lot real quick. I have this one main guppy tank, and it's not like mutt guppies are hard to get hold of, so I hardly had a line of people to take them off my hands. But I picked up a few African Dwarf Frogs to live with them, and now I have the perfect amount of survival. I've got enough to keep the colony going, and extras for seasoning tanks and giving to friends. But yeah, it's gotta be fun. I'm hoping to do something like good looking species tank that has a surplus. If it's not fun it's just work, and I hardly need a part time job that costs me money. Gotta remain an enjoyable hobby. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 pretty much any of the livebearers work for the lazy guy, also bristlenose plecos are as easy as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 @Corbidorbidoodle, I think we have the same problem with both wanting something more interesting than the average guppy! Try splash tetras if you're looking for something really fun, or four-eyed fish for something so weird and cool (they're livebearers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 I was going to suggest bristlenose plecos also. Very easy to breed. The parents take care of the babies who eat the same thing the parents do. They're a very farmable fish. Plop them in a tank, feed them well (often the hardest part, they eat a lot) and they'll give you babies. And the fry are a snap to take care of. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modified lung Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 The secret to passive breeding is a tall tank, pea gravel, and a thick mass of hornwort, guppy grass, or something similar floating across the entire surface. I've also done the same in a bare bottom tank with most of the bottom covered in yarn. The fry hang out in the gravel out of reach from the adults after hatch and above the plants out of sight from the adults during the free swimming stage. I also put a thick pillar of hornwort from the bottom to the top in one section to help fry reach the surface without being seen. I've done this in 20 gallon tall and 18" tall 6 gallon buckets. The more distance from the top to the bottom of the tank, the less likely the fry will be spotted by the adults. I got so many badis/dario fry this way I had to stop the breeding. This is also how I finally got rosey loach fry after trying for over a year. For surface dwelling fish, like gouramis, same thing but with a long tank instead. Only pack half of it with the plants so the adults have access to the surface. But this doesn't seem to work as well I think because some of the fry eventually wonder to the edge of the plant mass and get spotted by the adults. I've also done something similar with vertical sheets of screen placed close enough to each other that adults can't fit in-between them to reach the fry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 On 10/1/2022 at 2:25 PM, gardenman said: I was going to suggest bristlenose plecos also. Very easy to breed. The parents take care of the babies who eat the same thing the parents do. They're a very farmable fish. Plop them in a tank, feed them well (often the hardest part, they eat a lot) and they'll give you babies. And the fry are a snap to take care of. To be honest, I just leave my plecos the odd fish food leftovers and algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 (edited) On 9/27/2022 at 5:17 PM, cavdad45 said: Convicts just do their thing. Getting rid of fry is the hard part We bred convicts before. It was awesome. Also mbuna cichlids. EXTRA FUN because once the eggs hatch the fish carries the babies around it its mouth. I liked waiting for the fish to open its mouth so I could see all the little eyeballs inside, peeking out. I did not collect the eggs or anything. They were usually on a vertical surface in a cave and the mbunas protected them. The only not passive thing was hatching the brine shrimp. Airstone in a tall mason jar. That’s all that we did. Edited October 2, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 Lake Victoria mouthbrooders are also quite fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentFishFanUK Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 For me it has to be Japanese ricefish! Breed as readily and easily as guppies but they aren't live bearers so aren't quite so prolific. For high production you have to remove eggs and raise fry up separate as some will get eaten but totally not necessary to still get a bunch make it. There are some super cool looking strains out there if you can get a hold of them! One of my current strains: (but not my photo) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 Wow @KentFishFanUK, what’s that strain called? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentFishFanUK Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 On 10/4/2022 at 5:33 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Wow @KentFishFanUK, what’s that strain called? I know them as "tricolour lamé" but they will have a proper Japanese name that I don't know too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 I'm gonna throw cories into the mix here. Cories are easy to passive breed if you give the eggs stuff like Java moss or spawning mops to hide in. I do pull eggs but I also get fry popping up that I never found the egg. I have some friends that passively breed them as well. With the size of tank you have you actually could do 2 species that I've been doing. Cories and fork tail rainbowfish. Just provide stuff for them to lay their eggs in both on the top and bottom! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corbidorbidoodle Posted October 5, 2022 Author Share Posted October 5, 2022 Thanks for all the great suggestions, everybody. So many exciting options to try! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumplkrum Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 I agree with Corys. I don't do anything except clean the eggs off the glass and move them to a fry tank. Also, getting rid of extras is easy because who doesn't need more Corys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 On 10/3/2022 at 3:57 PM, KentFishFanUK said: One of my current strains: (but not my photo) Great coloring; what is that strain called? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzsharks Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 I made this strain ( Snakeskin guppys and swordtail guppys) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentFishFanUK Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 On 10/8/2022 at 8:08 PM, PineSong said: Great coloring; what is that strain called? So I know them as "tricolour lamé" (where the 'lamé' just means it has sparkly scales as well as the three colours) they probably have a more traditional Japanese name as well but I don't know it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 On 10/8/2022 at 9:12 PM, Zzsharks said: I made this strain ( Snakeskin guppys and swordtail guppys) One could call that a ‘reverse’ sword tail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ fishing Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 She’ll dwellers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathJK Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Bristlenose plecos 100% for the lazy breeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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