40 gal. Breeder: What to Breed??

[Fish Folk]

So… I’ve got a 40 gal. breeder currently without fish. I’m asking for breeding ideas. However, I’d like to try something new. Here is a list of species I can remember already having bred. Don’t want to breed these…

Guppies, Platys, Mollys, Xenotoca doadrioi, Auratus (mbunas), Kribensis, German Blue Ram, Firemouths, Convict Cichlids, Angelfish, Emerald killifish, Nothobranchius guentheri, Brilliant Rasboras, Rainbow Shiners, Southern Redbelly Dace, Mountain Redbelly Dace, Corydoras aeneus, Ancistrus, Electric Blue Acaras

I’m sure that I’m missing some, but those are what I can remember off the top of my head.

Let me give some other qualifiers:

(1) My LFS needs to be able / willing to sell the fry.

(2) It is a 40 gal. breeder… so something like Betta splendens is not terribly interesting.

(3) If multiple grow-out tanks are required, it probably won’t work. I’m kind of limited with adding more tanks.

(4) I’ve been (sort of) trying Discus, but no luck. Kind of need to pause trying them.

(5) Apistogrammas have punked me multiple times. I adore them, but need to take a pause before trying them again.

(6) If you live in the lower 48 US states, and you would love to buy a bunch of fry I breed at wholesale prices, I’d love to hear what you would like to see bred for purchase.

(7) I’m open to a wide array of tank setups. My tap water is soft.

(8) If there’s a specific species you’re dying to LEARN how to spawn based on my fumbling attempts, I’ll be happy to journal everything here on the forum. Failures and successes.

Ok! I think that’s the parameters. Let’s have it! What do you think I should try breeding? 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Fish Folk

[anewbie]

I'd go for a pair of nannacara anomala; though a 40 is a bit larger than you need. They are not  a super pretty fish but of the dwarf cichild i've had the male range of behavior is really interesting (which means they do better in a community tank to see this diverse behavior but then of course breeding doesn't work well); conversely another fish of interest are ivanacara adoketa. These guys are well not going to be friendly to tank mates so again a 40 might be a bit larger than you want but again a very interesting species but also one that will require blackish water (not so much blackwater as in tannish but very pure low ph). If you want something pretty there are always betta and if you want to make money there are eques cory or zebra pleco - eques cory are a bit more interesting in that they tend to be not that shy so compare to some other cory species they are more likely to stay in the open.

 

Then there are larger fishes but a 40b isn't really tall enough but aqueon is now selling a new 60b more suitable for larger fishes with some height.

[Fish Folk]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:04 AM, anewbie said:

I'd go for a pair of nannacara anomala; though a 40 is a bit larger than you need. They are not  a super pretty fish but of the dwarf cichild i've had the male range of behavior is really interesting (which means they do better in a community tank to see this diverse behavior but then of course breeding doesn't work well); conversely another fish of interest are ivanacara adoketa. These guys are well not going to be friendly to tank mates so again a 40 might be a bit larger than you want but again a very interesting species but also one that will require blackish water (not so much blackwater as in tannish but very pure low ph). If you want something pretty there are always betta and if you want to make money there are eques cory or zebra pleco - eques cory are a bit more interesting in that they tend to be not that shy so compare to some other cory species they are more likely to stay in the open.

 

Then there are larger fishes but a 40b isn't really tall enough but aqueon is now selling a new 60b more suitable for larger fishes with some height.

Thank you! I appreciate your suggestions very much.

I’ve never kept or even seen Nannacara anomala before. Mature males are lovely…

[anewbie]

In person mine does not have as strong  colouring as seen under favorable lighting and breeding dress. In a 40B you could probably keep 1 pair with 20 to 40  pygmy cory and some top level fish like kubtai rasbora. The female are extremely aggressive when they have youngs (more so than cockatoo) and the male needs a place to hide so lots of plants and hardscape (mostly driftwood) is useful. Soft sand is prefer for the substrate as with most dwarf cichild. They can handle moderate water - 100tds gh 5-6 is fine. The females tend to be very good mom. The reason i recommend pygmy is they are more likely to avoid conflict than other bottom dwellers; still if they end up too close to a 'mom' they might get beat up pretty badly. 

They come and go in terms of availabilty. They just aren't as flashy as a lot of dwarf cichild and so they are not found as commonly but in terms of male behavior they are head and shoulders ahead of any apistogramma or rams i've kept. The male is extremely polite around fishes he consider docile and extremely aggressive towards those he dislike - in the sense that he actually waits for them to ambush (he won't be aggressive around pygmy). He is also a very patient deliberate hunter. Mine spends all day motionless outside the pleco cave waiting for little snacks.

 

Btw don't try this trick with pygmy and ivanacara as you will end up with a bunch of dead pygmy. Those guys are extremely aggressive but also a much more colourful fish if you want something flashier. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by anewbie

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

Im setting up a 40 breeder in a couple months and im planning on breeding kribensis, they are easier to breed and more hardy then apistos so that might work out for you.

also you could have some top dwellers and they probably wont eat fry plus the kribensis will protect the fry.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:56 PM, Fish Folk said:

So… I’ve got a 40 gal. breeder currently without fish. I’m asking for breeding ideas. However, I’d like to try something new. Here is a list of species I can remember already having bred. Don’t want to breed these…

Guppies, Platys, Mollys, Xenotoca doadrioi, Auratus (mbunas), Kribensis, German Blue Ram, Firemouths, Convict Cichlids, Angelfish, Emerald killifish, Nothobranchius guentheri, Brilliant Rasboras, Rainbow Shiners, Southern Redbelly Dace, Mountain Redbelly Dace, Corydoras aeneus, Ancistrus, Electric Blue Acaras

I’m sure that I’m missing some, but those are what I can remember off the top of my head.

Let me give some other qualifiers:

(1) My LFS needs to be able / willing to sell the fry.

(2) It is a 40 gal. breeder… so something like Betta splendens is not terribly interesting.

(3) If multiple grow-out tanks are required, it probably won’t work. I’m kind of limited with adding more tanks.

(4) I’ve been (sort of) trying Discus, but no luck. Kind of need to pause trying them.

(5) Apistogrammas have punked me multiple times. I adore them, but need to take a pause before trying them again.

(6) If you live in the lower 48 US states, and you would love to buy a bunch of fry I breed at wholesale prices, I’d love to hear what you would like to see bred for purchase.

(7) I’m open to a wide array of tank setups. My tap water is soft.

(8) If there’s a specific species you’re dying to LEARN how to spawn based on my fumbling attempts, I’ll be happy to journal everything here on the forum. Failures and successes.

Ok! I think that’s the parameters. Let’s have it! What do you think I should try breeding? 

1) Angelfish, white clouds, or rams.

3) Aren't we all!!

4) Try Mesonauta Festivum if you're looking for a change.

Maybe aim for a Ram (any kind) with a type of hatchetfish (my marbled ones just spawned)!

Or even Mesonauta Festivum coupled with a Ram or Sterbai Corys

Keep us posted on what you choose!

[Fish Folk]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:15 PM, Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics said:

Im setting up a 40 breeder in a couple months and im planning on breeding kribensis, they are easier to breed and more hardy then apistos so that might work out for you.

also you could have some top dwellers and they probably wont eat fry plus the kribensis will protect the fry.

Kirbs are excellent parents. Yep, they tolerate a nice dither. However . . . per OP . . . that's a species I've already done. I am looking to try a new species.

On 11/3/2022 at 1:42 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

1) Angelfish, white clouds, or rams.

3) Aren't we all!!

4) Try Mesonauta Festivum if you're looking for a change.

Maybe aim for a Ram (any kind) with a type of hatchetfish (my marbled ones just spawned)!

Or even Mesonauta Festivum coupled with a Ram or Sterbai Corys

Keep us posted on what you choose!

Oh my . . . that Festivum looks amazing . . .

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

I wont say puffers those are a little harder to meet the LFS sales requirement.

I would be interesting to see you crush the 

1) Congo Tetra 

2) Rummynose Tetra

3) Oddball nominee : African Butterfly Fish (floating eggs and would probably need to be moved into an in tank breeder box with a lower water level to get live baby brine etc to hit the mouth of the fry for a few weeks

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

have you done shell dwellers yet? a 40 is a really good size for a good colony.

[The endler guy]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:33 AM, Fish Folk said:

Thank you! I appreciate your suggestions very much.

I’ve never kept or even seen Nannacara anomala before. Mature males are lovely…

i wanted those for my 40 breeder, shame my parents WONT LET ME GET MORE FISH!!!!!!! (besides more neon so that's nice)

adf (African dwarf frogs) 

rare skrimb (translation from dunce- shrimp)

amazon shrimp

splash tetras (the species that jumps)

puffers (? idk if it can be done)

[smm333]

I'm dying to get a tank set up for a colony of multis. A 40 gallon breeder would work great! You would have room for many of them, so it wouldn't be stressful if the LFS couldn't take them right away.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:11 PM, Aiden Carter said:

splash tetras (the species that jumps)

Those are great fun! I can't stop mine from breeding!

[The endler guy]

On 11/4/2022 at 1:51 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Those are great fun! I can't stop mine from breeding!

Even the ones that don’t jump look really cool 

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:11 PM, Aiden Carter said:

i wanted those for my 40 breeder, shame my parents WONT LET ME GET MORE FISH!!!!!!! (besides more neon so that's nice)

adf (African dwarf frogs) 

rare skrimb (translation from dunce- shrimp)

amazon shrimp

splash tetras (the species that jumps)

puffers (? idk if it can be done)

Id say puffers can be done 

[Fish Folk]

On my way to deciding what to do… I’ve decided to try breeding Betta splendens one more time.

Will keep progress updated over here…

So far, the idea of trying Congo Tetras has me fascinated. I adore this video of them…

 

[Guppysnail]

I’ve been wanting Psuedomugil gertrudae on the east coast.  My local guy who started his own fish store can’t keep them and only rarely can get them. His waiting list for the next ones he can find is very long. 

pair those with Asian stone catfish or bumble bee cats 

Get yourself a 2 for one breeding project all fitting into 1-40 breeder. 

I am actually looking for all 3 so your first customer exists already 🤣

Edited November 4, 2022 by Guppysnail

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/4/2022 at 3:54 PM, Guppysnail said:

I’ve been wanting Psuedomugil gertrudae on the east coast.  My local guy who started his own fish store can’t keep them and only rarely can get them. His waiting list for the next ones he can find is very long. 

pair those with Asian stone catfish or bumble bee cats 

Get yourself a 2 for one breeding project all fitting into 1-40 breeder. 

I am actually looking for all 3 so your first customer exists already 🤣

I've seen bumblebee cat fry before (in one of my Gdads aquariums) and they look very cute!

They should breed quite well in the same tank as the Pseudomugil Gertrudae (I prefer Luminatus, but hey-ho!) as they spawn in different areas of the tank.

[The endler guy]

On 11/4/2022 at 10:54 AM, Guppysnail said:

I’ve been wanting Psuedomugil gertrudae on the east coast.  🤣

(America I assume) what state? 

[MAC]

I think I've got a perfect fish. Megalechis thoracata, the marbled hoplo catfish. I've had mine spawn a few times in a community tank so I never saw any fry but they are a super fun fish. Peaceful, playful, easy to sex pairs, can be unheated and don't get too big. And they are bubble nesters so you could pluck the eggs easily to hatch and grow out elsewhere. Here's my big male behind dirty glass

 

One of the earlier posts mentioned nannacara anomela. I really like those little cichlids and found they are very easy to spawn, however, the females are relentless towards the male. Even in a well decorated 55 with a single male and 3 females I couldn't keep the male safely in the tank after females were in eggs. Really interesting little fish though I really enjoy the color changes the females go through 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/4/2022 at 6:15 PM, MAC said:

I think I've got a perfect fish. Megalechis thoracata, the marbled hoplo catfish. I've had mine spawn a few times in a community tank so I never saw any fry but they are a super fun fish. Peaceful, playful, easy to sex pairs, can be unheated and don't get too big. And they are bubble nesters so you could pluck the eggs easily to hatch and grow out elsewhere. Here's my big male behind dirty glass

 

One of the earlier posts mentioned nannacara anomela. I really like those little cichlids and found they are very easy to spawn, however, the females are relentless towards the male. Even in a well decorated 55 with a single male and 3 females I couldn't keep the male safely in the tank after females were in eggs. Really interesting little fish though I really enjoy the color changes the females go through 

Are the hoplo catfish bubble nesters like bettas, as in they build their nest in the surface...?

Love the colours on the Nannacara!

[Guppysnail]

On 11/4/2022 at 1:03 PM, Aiden Carter said:

(America I assume) what state? 

South central PA. Near York. 

[MAC]

On 11/4/2022 at 10:27 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Are the hoplo catfish bubble nesters like bettas, as in they build their nest in the surface...?

Love the colours on the Nannacara!

Bubble nests at the surface, correct! It's quite the sight. 

[The endler guy]

On 11/4/2022 at 1:30 PM, Guppysnail said:

South central PA. Near York. 

I’m in Maryland 

[Fish Folk]

On 11/4/2022 at 2:06 PM, Aiden Carter said:

I’m in Maryland 

We’re in western MD

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/4/2022 at 6:03 PM, Aiden Carter said:

(America I assume) what state? 

Canton Vaud😜