If I wanted to start breeding fish.......?

[Teach97]

Pacus...that would be them! Thanks!

 

[Bock_Bock]

Quote:
your welcome, but there still are some cichlids out there that can be just as mean lol especially the convicts when they are breeding you better be carefull lol i had a pair mate and boy did all the other fish in the tank hudle in the other corner lol, but righ tnow i got like 50 or 60 of their off spring i got to sell of now

 

[Teach97]

I won't have anything to do with convicts!

Stay away from those dudes...had a buddy and mother-in-law that had nothing left in their tanks after getting those dudes! Even little ones are mad at the world it seems like! I do have issues with my oscars trying to jump put during feeding time!

Good luck on your fish raising! I will stick with my other addictions! Now if only my pythons would fall in love

 

[Bock_Bock]

a reptile breeder huh what type you trying to breed just the regular ball or some red or white tail or what kind are thye the only reptile you breed?

 

[theOEGBman]

Quote:
Red-Tails are boas, and Im pretty sure white tails are deer.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

yes, these are my converns:
Will I be able to get rid of all the babies
Do people actually buy fish from a private owner
If these breeds being thrown out there are so easy to breed, then there shouldnt be much of a demand for them, and they will be harder to get rid of (ie: the supply will be much greater than the demand)

I would almost rather do something a little bit more difficult and then say I do get one or 2 babies, it will be much more rewarding, I wont have 300 fish Im trying to get rid of, but if I wanted to get rid of them, it shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Bock_Bock]

what are you breeding for is it for the fun or for a profit or to try to see if you can make your own strains?

 

[FrChuckW]

Okay, if I may interject some of my 40+ years of experience here.

1) Yes livebearers, such as mollies, platies, swordtails, guppies are easy to breed and raise the babies under the right conditions. They are considered part of the "bread and butter" fish of the industry.

2) Some Central and South American chiclids are easy to breed and will be territorial during the spawning and rearing phases. Otherwise they will co habit peacefully with other species.

3) Some African Chiclids are also territorial as well, and they can also require certain conditions in their tanks to thrive.

4)Bettas, can be easy to breed if the right conditions are met, however, you do have to keep males seperated and females can be raised together as previously stated.

5) A well planted community tank can provide an interesting display in the home, as well as offer educational opportunities for young children.

6) Check to see if there is a local aquarium club or society that you can join or attend and learn more about keeping and raising tropical fish,

7) Research the species of fish to see how easy or hard they are to raise. Visit sites like ACA (American Chiclid Association), the IBC (International Betta Congress), the IFGA (International Fancy Guppy Association) the ALA (American Liverbearer Association) for more information and location of breeders near you.

8) Fish do require effort on your part, they are just like any other animal, they require time spent in feeding and caring for them.

9) Find a species that really strikes your fancy and purchase them and work with them. You may even develop a new color morph or have success in breeding them that others haven't.

Good luck, and enjoy it.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

That was one of the things I enjoyed about guppies. If you had too many excess, you could always sell them off as food for other fish or snakes(I think)...

I wouldn't try selling them as bait for wild fish, no need being the cause for a fancy guppy invasion. Not that they would probably do to well, but better safe than sorry.

Also, if you have chickens, they LOVE guppy sized fish. I used to catch minnows and feed them to my chickens, and I tamed even my most skittish bird( a gamehen from out in the woods) with those little fish.

If there are private pet stores around, you can usually sell fish to them. I know that a local pet shop would buy anybodies extra, as long as it was a reasonable amount of fish. Not just two extra guppies, but they would buy 15 or more guppies.

Just like with any other animal. Those purchased in a store are "hatchery" quality. If you research certain types of fish online, you will find what we consider "show" quality or "breeder" quality. It is really funny actually, to be able to purchase a guppy at a petstore for $3-5 a piece and then go online and find them being sold for $50-150 for a trio of some "special" strain of guppies. Or to go to Walmart and purchase a Betta for $5-6 for one and then go online and find them for $10-40 a piece!! It's crazy.

If you are going to breed and raise fish for sale. Find a type you like, do your research, buy good stock(not petstore stock), and expand your market.

-Kim

 

[Bettacreek]

Don't go for anything in a petstore. Check out Aquabid.com and find something worth spending your money on. If you want a small tank, check out Endler's Livebearers. They're neon colored fish (orange, green, black and some have baby blue) that breed like guppies, but are so much prettier, and they stay smaller.

I don't recommend bettas. Some people have an easy time breeding them, but, well, I spent a fortune on them and did EVERYTING "right" and tried out many different spawning techniques and never ended up with anything, even with professional breeders walking me through it. Plus the fact that, if you don't want a tank bigger than, what, a 29g, then I doubt that you'll want 50+ 1g jars to take care of and heat.

Whoever mentioned pacus must be nuts, lol. Those suckers get to be larger than a dinnerplate, and are social, lol.