# Which fish readily breed successfully in planted tanks?



## Nick_593 (7 Nov 2014)

Hi can someone give info on aquarium fish that will readily breed successfully in planted tanks? (Besides live bearers that is).

Thanks


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## dw1305 (7 Nov 2014)

Hi all, 
_Apistogramma_ should breed fairly easily, unless your water is hard. Because cichlids show parental care you don't have to worry about _Planaria_ and Snails eating the eggs, although some fish may pick off the fry (Neon Tetra are great fry hunters). 

Some of the smaller L numbers (_Hypancistrus, Ancistrus, Sturisoma_) are also a possibility.  _Corydoras_ are another that should breed OK, although depending on species you may find the parents eat  the eggs.  If I wanted a _Corydoras_ species to start with I'd try _C. panda_.

Egg scatters are a bit more hit and miss, but if you have a heavily planted tank you can get occasional Tetra, Pencil fish and _Rapsbora_ surviving. 

Most of the fry I've had have just appeared in the tank (and are of "easy"  fish), which is a great advantage of heavy planting, but some members have raised fish that "experts" really struggle with. 

Have a look at these threads: <"Do you know what Cories..." >,  <"Pipefish B&B">, <"Your personal aquascaping/aquarium highlights from 2013">, <"little box of chocolates...">, <"3 foot hillstream tank...">, <"Fish and Shrimp room">, <"Joe's Tank"> & <"Splash Tetra">.

cheers Darrel


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## drodgers (7 Nov 2014)

Nick_593 said:


> Hi can someone give info on aquarium fish that will readily breed successfully in planted tanks? (Besides live bearers that is).
> 
> Thanks


http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/five-easy-tetras.htm


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## Nick_593 (7 Nov 2014)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> _Apistogramma_ should breed fairly easily, unless your water is hard. Because cichlids show parental care you don't have to worry about _Planaria_ and Snails eating the eggs, although some fish may pick off the fry (Neon Tetra are great fry hunters). l



How good parents are Apistogramma spp? I've kept Ram cichlids in the past who spawned, but they ate the eggs.


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## dw1305 (7 Nov 2014)

Hi all,





Nick_593 said:


> How good parents are Apistogramma spp? I've kept Ram cichlids in the past who spawned, but they ate the eggs.


 Pretty good, the female is very protective, but she doesn't usually kill the male or the other tank inhabitants. 

cheers Darrel


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## Andy Thurston (7 Nov 2014)

drodgers said:


> http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/five-easy-tetras.htm


Have you got a bug crawling round your signature?
Sorry to the op for the ot question


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## Chris Jackson (7 Nov 2014)

I've had loads of breeding rosy barbs in a large well planted tank with plenty of Java moss but they are also a sod for pulling up grasses and nibbling new shoots on some plants so I can't particularly recommend them beyond their readiness to breed.


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## drodgers (7 Nov 2014)

Big clown said:


> Have you got a bug crawling round your signature?
> Sorry to the op for the ot question


No reason other then  to be be different


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## Nick_593 (8 Nov 2014)

dw1305 said:


> but she doesn't usually kill the male or the other tank inhabitants. l




What would they be like with Yamato shrimps, 2x Angel fish, and some black neon tetras?.. Its a heavily planted 180l tank.

Thanks


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## dw1305 (8 Nov 2014)

Hi all, 





Nick_593 said:


> What would they be like with Yamato shrimps, 2x Angel fish, and some black neon tetras?.. Its a heavily planted 180l tank.


Should be OK, Black Neons are good dithers for _Apistogramma _spp. I kept them with _Apistogramma cacatuoides _for 3 or 4 generations. This is an old female _cacatuoides, _with some female fry and the Black Neon Tetra behind. The Pristella Tetra were "rescue" fish and, in contrast, and they were great fry hunters.



 

I used to feed the _cacatuoides_ with Red  Cherry Shrimp, but they may be all right with bigger shrimps, and I've never kept Angelfish, but I believe they are fine with _Apistogramma_.

cheers Darrel


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## Bhu (8 Nov 2014)

Yeah kribs breed readily enough. But it all depends what else is in there to what will survive. A lot off tetras will breed like neons. Also barbs.  But they don't care for the off spring so with other fish in the tank the chance of survival is slim. With kribensis they are mouth brooders and care for the fry until they are large enough to care for themselves...


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## Michael W (8 Nov 2014)

Hi,
I've kept Angels and Apistgramma Hongsloi before and I can say they were very peaceful together. Apistos can stand their ground against the Angels. However, I won't say that the fry are necessarily safe when the female takes the fry for a swim around, the female will chase the Angels away but I will say that Angels are persistent, they'll no doubt in my opinion catch a few fry. 

I don't know if you have sand in your aquarium or not but this will benefit dwarf cichlid fry and also train their habit of sieving out food. Many breeders will put a thin layer of sand in their fry tanks. The problem I think with having the fry in the community tank will be feeding, I suggest building a cave out of a coconut with something like Java moss around the entrance to encourage micro organisms for the fry to feast on. Having leaf litter such as Almond Leaves and Oak leaves will also be beneficial.


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## Nick_593 (9 Nov 2014)

.


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## GHNelson (9 Nov 2014)

Odessa barbs....are fairly easy to breed!
lovely little fish...when in the breeding mode!
hoggie


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## Nick_593 (9 Nov 2014)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Should be OK, Black Neons are good dithers for _Apistogramma _spp. I kept them with _Apistogramma cacatuoides _for 3 or 4 generations. This is an old female _cacatuoides, _with some female fry and the Black Neon Tetra behind. The Pristella Tetra were "rescue" fish and, in contrast, and they were great fry hunters.
> 
> I used to feed the _cacatuoides_ with Red  Cherry Shrimp, but they may be all right with bigger shrimps, and I've never kept Angelfish, but I believe they are fine with _Apistogramma_.
> 
> cheers Darrel





Bhu said:


> Yeah kribs breed readily enough. But it all depends what else is in there to what will survive. A lot off tetras will breed like neons. Also barbs.  But they don't care for the off spring so with other fish in the tank the chance of survival is slim. With kribensis they are mouth brooders and care for the fry until they are large enough to care for themselves...



Hi thanks for all of the advice. For Apistogramma to breed succesfully do they need to be the exact same species, or is the same genus okay suitable? How many individual Apistogramma would be suitable in community tank (180l), and what sex ratio should they be kept with?



Michael W said:


> Having leaf litter such as Almond Leaves and Oak leaves will also be beneficial.



How does leaf litter such as Almond and Oak leaves benefit?

Thanks


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## Bhu (9 Nov 2014)

Nick_593 said:


> How does leaf litter such as Almond and Oak leaves benefit?


 
Its to help create the right water conditions (more acidic) and environments for critters to live in mini pods and things that the fry can eat.


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## Michael W (9 Nov 2014)

Bhu said:


> Its to help create the right water conditions (more acidic) and environments for critters to live in mini pods and things that the fry can eat.



Bhu basically hits the nail on the head. However, in an 180L you need a lot of leaves to create the acidic conditions, while that can be beneficial, most dwarf cichlids can breed more readily in the average conditions provided in each tank these days. I was thinking more towards the leaves being a food source.




Nick_593 said:


> Hi thanks for all of the advice. For Apistogramma to breed succesfully do they need to be the exact same species, or is the same genus okay suitable? How many individual Apistogramma would be suitable in community tank (180l), and what sex ratio should they be kept with?



Go for exact same species. Your best bet would be to go for 1 male and 4 females, that should work out in a 180L with vegetation and hardscape to block the line of sights between caves. The male will mate with all the females if given the chance, the female will each guard the fry. One of the pros of this method is that you will see very interesting behaviours in the tank such as females stealing each other's fry. This method works well with A. Cacatuoides as seen in Darrel's post.

Edit: This link is very useful in discussing the benefits of leaf litter in an aquarium. http://www.seriouslyfish.com/all-the-leaves-are-brown/


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