Planted Tank Colony Breeding Fish?

[NathanB]

Hi all, which fish would be a good species to breed in my planted aquascape? I’d love to get profits from each of my tanks but already have enough shrimp tanks, so i’d like to try a small fish species where I don’t have to separate the babies or eggs from the adults. I know Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails etc. would be perfect, but i’ve never been too keen on all those commonly kept livebearers. Is it possible to breed Apistos without separating the babies? I haven’t looked into breeding apistos too much just yet. Im used to keeping soft water sensitive caridina shrimp but weirdly never have luck with Rams so they’re off the table for now.

The water will be dechlorinated tap water, with aquasoil and probably with CO2. So lower PH but not too soft

Are Corys relatively simple to breed? If the eggs are in a place where they’re easy enough to remove then I don’t mind doing that. Because I do really love the Gold Laser Corys.

 

[Connswater]

Hi all, which fish would be a good species to breed in my planted aquascape? I’d love to get profits from each of my tanks but already have enough shrimp tanks, so i’d like to try a small fish species where I don’t have to separate the babies or eggs from the adults. I know Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails etc. would be perfect, but i’ve never been too keen on all those commonly kept livebearers. Is it possible to breed Apistos without separating the babies? I haven’t looked into breeding apistos too much just yet. Im used to keeping soft water sensitive caridina shrimp but weirdly never have luck with Rams so they’re off the table for now.

The water will be dechlorinated tap water, with aquasoil and probably with CO2. So lower PH but not too soft

Are Corys relatively simple to breed? If the eggs are in a place where they’re easy enough to remove then I don’t mind doing that. Because I do really love the Gold Laser Corys.

A good friend of mine breeds some of the less unusual Corys in small planted tanks, sponge air operated filters, but no CO2, silver sand, and a bit of bog wood, he puts in three or four fish for a week or so when fully conditioned the females look much wider than the males, and he seems to generate healthy numbers of medium sized fish 4 or so months later. Modest temperature drop and a big water change seems to stimulate breeding. I see no reason, if you can have soft water you couldn't breed some of the more interesting but common tetras, my Bentosi and Black Phantom tetras regularly spawn in my planted tank, though the water is softened a little down to around 8 to 10 DKH, my tap water is much harder. They spawn in a full CO2 injected tank, but obviously no eggs survive predation. Though I have had the odd cory baby magically, miraculously, appear in my community tank.
Interested to hear how you get on. As a kid I breed Danios, black neons and a friend, barbs, all in planted tanks, we just removed the adults before any eggs hatched.

 

[AlecF]

I found sparkling gourami easy to breed, though the adults can be sensitive.