A question on minnows..?

Question

I have now got 8 white cloud mountain fish and am wondering what is the best method of breeding? and if there is a certain time of year they breed or something? what do you do if you have fish that you cant look after (not enough room)

Answer 1

Once you have distinguished male from female, pick yourself two males and four females. Make sure that they are healthy specimens that exhibit full finnage.

-   Use a ten-gallon tank containing only a sponge filter and a heater, and leave the bottom bare. You will need to find some sort of spawning media. I have used old plastic plants (bunched up), spawning grass or Java moss. This media must remain anchored to the bottom of the tank. I have found that these minnows aren’t too picky about water parameters. A pH between 6.7 and 7.5 is suitable. They seem to enjoy a General Hardness around 2-3 degrees. I also add one tablespoon of sea salt. Keep your water temperature up around 80ºF.

-  Feeding the adults a diet of daphnia, brine shrimp, white worms and crushed Spirulina flakes will bring them to spawning condition. Fourteen hours of light,  and water changes of  20% every three days will also increase breeding vigour.

-  Within four days of introduction the females should become gravid with eggs. You will then witness the males’ courtship displays - fin flicking and enticing the females into the spawning media. Spawning can take place from early morning up until noontime.

-   Once you have noticed that two or three females are no longer holding eggs remove all the minnows. Some say that White Clouds won’t eat their own fry - but I say different. You will find that White Clouds are one of the easier fish to catch. Try not to disturb the spawning area.

-  Within two to three days you should start seeing fry. They will stick to the sides of the tank and will stay mostly stationary. Within a day they should start swimming at the surface. The fry are very tiny and will not accept newly hatched brine shrimp. I use A.P.R. by OSI or Baby Fish Food “E” by Tetra Min. At three days old they will accept microworms and at eight days, baby brine. Refrain from water changes until the fry have reached the two week mark. They are slightly sensitive to changing water conditions.

-   The fry are very quick to grow and will reach a marketable size within 2½ months.