Would like to try breeding soon...what species would be a good start?

[billpa]

I'd like to (by the end of the year) try my hand in breeding fish. I've read quite a bit about clownfish breeding and have had a little time to research what information is available on bangaii cardinalfish and a few species of dottybacks.

I realize that fish breeding is a difficult task no matter what species, but was curious if anyone could suggest one for a beginner. Bangaiis are at the top of my list right now. Other suggestions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
billpa

[mattydub]

hey billpa! why don't you try some gobies so we can get the NCPARS club hooked up at the fall swap!

[billpa]

Yeah if I started today and was successful on my first try...maybe I never considered gobies. Which species have breeders been successful with?

bill

[David M]

Go with the basics and get that down- clownfish. Bangaii's are not really challenging enough, they do all the work & you just watch. Of course it is fun to raise them but not all that educational. OTOH you don't want so great a challenge (dottybacks, neon gobies) that you get frustrated. Oscellaris clowns are a good place to start IMO- very doable but it does take some effort & dedication. Also, should you do well, they are EASY to get rid of (sell)

[NicoleC]

Pick the fish you love and WANT to breed. Otherwise it's just work!

[billpa]

David...thanks for the suggestions. False Percs was my next choice.

Nicole...I love all fish If I could breed any fish, I would be very happy

Thanks!
Bill

[David M]

so many fish...so few tanks

[Atticus]

I say get Bangaii because they handle it themselves and as David said also get a pair of ORANGE Ocellaris.

[billpa]

Yeah Im leaning towards Bangaii. I figure if I start with one of the easier species, I have more of a chance of being successful

Does anybody have any websites that they could direct me to on Bangaii Breeding? I have several bookmarked but Im sure Ive missed some. Any books out there as well?

Orange ocellaris...curious what other ocellaris there are? Black/Onyx? Are they harder to breed?

[stellablu]

Black oscellaris have been known to give a headache or two during the spawning process...or getting to the spawning, that is.

Good luck and be sure to keep us updated on our experience and progress!

[Atticus]

I would get your clown pair soon as you will be waiting a year for your first spawn. Bangaii information is readily available on this site and on google. No books that I know of though. Lastly, there are black ocellaris and as said above they are a pain and can take 2-3 years to get spawning. Once spawning, unless you are lucky like me, they seem to be sporadic at best. My pair spawned within a year of purchase and spawn every 12 days, so there is hope, but overwhelming information to the contrary should steer you away for them as a starter pair.

[billpa]

I had a pair of orange ocellaris. Unfortunately my male died at the end of last year so only my female remains. She was moved into my current tank...a 180g reef. I am planning on adding a male in the next month or so in hopes that they will pair up and maybe start mating in a year or so. Before then, Im looking to setup a breeding setup so I can pull them from my display tank.

Ive been doing quite a bit of researching on RC today. Im curious what would be a good parent tank. 40g breeder? I'd like to keep a few additional tanks for raising fry (I have an old nanocube sitting in my office) and to temporarily house a resting male. Hopefully I can plumb them all top to bottom (minus the fry tank) and have them overflow into eachother. Any ideas?

Thanks
billpa