How to Breed Fishes in Aquarium?

It is wonderful to have a pet in your house and if the pet is a fish it makes it more special. Now, how to breed your pet fish in fishing tank or aquarium? Breeding your own aquarium pet fish can be a very fascinating, rewarding and sometimes profitable hobby. While some types of aquarium fish will breed with almost no effort from the aquarist and look after their own young, others can be very difficult to breed or it may be necessary to remove the fry from their parents and rear them in a separate tank. Many aquarists are surprised when their cichlids appear from their cave or hiding spot with a swarm of hungry fry, having not cleaned the tank in a while.

You may want to start out with something easy like guppies (who breed very easily) or even Neon Tetras. It is not recommended to start out with more complicated fish unless you can deal well with the disappointments and heartbreaks. Also some breeds have never been able to breed successfully in captivity.

Generally, following are the steps you should take to breed fishes and increase pet numbers:

1. Read up in-depth on the breeding requirements for the species you want to breed. The more information you have, the less time and money you will have to spend in the long run.
2. Setup an existing tank or new tank to the right breeding conditions for the fish you wish to breed. Purchase fry cages/birthing wells.

3.    Find a mated pair, or at least a male and female of the species you want to breed

1. Maintain the lighting, water and feeding conditions that the pair requires for a successful breeding attempt.
2. Look out for egg nests, enlarged bellies in the female, unusual swimming behaviors. Especially, look out for fighting between the male and female. If the fishes are fighting, that means that they are not compatible and you should try to replace one of the fishes.
3. If required (by the species), separate the male from the female after breeding.
4. Just prior to giving birth (if required by the species), place the female in the birthing tank. This way she can be easily separated from the fry after birth.