What is the easiest/Best marine fish to breed?

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 09:56 AM

I hear of bangaiis and clownfish as some of the easier fish to breed in marine tanks. Varioius Gobies are next. With neons and red capped being the prevalant. Are there any other fishes. How about basslets like Royal Grammas? Or blennies? Just curious on yalls input. I had thought to do Fish only with live rock species tank with a 20-29 gal tank and just add bangaiis to get them to breed along with 10 gal growout tanks. However, I wonder if any other fish would be more desirable such as tank-raised dottybacks?

Ray

Joel · 08-05-2003, 10:07 AM

Bangaiis are easy, but can be kinda hard to tend to after they're born (spit out). All but a sponge filter will wipe out your new Bangaii brood. Clowns have a multitude of special needs from egg to adulthood mainly being food. Do your research, quit your job, and get out your checkbook for clown babies. I researched breeding clowns a while back and just couldn't find it to be cost effective to attempt to raise clowns as a hobbyist, maybe as a business. Good luck.

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 10:17 AM

How about dottybacks. I saw some ora tank raised dottybacks in one of the lFS.

Ray

Joel · 08-05-2003, 10:32 AM

I don't know.

hesstondc · 08-05-2003, 10:35 AM

Joel did you ever get any of your cardinals to live?

I bought two from petland the other day and they wouldn't eat....and turns out all of the ones they had at the petstore wouldn't eat either.....

I got a horseface blenny instead. He is awsome!

Joel · 08-05-2003, 10:40 AM

The longest I've had any babies live so far is 7 weeks. This is after 3 attempts to raise them. The first brood only lasted 13 (I think) days, so there is a major improvement in my baby raising skills. I just haven't perfected it yet.

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 10:49 AM

Well I think cardinals are a definate maybe....probably a good way to start. I have rotifer, and phyto cultures going full blast, plus Baby Brine Shrimp
Ray

Joel · 08-05-2003, 10:55 AM

I fed my babies selcon soaked baby brine for the first 2 weeks then went to selcon soaked mysis. When they are very small they need to eat 3-5 times per day. I'm hoping to have better luck next time.

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 11:52 AM

Well I am hoping to have live babies and rotifiers like I feed my dwarf seahorses. I want to try dottybacks, like arabians since there seems to be a call for them.

Ray

sally · 08-05-2003, 02:05 PM

Ray, I have raised bangaii's and they are one of the "easier" fish to breed. I had a pair that would continously breed in my 55 reef. It was so HARD to get the babies out, I put them (parents) in a 30 gallon breeder then they stopped breeding...go figure. I did manage to raised over 100 of the fry though. If you are interested in breeding the Dottyback, you may want to get Martin Moe's "Breeding the Orchid Dottyback". Also, Joyce Wilkinsons, "Clownfish" book has some very good info on breeding the clownfish. I have the Clownsfish book if you would like to borrow it. HTH

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 02:07 PM

Sally,

Actually I was just reading excerpts from both books. Thanks. I am gonna try with neon dottybacks I think

Ray

DAL9000 · 08-05-2003, 03:44 PM

Seahorses are supposed to be very easy to breed, but of course they're pretty difficult to keep in the first place. But the babies can generally eat the same things the adults can.

Ray1214 · 08-05-2003, 04:03 PM

I currently have dwarf horses and have some luck but I am wanting something that can handle current so I don't have the algae problems I currently have.

Ray

Brooke · 08-06-2003, 09:10 AM

Jon and I raised 3 broods of banggai with no losses. I guess it was beginner's luck. Try a search for baby banggai or Mortimer or breeding banggai....you'll find some of my old posts and more specifics about how I raised them. We fed fresh baby brine many times a day at first. We always had two pots of brine going..one to feed that day and one hatching so we always had fresh baby brine. Joel, your babies may have had problems with the mysis. Unless you chopped them up really small they probably weren't getting enough to eat. I highly recommend the cyclops-eeze from http://www.jehmco.com as a weaning food. I used the freeze dried. Once they were eating the cyclops I then started with homemade seafood mush that shaved with a cheese grater.

So..my vote is for raising banggai. Once you get that down you might want to try dottybacks. Look for Martin Moe's books.

HTH-
Brooke

Ray1214 · 08-06-2003, 09:18 AM

Okay, probably seems the general consensus is the bangaiis. I am planning on keeping the mating set in a 20 gal with a HOB and some pots and pvc like in Martin Moe's Pictures. Something simple then have some grow out tanks. I raise baby brine shrimp as it is and I can get my rotifer cultures going again. I also have phyto cultures going full steam.

Ray