# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Characins >  Would like to breed X-Ray Tetras

## nkthen

I would like to try and breed X-Ray tetras.

I've just bought a new breeder box (5 liters) and later I'll be going down to LFS and ask for a pair of x-ray tetra and hopefully they like each other.  :Grin:  

I read somewhere that I have to put them in a different tank, feed them with live food till they are FAT then they will breed.

My tank's has been running for one day without anything right now and I'm ready to go!

My questions are:
1) What kind of live food? Bloodworm?
2) Must I have some wood, or vegetations in the breeder tank?
3) How does the egg look like? Any pictures to show?
4) If someone has a website that shows me how to breed, care to share with me?

I'm exciting to try something new so please bear with me and teach me, can?

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## mickthefish

hi nkthen

most tetras are a basic procedure to breed them any good live food or frozen will do to condition them, the tank youve got is ample, if you could get a steel gid cut to the size of the base that would be great and save alot of the eggs from the pair.
use fresh water in the tank and a small clump of java moss, the pair will spawn at first light, with the mesh in the tank it give you plenty of time to get the pair out.
the female will be a lot thinner, then shake the moss in the tank and remove take your mesh out and wait for 3 days roughly, then another 3-4 days for the fry to become free-swimming, thats the time to atart feeding.
the food has to be small at first if you can get infusoria great if not use liquafry egglayers for roughly 4-5 days then you can feed the bbs, from then on it's plain sailing.
hope this helps.
mick
oh one other thing i forgot to say was, once the pair are in the spawning tank the night before you want to spawn them give them a cold water change as a stimulus.

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## nkthen

I have a divider that will separate the fishes from the fries.

However, when I feed them with live food, the food will sink to the bottom and will that cause any problems to the tank and the fries?

Few more questions, please bear with me:
At the side of the breeding tank is the filter, will the fries/eggs get sucked into the filter?

And, the LFS told me that the fishes have to be old enough to spawn. I have choosen on male X-Ray that looks like the biggest among all others and one female X-Ray that's looks like the fattest among all. I don't know if they are 'old' enough. So, does age matters?

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## mickthefish

hi nkthen
i'm afraid your filter will suck up any fry near enough, it's better if you use a small sponge filter.
as to a divider if it's the same as we have over here it's perforated with little holes, fry a day or two old will be able to swim through them.
feeding the parents if you can get daphnia live that is and just seed the tank with the parents in that will be fine, if using bw just put a few in at a time.
as to what the trader told you i have to disagree with him, we always use young adults as breeders as they are more fertile than the old big fish,
it's like teenagers over here all thats in their brain is sex, well it's the same as fish, haha.
mick

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## nkthen

> hi nkthen
> it's like teenagers over here all thats in their brain is sex, well it's the same as fish, haha.


You make me laugh too.  :Laughing:  I have placed an bigger male (should be older) and a smaller female in the breeding tank and let see if it works.  :Cool:  

I have also made a slight mistake: I put a little too much bloodworm and now there are a couple of leftover bloodworms at the bottom of the breeding tank where I cannot reach. 

Will that be a problem?

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## mickthefish

naw thats no problem, as long as you don't get to much on the base.
the best of luck in your attempt, keep us up to date on your progress.
mick

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## nkthen

I don't know if I'm seeing things but it seems like my female X-Ray has layed eggs. I don't know if I'm right because I see bubbles that SINK to the bottom of the tank.

The fishes are now in my External Cycle Breeder Box, something like this picture:
http://www.aquazoonews.com/zoo_fishp...27_fish_O2.jpg

I didn't put the seperator because I want the fishes to clear the food that sinks to the bottom.

I have some moss plants in this tank but they are floating to the top.

What should I do now?

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## Happy Camper

Breeding Tetras is fairly easy, I can offer a few tips:

Separate the breeding pairs for one week before hand. By that i mean the sexes should be separate. Feed them well on live foods especially, brine shrimp are good and easy for this purpose but blood worm will also do ok. 

Make sure the breeding tank has exceptional water quality and also about 2 degrees cooler than the transfer tanks. This simulates cool rain and will help trigger the fish. After 1 week of having been fed well (or until the females are bulging) you can put them together just before lights out (evening time). Put the females into the breeding tank first and then the males.

The breeding tank should have a nice ball of Coconut fibre for them to spawn on. They will spawn throughout the night and the parents should be removed in the morning, do not keep adults and fry in the same tank. Do not feed the adults in this tank either, the water must stay exceptional. The fry will hatch in about 2 - 3 days and should be fed with infusoria or liqui fry. Baby artemia will be the next food to feed them.

If you keep the parents in the tank they will eat the eggs, or, if some fry do make it the bad water quality will kill them due to uneaten food etc. Keep them separate and you'll have higher numbers of fry.

Good luck, I wish you all the best.

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## nkthen

> Make sure the breeding tank has exceptional water quality and also about 2 degrees cooler than the transfer tanks. This simulates cool rain and will help trigger the fish. After 1 week of having been fed well (or until the females are bulging) you can put them together just before lights out (evening time). Put the females into the breeding tank first and then the males.


Sorry, what do you mean by exceptional water quality? 6.5pH and cool water?

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## Happy Camper

Not only that but the water must not be fouled in any way, or at least fouled as little as possible. So putting the breeding [pairs in only for the night is recommended as if they stay any longer their feces will start to foul the water, also if you keep the parents in the tank you have to feed them there aswell, this will also foul the water. The water must be as free of contaminants such as Nitrate or nitrite, this will give the fry the best chance of survival and will almost guarantee you as the breeder of good success.

Good water quality is key to breeding Tetras.

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## nkthen

OK, that means I need to get a mini-carbon filter for the tank.

And, for some reasons, my female tetra has been swimming face down. Is that 'laying' eggs? Or she's dying?  :Shocked:

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## mickthefish

HC, ive got to pull you up there mate, characins except for a few do not spawn in the night, most will spawn at first light or throughout the day, the only fish that i know to spawn at night is thayeria boehikei and possibly oblqua.
ive bred a hell of a lot of characins from both continents in my time.
mick

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## nkthen

Just an update, I've tried for 2 weeks but no results so I put them back into the main tank. Today I saw a small fry in my tank! I don't even know what it is.

Tomorrow I intend to put back 2 X-Rays into the breeding tank again. My female fishes are REALLY FAT.

I also intent to put some Azoo gravel, the one that maintains water at 6.8. It's called Active Grower Bed.

Is that advisable?

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## Happy Camper

I say go fo it...

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## adeyriggers

hi guys i was wondering if you could help me 2 because i have a small breeding box with 2 xray tetras for 2 days
and i have a setup 25 litre tank should i put them in or what

adeyriggers

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