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I want to start breeding fish. I have kept fish for about two years, but have never kept any pairs. I currently have three tanks(10,15,30) with a few neons,cories,clown loaches, and (fire barbs?)I have an open 30 gallon and 10 gallon tank and just want to know what to breed. I first thought I would breed convicts but now I don't know about them. I don't want to breed guppies or platys. I like swordtails, but I am open to any suggestions. I would like to know what the female to male ratio, any live plants, and how many times I should change the water. Also I would like to know what your LFS gives you for the extra fry. How much would they give for each fry. Any information would be great.
Thank You
Gerber

Welcome to FP!

If you want something easy to breed I would go with livebearers. Since you don't want to breed platies or guppies, but you do like swordtails, so why not go with them I would go 1 male to 2 females...

Plants I like to use are Java Moss and Anarcharis. They are my favorite, mainly because I can't kill them...I like to plant some of it thickly, and let a little of the anarcharis float freely.

I assume that swordtails will be a lot like platies and guppies so choose what you want wisely and let them go. One thing I know is that once a livebearers has mated with a male she will remain pregnant for 6-9 months having fry each month. There is a technical name for this, but I have yet to remember what it is:%)

To feed fry this is what I do: Take an empty ziplock bag and put some of the food you feed your other fish in it. [I tend to use TetraFlakes (yellow and brown can)just my choice, it's really up to you], and some dried blood worms, and whatever else I have on hand, it's up to you, sometimes it's just the flakes that they get. Anyways take a couple of tbs of flakes, and some of everything else, if you choose, put them in the ziplock, seal the ziplock without air....and grind it between your palms, fingers, hands, whatever floats your boat...it will become a fine powdery substance...then Viola you have fry food...I tend to feed everyone from this. You can keep it in a bag, or put it in an empty fish food container...a little bit will go a long ways, and it tends to float quite well...

OK, hope some of that helps, let us know how your breeding adventures go, Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Don't expect a high payout for the fry of convicts or swordtails, or any other really common fish for that matter. You have to remember that the stores are in it for a profit, and they can't gie all of their profit to you.

if you want to make a little extra cash you ought to look for some [link=Cryptoheros nanoluteus]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/nanoluteus.xml" style="COLOR: #FF8080[/link] or [link=Honduran Red Points]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/honduranredpoint.xml" style="COLOR: #FF8080[/link]. These will fetch a higher price than the much less colorful and more common convicts. Both of these species are smaller cousins to the convict and aren't quite as prolific as convicts.