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Hi,
I think my Albino Tiger barbs are in perfect breeding condition at the moment. They are in a community tank and I dont hope to see eggs/fry in there. I have a 20g spare tank and that can be used for breeding. Anybody having any experience with this? Any suggestions for setting up the breeding tank would be appreciated.
Thanks.

I would do a net 3cm from the bottom, so the eggs will fall there & they don't eat them. I would also seperate the males from the females for a few days before trying to breed them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Wow..now thats a great idea and I think its much more practical than covering the whole bottom with marbles which would be a lot of mess to deal with after the eggs get trapped among them. Another question, do i need any plants in the breeding tank? If yes, would artificial plants do? Thanks a bunch.

Yes the net is better than the marbles.

You can add some artificial plants if you want, but i don't think it's a must.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I asked about the plants coz I read somewhere that the male presses the female against the plants to make her release the eggs and that article said that plants are a must. Anyway, it would be much easier to go without plants. Two more questions have popped into my mind. I hope you wont mind answering them too.
1. Wont the eggs stick to the net instead of falling through it? Would a common nylon net do?
2. What sort of filter should I have in the breeding tank. I have planned for an air driven corner filter. Would that be ok?

Thanks again.

You really should have a sponge filter, an air driven one. This will ensure that the fry dont get sucked up. Also, condition the pair seperately and for 2 weeks.

Tiger Barbs are egg scatterers and will lay the eggs in the best of places. That is why plants are appreciated. Java moss will do the best though! You could also add spawning mops for a place of protection and a prime egglayer spot. Nylon net would do, but be sure that it has a hole of 1 square cm. Tht will prevent the eggs from sticking.

This is a great idea, and you should be really happy if all goes right!

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Hi GobyFan,
I've read a decent amount of material available on the internet and have concluded that breeding TBs is not going to be as simple as breeding gouramis or convicts Anyway, im gonna give it a try. I fist have to devise a way to hold the net at 3cm from the bottom without leaving any space for the parents to have a snack on the eggs. As far as conditioning the parents is concerned, the colors on the males and the U shaped tummies of females show I'll not have to invest a lot of effort. They are getting good varied diet already.
I'll definitely post an update if there is any success.

-Mughal

You can keep the net 3cm from the bottom, by 4 pieces of plastic sticks, one in each corner. That way the plastic net will be tight all around & the fish don't pass under it.

I always use a sponge filter when breeding fish. In that way, the eggs/fry aren't sucked up.

It's not an easy task, but just give it a try & practice makes perfection.

Goodluck & hope you'll have lots of Tiger Barb fry.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Well, here is an update: I have eggs
It kinda happened unintentionally. I had separated the female in the breeding tank. No net had been set yet. My father, who's more concerned about the overall well being of the pet than the "crazy experiments" i try, asked me either to put her back to the main tank or put some company in for her. He thought she was acting crazy all alone in the tank So I put a male in.
After an hour of frantic chasing by the male, I could see some eggs on the bottom. Most of them got eaten as expected but around 20 are still visible. I told you they were already in breeding condition...
I dont expect to see fry but at least Im confident now that it can be done. I'm gonna try the same with the second pair but i'll make sure i have the net in place before doing that.
Thank everyone, especially jasonpisani, for the wonderful piece of advice

Try to save & hatch some of the 20 eggs that are left. If you seperate the males from the females for a week, before trying to breed them, it's better. Also make sure that you feed them high protein foods or Live food.

Good Luck & keep us updated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Those eggs are there in the breeding tank and the parents have been removed. I've got a piece of nylon netting and will fix it tonight. Most probably, I'll separate the second female tonight as well. Lets see if the eggs do hatch..
And a quick question..Should I use methylene blue to keep fungus back?

Ive never heard of Methylene blue as a fungucide........Must be neat! I would ask though, maybe if you got a reply of a true fungucide as a majority answer, you should try it. I dont want to sound like animal cruelty, but you should test it all out. I find that way the best, as i think experience is the best lesson. Lets see what others think.

BTW- Congrats on the eggs! My female is looking breedable, but i just want nature to go on.....Meaning that i dont have the investment/time/tank to take successful care of the fry. A good meal for them. Maybe all of your TB's will start to breed! Be a good parent!

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Methylene blue is quite a regularly used mild disinfectant and fungicide.

Maybe all of your TB's will start to breed! Be a good parent!

Naaaaa...its just an experiment and if I do succeed, I wont be trying it again.

Instead of Methylene blue, you can also add Acriflavine. This is what i use for the Corydoras eggs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I had added some methylene blue before I could read your post Jason. I wanted to add some antifungal agent so urgently because I could already see some fungus growing on some pieces of uneaten food that I put in during the spawning. It was a tip given on a web site to distract the parents so that they might leave the eggs alone. But I think they find the eggs much more tasty
Anyway, the eggs are supposed to hatch by tomorrow morning. Will update...

-Mughal

Best netting for this purpose is what we here in the UK call 'onion netting', partly because it's used for bagging onions for shipment to greengrocers and supermarkets.

This net has a mesh size of approximately 1 cm. Its other big advantage from the aquarist's standpoint is that, here in the UK at least, it's green in colour. It's also entirely synthetic (I think it's nylon) and won't rot. If you can find the same netting where you live, problem solved - usually because it comes in such big pieces that lining the aquarium in a manner preventing the adults getting through isn't a problem - with a net bag used to transport 56 lbs of onions, you'll have a LOT of surplus netting for use in other tanks!

Somewhere I think I still have some of this stuff lurking around. I'll try and take a photo if it's still in my odds and ends collection.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Double post.

Onion netting - pic 1:

Attached Image:


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Triple post:

Onion netting - pic 2:

Attached Image:


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Calilasseia, I've used the same thing. The only difference being it did not contain onions but some toys. In fact, I had to buy a bag full of plastic building blocks for kids to get this netting

An update: The eggs did not hatch.I think that methylene blue destroyed them I've cleared the bottom, changed water, deployed the net and introduced the second female. Lets see what happens in a couple of days.

Goodluck for your next attempt & make sure that the TB wouldn't pass through the holes. Also use a half dosage written on the Methylene bottle & see what happens. I would also suggest not to feed the TB in the breeding tank, so not to pollute the water.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com