water for breeding

[bettaboytroy]

I have a 10 gallon tank just for breeding purposes. My earlier attemps at breeding were somewhat a success though I lost lots of fry in the learning process. You can do a lot of research but when it comes down to it you just have to learn as you go.

I have gained confidence that I will have a higher survival rate with upcoming fry but here is the problem I'm having of late: I can get the fish to breed and lay eggs no problem but when egg laying is complete the male will eat all the eggs within 24 hours. Note this is not always the same male as it has happened with several of them and some have been good fathers in the past.

I'm wondering if it is a water issue? I had this idea of letting one of my males live in the breeding tank full of water with a filter running and when it was time to breed I would lower the water level, turn off the filter, start a sponge filter, increase temperature, introduce the female, etc. my thought process here was that the water would be cycled and safe for the eggs and fry and it would have allowed spacious living for one of the males while the fish were getting conditioned for spawning. Is this where I'm going wrong? Is it better to have 100% fresh water each time you start a new spawn? I thought this could be problematic as I worry the water would cycle at just the wrong time and kill the fry. I think the last time (successful) I set the tank up new and used about a gallon of water from my sorority tank to jump start the new water.

I would love to have this breeding tank up and running all the time because: it could provide a home for one of my males between spawns, the water would be cycled, less set up time when I introduce the fish, and already have microrganisms already established for the fry to eat (I can see tiny little critters in the water). Is this something that just cannot work and I need to have the water pristine at the onset of breeding? Are my "little critters" in the tank making the eggs infertile and causing the male to eat them? If i notice the male eating eggs should I just remove him, drop the water level to about 2-3 inches and try to hatch without daddy?

Love to here from experts here as to what's going on. Thanks in advance.

[MrVampire181]

I fill my tanks with new tap water, add my conditioner, tear up an almond leaf and throw it in there, add live plants, sometimes (in my 10 gallons) a small corner filter barely bubbling. I leave it up for about a week to grow infusorians.

You might be having an issue with your water. I know one breeder who had similar problems. She ended up switching to R/O water and had tremendous success.

[Oldfishlady]

I spawn using a natural method in 5 or 10 gallon soil based, heavy planted and full to the top with water, no filter used-the plants are the filter......

Water level is more for the male-especially if they are not well conditioned-the water level has nothing to do with egg/fry development.....

If the males are eating the eggs within 24h-I would remove the male and artificial hatch the eggs-this will at least rule out fertility issues.

I artificial hatch using 2 different methods successfully....

I either remove the eggs/nest and place in a small container that I can float in a heated tank or I remove the male and allow them to hatch in the spawning tank-all depends if/when I need the spawning tank.

My males generally will make their nest under water lettuce and this makes collecting the nest/eggs for artificial hatch easier-plus the water lettuce helps with water quality in the small container-even though the fry are not in the small container for long-but they like to use the hanging roots to rest on as well as feed/graze in since live plant roots harbor lots of microorganisms.