What is the Easiest Freshwater Fish to Breed?

Owning a fish and taking care of it is a lot of fun and proves to be worth it. Watching the fishes swim in your aquarium in peace has a different type of fun in it.

But maintaining and taking care of the fish is not the only fun. Breeding fish is as equally exciting as taking care of one. 

You might get startled by the idea of breeding at first, but it’s not complicated.

The difficulty of breeding always differs with the species of fish. If you are a novice in breeding fish then don’t worry some fishes are easy to breed.

You can opt for freshwater fishes if you want to breed fishes. In this article, we will see the easiest freshwater fish to breed and go around how to breed them. 

What is the easiest freshwater fish to breed? 

There exists a multitude of freshwater fish species that are easy to breed. Breeding them is a piece of cake. Fish species such as Guppies, Platies, Killifish, Endler’s, and many more are among the easiest fish species to breed. 

The easiest among them is Guppies. It is child’s play to breed Guppies and they are livebearers.

You have to provide them with the correct parameters and a breeding tank, and they will mate without your intervention.

They breed so easily that you might have to step in to control them from reproducing too much. Well, let’s move on to how to breed Guppies. 

If it’s your first time breeding fish, consider the following species which are known to be some of the easiest freshwater fish to raise:

1. Platies: Platies are livebearing fish, as similar in care to guppies. They offer an array of hues and designs, making them aesthetically pleasing while remaining simple to maintain.
2. Swordtails: Breeding Swordtails is not as difficult as one might think. All they need is a tank just slightly bigger than the ones used to house Guppies and Platies, while also needing an aquarium filled with lots of plants.
3. Betta Fish: Known as Siamese fighting fish, breeding Betta offers relative ease. When preparing a special tank for these tiny warriors, make sure the water level is shallow and there are ample amounts of floating vegetation to compliment it. As an additional plus: Bettas build bubble nests!
4. Cherry Shrimp: Cherry shrimp are a highly sought-after species of freshwater crustacean that babies can easily propagate. To accommodate their needs, they will require an aquarium with plentiful seclusion spots and excellent filtration systems.

It’s essential to recognize that breeding fish necessitates a great deal of expertise and commitment; thus, beginners should not try it until they have done thorough research on the right care and requirements for their chosen species.

How to breed Guppies? 

The process and difficulty of breeding vary with the species of fish. Guppies come along with their procedure of breeding, and thankfully it is easy to breed them.

So if you are a beginner and new to breeding then Guppies are the one for you. Breeding them is so easy that you have to control it. 

To breed Guppies, you will need a breeding tank and add some plants and decors. You will have to choose the proper group of fishes without any deformities. The water parameters need to be right, for the water parameters are the main factor for the breeding process.

Setting up the breeding tank 

A breeding tank needs to be set up for breeding Guppies. A breeding tank assures that the breeding goes along without any hassle.

You will need a tank of about 20 gallons, if you want to go for a smaller tank then 10 gallons is the minimum size you should go for. Also, add a filter. A sponge filter will be the ideal choice. 

Next comes the substrate. The substrate is not compulsory. You can either have no substrate but if you want to raise the fry in the tank then you will need substrate for plants.

You can go for sand or gravel. But don’t go for fine gravel and a rocky one, as Guppies search for food in the bottom of the tank. 

Make sure to add dense plants to your tank. If you wish to raise the fry then a dense plantation is needed. You can get plants such as Java Moss, Guppy Grass, etc. The fry needs protection from the parents as they are known to eat their babies. 

Water Parameters 

Water Parameters are important in keeping Guppies and breeding them. If the water parameters are not right then both the parents and the fry won’t become healthy.

The ideal temperature is 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. pH values must range from 7 to 8. Guppies like water with a gH of 15 to 30 and a kH of 8 or higher. 

Breeding Guppies 

How many Guppies to add? 

After all, the setting up of the tank is done it is time to get your breeders. When choosing Guppies for breeding, you must not get one male and one female. You must always add one male and three females to the breeding tank. If you add one male and one female, the male will harass the female too much. 

If you have a ten-gallon tank then one male and three females. 

Sexing Guppies

It is easy to tell apart between a male and female Guppy. There is no need to be confused or stuck on that. Males have more vibrant and bright colors than females.

The males also have a gonopodium, a small protrusion where there is the anal fin. Females have an anal fin with a triangular form, are usually completely colorless, and have fins with paler coloring. 

Breeding Guppies 

After you have selected the proper Guppies, the water parameters are correct and the numbers are correct, almost all the work is done.

You will just need to add the Guppies to the breeding tank. If you do all the mentioned things right, you only have to add the Guppies and wait. 

Breeding them is extremely easy and keeping the male and the females together is enough. The female will give birth frequently. 

Taking care of the fry 

Guppies might be easy to breed but they are not the best parents. They will begin eating their babies once they are born. You will have to add a lot of dense plants to your tank to create a safe place for the fry. The Guppy fry will also move towards safety on its own. So add plants such as Java Moss, Guppy Grass, and all. 

It is also better to remove the parents once the fry are born. This is also way to ensure the survival of all the fish fry. 

Aside from this, taking care of the fry is easy as breeding Guppies. Feeding them is no trouble as you can feed them crushed flakes and pellets. Fry foods are also accepted, such as powdered fry food. 

If you sense some kind of disease, you can use antibiotics, antiparasitic, and others. But make sure to check whether they are safe for fish fry or not.

Conclusion

Most freshwater fishes are easy to breed. Out of them, Guppies are the easiest. Try it once you’ll be surprised by how easy it is. They are livebearers. You only need to set up a breeding tank. The parameters need to be right, and the number of males has to be less than the number of females. If you add one male and one female, the male will harass the female. Do all these things right, and it is enough for Guppies to breed.