cardinals

[gerrard]

hi all
i just aquired 12 cardinals....there in a 20gal (UK) tank
on their own. the tank is heavly planted. I was just wondering
if there was any chance of these breeding?
thanks for any info.

[Dinky]

"gerrard" > wrote in message
...
| hi all
| i just aquired 12 cardinals....there in a 20gal (UK) tank
| on their own. the tank is heavly planted. I was just wondering
| if there was any chance of these breeding?
| thanks for any info.

Yes! Making baby fish is rewarding as hell, IMO.
http://tropical-fish.net/tetras/breeding_tetras.htm


good luck, and keep us up to date if you make a serious crack at
this!

billy

[NetMax]

"gerrard" > wrote in message
...
> hi all
> i just aquired 12 cardinals....there in a 20gal (UK) tank
> on their own. the tank is heavly planted. I was just wondering
> if there was any chance of these breeding?
> thanks for any info.

I hope so, or they would have gone extinct by now ;~)

Axelrod wrote a piece on spawning them. He suggested keeping them in
soft (2dgH) clear, well-aged acidic water (5-6.8pH) with 2 teaspoons of
salt per gallon to discourage bacterial growth. Condition the parents
with your usual variety (tubifex, brine shrimp etc). Parents may be
difficult to sex. female is typically larger (full of eggs), and male
might be a bit shorter, flat chest line and typical characin hooks on the
anal fins. Place a pair into your breeding tank in the evening (same
water, maybe softer 1dgH) with peat covering the bottom and only 4 to 5
inches of water at 74F. The next day, keep them in soft lights (maybe a
little music, jazz perhaps ;~). Scattered eggs (300 to 500) are kept in
darkness and hatch in about 2 days. Free swimming by the 5th day
(increase your lighting gradually each day, maybe switch to baby music at
this point, rhymes, carols ;~). Fry are started on infusoria (they are
very small) and progress to baby brine shrimp after about a week. They
grow quickly but take 8-9 months to mature.

If you are not conditioning and using separate tanks, then your
probability hinges on the amount of ground litter you have (peat,
terbang, oak leaves, plants etc), the acidity of your water (and
softness) and the tank-mates. In a lightly-loaded species tank of
Cardinals with appropriate water and cover for the fry, you should not be
surprised to find the occasional pair of eyeballs with a tail emerge from
the undergrowth. hth
--
www.NetMax.tk

[nuchumYussel]

I'm not sure about specifically cardinals, but i do know that most
Tetras are not the easiest fish to breed. Anyone with more expireince
than me?

Evan Davis