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Preparations First and foremost, the pair that is to be bred must be fully conditioned. Conditioning is a period whereby the fish are fed with very nutritious and high-protein foods many times a day to bring them into their prime condition. The conditioning period is especially important for the female as it serves to enable her to be filled up with eggs. I condition my breeders by feeding them at least 3 times a day on weekdays and about 7-8 times a day on weekends. You can feed less (I know of people who feed theirs only twice a day during the conditioning period), but more feeding = a shorter conditioning period. An intensive, high-protein conditioning routine can bring the breeders into condition in as short as one week. However, if the routine is less intensive, or if the fish had been newly acquired, then I would suggest that you condition them for at least 2-3 weeks. I condition my breeders only on live cured tubifex worms and frozen bloodworms, with occasional feedings of flake food. Other live food can be used, or frozen foods. Freeze-dried foods can also be used to good effect. By the end of the conditioning period the female should be really plump with eggs. You can tell as the belly stretches with the extra load, and hence it seems that her belly is a lighter shade of colour, sometimes with a yellowish tinge. During the conditioning period I let the breeders view each other several times a week. It may be a myth, but I think that this can help the female get into condition more quickly. Next, the breeding tank has to be set up. Many recommend 10 gallon tanks, but I have successfully spawned mine in smaller tanks than that. Do note that larger tanks may seem better (less water changes ! =), but keep in mind that the pair may not spawn as there's too much room for the female to run around. These are steps which I take to prepare the spawning tank:
The water should preferably by soft and slightly acidic (pH 6.5-7.0). Fill it up to 4-5 inches deep, so that when the fry hatch they will be able to get up to the surface with minimal help from their father.
This serves to act as shelter for the female, which will be chased around by the male. Plants also harbour a small amount of paramecium (microscopic organisms) that the fry can pick on.
Cut a Styrofoam cup in half from the top, so that the two halves are symmetrical. Attach the cup (with adhesive tape) to one of the walls of the tank, concave side down, so that it forms a sort of "cave" for the male to build his bubble nest. Very strangely, it seems that they prefer to build their nests in the cup!! I suspect it may have something to do with the stable conditions within the "cave".
Just to get rid of any residual chlorine and for the water conditions to stabilise.
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