Expert: Darryl Miller - 4/18/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi I love fish and I want to sart breeding!
Which freshwater fish is best and easiest to breed but not 24/7
ANSWER: Hey Drew,

Guppies. There is no doubt about it, guppies are the easiest to breed. They mate constantly with little to no effort. Basic tank care will be all you need for a healthy flow of live-born fry!

Live bearers in general (guppies, swordtails, mollies, and platies) are amazingly easy to care for, and easy to breed. A simple ten gallon will house 6-8 guppies. If you intend to breed, I'd start with 2 males and 4 or 5 females, and Lots and Lots of plants. The more hiding places for fry to escape canibalistic parents, the more likely they are to survive.

If guppies are not up your alley, betta are an effective breeder as well. Tetra and danios in larger schools are likely to breed, but sexing them is near impossible, so there is never a promise of a mating pair. Barbs are next in line, and while easier to sex, are harder to provoke a breeder. Cichlids are high care, but easy to pair and breed. The care factor alone can be a bit overwhelming though.

Hope these ideas help out! as a food note, i breed live bearers and loaches so if you need, i can throw some info your way!

Best wishes.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My Friend had a male beta
Do you think if i get a female they will mate??

Answer
Hey again,

Betta in general are testy when breeding. The whole matter has caused controversy across this site recently!

In my personal experiance, males will eat eggs and fry after a day or two of them being laid. Females will hours after being laid, if the male does not kill her off.

However, after careful care and study of your betta, yes, you can have them breed. Just keep in mind it's illegal to sell fry online, at sites like eBay. Although it's commonly done, and miserably expensive at times; it's unethical and inhumane. You'll find with research at sites like www.bettatalk.com clues to know when your betta is ready to breed. However, the debate over exacts between myself and another experts will lead me to leave you to research it yourself. I know, that seems a bit disappointing, but because of recent events, I feel that's the best i can offer today.

In short, yes. You can breed your two betta, if you got a female. However, your friend would most likely have the eggs while they hatched, not you. The female has to be removed before the male. If you're looking to breed, perhaps mating with your friend is an option, but you might be better off with your own pair, that way you can pick the traits and exact qualities you want, as well as ensure proper care, health, and well being of the adults, as well as fry.

Best wishes, and good luck.