# mating?



## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

what does it look like for black shirt tetras? what happends


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

Quoted on from this site. Breeding Freshwater Fish

"Characins(Egglayers)

Characins, which includes Tetras, Silver Dollars, Hatchetfish, Headstanders, and Leporinus, are free spawning. This means they will discharge the eggs and sperm into the open water, though always around bushy planted areas.

Characins all breed the same, with just a few exceptions. It is best to spawn them by separating the males and females and then feeding them heavily on live foods until the females grow fat and the males become more colorful. Then introduce a female and a male into a specially prepared spawning tank.

The spawning tank can be a low aquarium (5 gallons to 20 gallons depending on the species) filled 3/4 full with clean, aged water and lined with a dense foliage about two inches thick. The Glowlight Tetra is an exception here, in that they don't like the vegetation dense. You do not need any sand on the bottom but you can add a few pieces of wood or twigs with free space underneath to give the fry a place to attach. For the Neon Tetras, it is recommended that everything you place in the aquarium be sterilized, as well as the top. Other characins do not seem to need quite as much care to spawn successfully.

Usually an increase in temperature to about 78° F (see individual species), feeding plenty of live foods, and covering the aquarium with a towel (to darken it and maintain temperature) will trigger spawning. Spawning usually takes place in 48 hours to a few days. The eggs of most characins are quite sticky and will then adhere to the foliage as they are dropped. Remove the parents as soon as they have completed spawning or the parents might eat the eggs.

The spawning aquarium temperature can then be increased to and maintained at about 80° F . The eggs hatch quickly, usually in about 36 hours. The fry need to be fed infusoria, especially rotifers, for 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the species. Then they can eat brine shrimp.

The Congo Tetra is another exception here in that they spawn in temperatures of 77° F , and their eggs take 6 days to hatch."

Unless you are purposefully breeding them I wouldn't worry to much about it.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

okay. but what does it look like?? like what do they do? bc I think mine are matting


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

I would suggest using google. It is a powerful search engine. I would imagine they "act" like most other fish when mating. No site I have come across has had a specific section that describe exactly how they act when breeding. Most just describe how to sex them (water parameters, egg layers, water temp, etc . . .) Also knowing what they are doing would help as well. As you could just be witnessing something like internal parasites.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

From what they're doing (picking on each other) might just be bullying or external parasites. Might want to do something about that.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

oh.… well I used google no sites found… well I guys ill let them be


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