How to Breed Siamese Fish

Let the fish settle in the tank. It is best to let the Siamese fish live in the tank for a few months before starting breeding so that they can acclimate to the water environment. Remember, males are most fertile when their age is no more than 14 months. Plan to breed them when you have a long and uninterrupted period of free time.

• Once you’ve introduced the male and female to each other, you’ll need to spend at least a few hours a day for two months or more caring for the pair and their young. Make sure you don’t have any holidays, business, or important events ahead of you.

Set up a breeding tank. Breeding tanks should have a capacity of about 19-38 L and be equipped with removable dividers, several places to hide, an adjustable filter (e.g. sponge filter with adjustable screw valve), and a heater set at 27 °C. Do not place gravel or other substrate in the breeding tank as the eggs will be lost if dropped to the bottom of the tank. Fill only with water about 13-15 cm high, and place the tank where there are few distractions, such as where there are other fish, vibrant environmental colors, and human activity.

Start feeding live food when you are ready to spawn. Shrimp or worm larvae are just fine, but worms, crickets, cockroaches, and other bugs (cut out) are also edible. It is a good idea to grow these foods yourself or buy them from a fish store or breeder to avoid contamination, soil, and chemicals that wild insects can carry. If you don’t have raw food, you can also try buying frozen live foods.

Start feeding the fry. Young Siamese are very small, and only eat live food, so you will need a very small supply of live food for them to eat when they hatch. Start now to make sure you have a steady supply for several weeks when you need it. Worms are probably the best food, but some fish breeders prefer grassworms or vinegarworms. Marine shrimp larvae are also edible, but only in small amounts along with other food sources, as overeating can cause swim bladder disorder.

Let the pair of fish get acquainted. Once the live food feeding is stable and the fingerlings have been eaten for a week or two, you are ready to introduce the Siamese pair to each other. Move the male and female tanks close so they can clearly see each other, but separate. You can place the tanks of the two fish side by side, or place them on either side of a separate breeding tank. It is essential for a pair of fish to recognize each other before releasing them into the same aquarium to minimize the risk of dangerous injury to each other.

• Some breeders release the males into the undivided breeding tank and use a clear plastic cup or oil lamp cover to prevent the male from attacking the female. When using this method, the female should only be acquainted for a few hours a day, as she is kept in too small of a space. Let them look at each other for a few days to get to know each other.
• Some breeders continue to keep the pairs separate for a few days before letting them get to know each other for a few more days, then move on to the next step.

Observe the behavior of the fish. Observe a pair of Siamese fish to see if they seem to like each other. The male will swim around, showing his fins, puffing his gills, and often expressing himself. Females will appear straight lines on their bodies and will bow their heads submissively. Showing a little aggression is normal, but if they swell and attack each other despite the bulkhead, don’t put them in the same tank. Instead, it is best to separate the two fish and try again later, or try another pair of Siamese. Occasionally the Siamese will fight so it’s better to take some time to watch and wait for the right moment.

Remove the partition. When the male is ready to spawn, he will build a large bubble nest within 2-3 days. When this happens, turn off the water purifier and release the female into the tank, but keep an eye on the pair. The male will most likely bully the female, prying her fins and chasing the female around the tank. This is perfectly fine as long as they don’t put their lives in danger. This learning period will last several hours or days. Make sure the tank has plenty of hiding places for the female to escape bullying, and check the pair regularly to prevent serious injury.

Let things happen naturally. The male will eventually lure the female to swim under his bubble nest and they will cling to each other. It may take several times for the roe to appear. The female will then go ‘immobilized’ while the white eggs drop from her tiny white egg-laying organ. The male will swim down and pick up the eggs, placing them one by one in his nest. Some females will help as soon as they recover, but others will eat the eggs too, so watch carefully and separate the females if they eat the eggs. The two fish will probably rub each other several times, but gradually the female will stop laying eggs.

Separate the female Siamese fish. When the female stops laying eggs, the male will continue to bully the female, and the female will hide. Gently scoop out the female and release her into her own tank. Add Maroxy solution to the tank to help heal the fish’s fins. It is also a good idea to use Maroxy solution in the breeding tank, to prevent mold from spoiling the eggs.

Leave the male fish in the aquarium until the fry hatch and swim. It will take about three days after incubation. Some breeders will not feed the male fish during this time. The purpose of this is to reduce the risk of the male eating the eggs and fry. Some other breeders will feed the fish a small amount of food every two days. If you choose to feed the male, don’t panic if the fish won’t eat right away, just keep adding the food, and gently suck out the uneaten items with the dropper. Do not use a filter to prevent the flow of water from disturbing the fry, but remember to turn on the lights day and night.

Wait for the fry to hatch. As the fry hatch they will cling to the bubble nest, and the male will continuously replace the broken bubble. After a few days, the fry will be able to “free-swim,” they swim horizontally and venture out of the nest. Before leaving the nest, the fry will eat what is left of the egg yolk, and they are not yet able to eat it themselves.

Separate the male from the tank, being very careful not to pick up the wrong fry. Male fish can return to normal life and eating schedule. If the male looks ragged after courting, add some Maroxy solution to the tank to help heal the fins.

Feed the fish. As soon as you separate the males, feed the fry a small amount of live bran worms. Feed twice a day, and pay close attention to how much they eat. If the worms are still present when it is time for the next feeding, you can skip that meal because the fry still have food. If you see a lot of dead worms, then you are overfeeding, cut the portion according to the situation. The fry need to be fed live, extremely small food such as:

• Grassworm: Feed this in the first week of fry;
• Worms: You will need to buy a swarm of worms initially, then they will multiply on their own, you do not need to buy more. Good for fry from 3-40 days old;
• Marine shrimp larvae: This species is the easiest to hatch and the easiest to control the amount of feeding, but overfeeding will lead to fish bubble disorder;

Give the fry time to grow. Keep warm at 27 °C and cover the tank to prevent wind and evaporation. Continue to gradually increase the amount of food put into the tank. When the fry are larger than the capacity of the breeding tank, they will need to be moved to another larger tank. Not all fry will survive the first few weeks, but if you see a large number of fry dying, there is a problem. Check the temperature, the amount of chemicals in the water, and consider disinfecting the aquarium.

• When the fry are a week old, turn on the water purifier, but restrict the water flow with the regulator valve so as not to affect it.
• When the fry are two weeks old, start doing partial water changes (10%) every few days to keep the aquarium clean and free of food contamination, gently using a hose or dropper to avoid injury. for the fry, and add clean water slowly. You can start turning off the aquarium lights at night.
• Over the next few weeks, gradually increase the strength of the filter’s flow, watching the fry carefully and making sure they are strong enough to swim against the current.

Put the fry in a large tank. When the fry are two weeks old you should move them to a larger tank with a capacity of at least 75 L. Make sure the temperature and water in the new tank are the same as the old tank where the fry are used to. Juveniles are fragile — a single mistake can kill them. If you are using an aquarium that is only half filled, with a capacity of 19 or 38 L you can add more water and switch the tank when the fish are 4-5 weeks old.

Wean live food for fry. When the fry are about a month old you can gradually start transitioning to feeding them frozen foods and then dry foods and pellets. Make sure the food is crushed small enough for the tiny fish’s mouths to eat. Feed small amounts, and gradually wean off live food. Always remove leftovers from the aquarium.

Separate the males. Once the males start fighting (anytime between 5-8 weeks old), it’s time to separate them from the aquarium. Put them in separate aquariums next to each other, as they can get bored if suddenly isolated.

• Males that do not fight can stay with the females until they become aggressive.
• Some males will stop eating for the first day or two; Try feeding them live food to stimulate their appetite.
• Continue to separate all males and aggressive fish. Over the next few days and weeks you will want to start isolating the males with a translucent septum, as they will stress each other, inflate their gills and try to attack other males nearby.

Decide the future of the fry. If you want to sell your fry, you will need to contact potential buyers. Most juveniles will begin to show their mature traits at 10-11 weeks, and you can start selecting the best fish for future breeding or taking pictures to send to those interested. intend to buy. If you’re trying to create a genetic line, you’ll just want to pick the best fish out of each school to keep breeding, and sell or give away the rest, or you’ll end up inundated with fish. Siam that you cannot take care of.