Freshwater

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Part IV: Breeding and Other Fun Stuff
Conditioning the Love Birds
Many fish practically jump into the spawning tank from across the room in
order to breed. Others, however, have a hard time adjusting to their new
partners and your breeding goals. This section gives you some die-hard
methods that you can try to help condition (get your fish in the mood to
spawn) your aquatic lovebirds. (Don’t bother with Mozart and a little wine
in the water — we already tried that.) No lovemaking tricks are completely
foolproof, but several tried over the years have proven to be quite reliable
and accurate.
The way to the heart is through
the stomach routine
Everyone loves to eat, right? (In the case of some teenagers we could name,
some more than others.) Fish are no different. You probably already picked
up on that last time they jumped out of the water and into the open food can
in your hand. So, it is easy to turn the tables and take advantage of the fact
that your fish are real gluttons most of the time.
One change that commonly occurs during the breeding season in a fish’s
natural environment is the sudden appearance and overabundance of live
foods. When seasonal rainstorms sweep over ponds, lakes, and rivers, a large
supply of live insects and fresh food drops onto the water surface. Offer your
fish live foods such as brine shrimp and tubifex worms (okay, okay, so it’s a
bribe) to condition them for breeding purposes. Just remember to rinse all
live food before feeding.
Fruit flies (Drosophila), mysis shrimp, and small earthworms also make great
conditioning food.
The old fake rainstorm trick
Weekly water changes are very important to the health of your fish, and you
can use them to aid in the conditioning process as well. In the wild, seasonal
rains (you know, when you find your car has floated down the block) usually
signal the start of the breeding system. Now, we know that it’s not practical
to run outside with your fish tank in your hands every time it rains in your
neighborhood. The only other option is to create an artificial rainstorm.