A rarely bred egg scatterer. Put a well-conditioned pair in a small, dimly lit tank with a mesh base and clumps of plants, in very soft water below pH 6. The parents eat eggs, which the mesh protects.
Buy a group of 8-10 and let them pair up; condition for two weeks on live and frozen foods.
15-20 L bare tank with very soft, acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5), spawning mops or java moss, a sponge filter and low light.
Soft acidic water, a slightly cooler water change and dim light with gentle morning sun.
Usually 50-100 eggs, up to 300 over several days; they hatch in about 24 hours and fry swim freely 2-3 days later.
Feed infusoria or green water for days 1-3, then newly hatched brine shrimp and microworms. Keep light low early on; grow out in a larger tank.
One breeding tank for the ansorge's neolebias, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 24–28 °C · pH 5.5–6.5 · soft water · bare bottom
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 3.5 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A 120 cm rack for breeding the ansorge's neolebias in numbers.
In total: 7 tanks, about 205 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
Males are slightly smaller and much more colourful than females, with a bright red belly in breeding condition; females are plainer and rounder.
Typical for egg scatterers
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.