Continuous spawner: a pair lays batches of sticky eggs each day for several weeks among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. Easy to spawn, but the tiny fry can be hard to raise.
Buy 6+ young fish and let them mature; males show strong colors.
A 60-100 L tank with spawning mops and plants.
Frequent feeding with live food and fresh water changes.
Batches of eggs laid daily over several weeks; eggs hatch in 7-12 days depending on temperature. Fry first need infusoria-type food. No egg count found.
Infusoria, then baby brine shrimp. Raise colour with good food.
One breeding tank for the boeseman's rainbowfish, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 27–30 °C · pH 7–8
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 10 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 boeseman's rainbowfish in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 300 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.
Mature males are larger, brighter and much deeper-bodied than females.
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.