Breeding the coral red pencilfish
Egg scatterer among fine-leaved plants or wool mops, rarely bred in aquaria; give each pair its own patch of spawning medium and remove adults after 2-3 days.
Step by step
Keep a group with several females and condition on live foods; pairs form on their own.
20-30 L tank with soft acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5), dense fine-leaved plants or java moss, dim light and a gentle sponge filter.
Soft acidic water, dim light and daily live baby brine shrimp; spawning is usually in the morning.
Adults are removed after 2-3 days and the first fry appear a day or two later; adult patterning develops after about 8 weeks. No egg count found in the sources checked.
Feed infusoria, then fine fry food and newly hatched brine shrimp; fry are tiny and need very small food.
- Hard alkaline water
- Strong flow
- Leaving adults with the eggs
Male or female
Adult males are slimmer and far more colourful than females, with bright red between the upper two dark stripes, and show a white mark at the front of the dorsal fin from a young age.
Can I breed it in my tank?
- Use a separate small tank with a sponge filter and spawning mops, so the eggs aren't eaten.
- Takes some experience.
Day-by-day plan
Typical for egg scatterers
- 14 days beforeCondition the parents
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
- Day 0Spawning
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
- Day 1Eggs hatch
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
- Day 4Free swimming, first food
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
- Day 8Baby brine shrimp
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
- Day 21Crushed flake
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
- Day 60Ready to move
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.
Simulator: guided
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Simulator: try it yourself
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
- Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.