An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care that spawns often when well conditioned. Use a dim spawning tank with mesh, grass matting, marbles or fine-leaved plants, slightly acidic to neutral water, and a pair or one or two males with several females; remove the adults once eggs are seen.
Keep a group of 8-10 and move a well-conditioned trio or group to a spawning tank.
30-40 L tank with a spawning grid or dense java moss, soft to medium water (pH 6-7.5), a sponge filter and subdued light.
Heavy live-food conditioning, then a water change with slightly cooler water in the morning.
200-300 eggs per spawning in aquaria (about 200-330 in the wild); eggs hatch in 2-3 days.
Start with infusoria or powdered fry food, then newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size as they grow.
One breeding tank for the flame tetra, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 20–26 °C · pH 6–7.5 · soft water
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 2.6 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 flame tetra in numbers.
In total: 4 tanks, about 180 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.
Adult males are slimmer, slightly smaller and more intensely coloured than females. Males have tiny bony hooks on the anal and pelvic fins, and the anal fin edge is straighter in males and more sickle-shaped in 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.