Breeding the peacock eel
Not bred in home aquariums; in the wild it breeds in the wet season when nearby forests flood.
Step by step
Buy 4-6 young fish. Females are rounder and thicker; males are slimmer. Hormone-induced breeding is the common farm method.
A 200 L tank with fine sand, plants, caves and a tight lid. Soft, clean water.
Hobby spawns are rare. Farms use hormone injections; at home, try conditioning with live foods and big water changes.
Females scatter 100-300 sticky eggs on plants or roots. Hatch in about 2 days.
Fry take infusoria and newly hatched brine shrimp. Need very clean water and fine sand.
- Poor lids, since they escape
- Coarse gravel that harms them
- Feeding only dry food
Male or female
Hard to tell apart externally; mature females in breeding condition may look plumper.
Can I breed it in my tank?
- Takes some experience.
Day-by-day plan
Typical for open substrate spawners
- 21 days beforeLet a pair form
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
- Day 0Spawning
The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.
- Day 3Eggs hatch
Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.
- Day 7Free swimming
Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.
- Day 42Grow-out
Move fry to a grow-out tank before the parents spawn again.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Simulator: guided
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
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.