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Breeding / Open substrate spawners
Open substrate spawners · Easy

Breeding the red terror

Substrate spawner that lays on vertical slate, flat wood or in rocky caves; parents move the wrigglers to pre-dug pits and guard the fry for about 6 weeks. Pairing is risky: grow up about six juveniles and let a pair form, and keep a divider ready.

Full species page

Step by step

Pairing

Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.

Breeding tank

A 500 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, flat slate or rocks as spawning surfaces and a tight lid.

What starts it

Warm, clean water, frequent water changes and protein-rich food.

Eggs and young

Up to about 3000 large eggs; they hatch in about 3-4 days and the fry swim freely 5-6 days later.

Raising the fry

Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.

Common mistakes
  • Tank too small for a pair
  • Dirty water
  • Not removing the weaker partner when a pair fights
Setup blueprint

Home setup

One breeding tank for the red terror, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.

300 cm long · 35 cm deep45 cm12345
  1. 1
    Breeding tank: 500 L · about 300 × 35 × 45 cm, 500 L from the breeding guide
  2. 2
    Sponge filter and air pump · named in the guide
  3. 3
    Heater, 25–29 °C · this species' normal range
  4. 4
    Slate or flat stone · named in the guide
  5. 5
    Lid · from the guide

Water: 25–29 °C · pH 6.5–8

A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 50 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.

Setup blueprint

Business setup

A row of tanks on their own stands for breeding the red terror in numbers.

1223
  1. 1
    1 breeding tank, 500 L · about 300 × 35 × 45 cm, set up like the home tank
  2. 2
    2 grow-out tanks, 1,000 L each · about 300 × 55 × 65 cm; twice the breeding tank, never smaller than this species' smallest tank
  3. 3
    Shared air pump and air line · one line along each shelf feeds a sponge filter in every tank
  4. 4
    Heat the room or each tank · 25–29 °C

In total: 3 tanks, about 2,500 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.

Male or female

Males grow much larger; females keep the bright red colour with black bands into adulthood. The colour difference shows from about 10-12.5 cm.

Can I breed it in my tank?

  • Good for a first breeding project.

Day-by-day plan

Typical for open substrate spawners

  1. 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.

  2. Day 0Spawning

    The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.

  3. Day 3Eggs hatch

    Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.

  4. Day 7Free swimming

    Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.

  5. 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

Stage 1 of 5Let a pair form

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.

No spawning
  • Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.

An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.