Alex Bell delves into 5 groups of common freshwater species that, although are tempting, it may be best to avoid breeding at home.
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Fish not to breed at home
Let me just start by stating that this list is by no means exhaustive and I am sure every store, hobbyist or fish club will have their own pet peeve with a certain species being bred. These are just some of the ones that stick with me from my time in retail and discussions with friends that still spend their days advising customers about breeding fish.
There are some species of value that can be great breeding projects that potentially can generate you a little spending money for your hobby, the ones on this list are much more likely to create headaches than money though!
Do not breed these five fish:
1. Livebearers
As many fishkeepers will know all too well, livebearers, especially those from the Poeciliidae family, breed like, well livebearers! It can be one of the most exciting things to witness as a new hobbyist, checking on your tank and see a whole load of tiny eyes dotted across the surface of the water but there is an issue with breeding these fishes… how to rehome the babies!
First of all, if they are breeding for you, it is likely that plenty of other fish tanks also have large numbers of livebearer fry hidden within. So, you have a lot of competition, all trying to find homes for their fish (this means there is almost no money to be made here). Also, livebearers are often housed in mixed coloured ‘shoals’ and do not breed true. This means there is no control, or way of knowing, what colours these offspring will end up as adults (not to mention that some of the species will hybridise). If you really want to breed Poeciliidae pick only one colour morph (ideally an attractive and uncommon one) as you know what the fry will look like and fish stores will more likely accept them. Alternatively, there are plenty of other livebearing species that are more uncommon in the hobby and some that are even very endangered, perhaps give one of these fish a chance instead!
Guppies breed faster than rabbits, if you want to breed them make sure you stock all of one colour morph.
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Related article: Getting started in fish breeding.
2. Bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus spp.)
Like livebearers, bristlenoses breed fast and are regularly offered to shops in more numbers than they sell (and they can sell quite a lot as they are great fish for aquariums). This is because it usually only takes having a male, female and some sort of cave or shelter to have babies regularly emerging from the said cave.
Many of these babies will grow to adulthood without much intervention from us hobbyists, as feeding is very straightforward. However, all is not lost as there are many species (and colour morphs) available which are still sought after. I am very much only really talking about the common bristlenose as many of the species, like the starlight bristlenose, command higher prices and many shops and fishkeepers will be quickly asking for some of your offspring. So, speak with your local shop, or fish club, before buying a pair and choose one that is more likely to have demand in the local area should you wish to breed an Ancistrus species. You can always look for some different species you like the look of on sites like Planet Catfish.
Common bristlenose plecos breeding easily and shops often get offered surplus offspring.
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3. Low grade Neocaridina shrimp
These are similar to the livebearers in that there is a tendency to keep a ‘skittles’ mix of all the beautiful colour variants that are now available. Which of course, initially, creates a dynamic and bright display in your aquarium. But, over time these shrimps breed with each other creating offspring that, over time, revert back to their wild colouration of brown. If you wish to try and sell your shrimplets, these brown ones will not be overly popular and you will struggle to give them away. Instead, source high grade adults and keep the breeding groups separately so you can supply each individual lineage, there is of course nothing stopping you to continue to have a skittles themed tank, but just be warned that you will be breeding shrimp in this aquarium that have no demand.
'Skittles' shrimp will not breed true.
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4. Convict cichlids and associated hybrids
Another fish that just won’t stop breeding, they don’t even need two of the same species. Convicts will happily form pair bonds with other cichlids creating hybrid offspring and in mixed cichlid community aquariums it is sometimes difficult to know who both of the parents were. If this is the case, no one will know the true likely maximum size, adult temperament and or their water parameter requirements and therefore stores are unable to advise potential customers how to look after these fish.
Even if you are keeping just convict cichlids and you know the offspring are ‘true’ they still hold very little value for both the breeder or a store and as the demand is just not there for them. So, my advice is to steer clear of keeping a pair of this species as no one wants loads of fish with no homes for them all. There are so many amazing cichlids that people will want to take off your hands so perhaps, if breeding is even remotely part of the reason you want to keep convicts, it may be best to look elsewhere.
Convict cichlids breed regularly even hybridising with other species creating offspring people don't want.
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5. Fish with specialist requirements
Ok, so while this is not just one fish, or even a genus, it is something that needed to be included as a general statement rather than choosing just one fish to highlight. Some fish shops, aquarists or even whole counties in the UK will just not have a tank or system with specific water chemistry required to keep specialist fish. Fish like wild bettas, wild discus and some of the more unusual dwarf cichlids all require very soft water with negligible hardness. While places like the South West of England (luckily for me) have the perfect water for these fish coming right out the tap not everyone will be suited to housing these fish. For example, London has rock hard, alkaline water flowing through the homes, perfect for rift lake cichlids and many livebearers but not good for the aforementioned acidophiles.
While you may be willing to mess around with RO water to remove water hardness, or indeed add specific salt mixes to increase it, many fishkeepers in your area may not be so keen. So, it is worth asking around your local stores to gauge demand for these sorts of fish before purchasing a breeding group or pair. Perhaps, it may be better for you to just enjoy keeping the species rather than maximising the yield of fry produced from each spawning event.
Betta albimarginata need specific water chemistry to breed which restricts potential rehoming opportunities.
Photo by Alex Bell
This piece was inspired by a feature in the December 2024 magazine by Tom Ackrill, check it out for a more thorough review of some of the things you need to consider before breeding species. Check our latest magazine subscription offers here.