I need inoformation on breeding skirt tetra and long fin red minor tetra

I Love Tetras And Oscar

(Skirt tetra) So i have 10 skrit, I separate 2 skirt tetra into a 10 gallon where they are going to breed because the others seems too young so i took out 2 and i do have plants but i use these plants plant.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket but i use the smaller ones because it has more leaves, and i want to know that how long will they mate and how long will they lay eggs?

(Red Minor) I have 8 of the red minor and i didnt separate none because i was thinking of trying the skirt 1st, (ignore that) now i am very confuse because this one Picture048.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket (lets call this one tetra a) the anal fin and the tail is a bit longer as you look closely you will see and this one Picture048.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket (sorry for the picture dont know why its like this but you can still tell and lets call it tetra b) you can see the difference from this one to tetra a this one the anal fin and tail is a bit shorter and is it tetra b is still young? or its the gender? please help!?

Byron

The so-called Red Minor tetra is most likely the Serpae Tetra in our profiles; common names can be confusing, the scientific is Hyphessobrycon eques. The dorsal fin of the male is almost a solid black, whereas this fin on the female lacks the black in the lower part; as with most tetra, the female is rounder (thicker in body) than the male.

For spawning, here is some info from Matt Ford, a biologist, taken from his site Seriously Fish:

You'll need to set up a separate tank if you want to raise decent numbers of fry. Something around 18" x 10" x 10" in size is fine. This should be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine-leaved plants such as Java Moss or spawning mops, to give the fish somewhere to deposit their eggs. Alternatively, you could cover the base of the tank with some kind of mesh. This should be of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through it, but small enough so that the adults cannot reach them. The water should be soft and acidic in the range pH 5.5-6.5, gH 1-5, with a temperature of around 80-84°F. Filtering the water through peat is useful, as is the use of RO water. A small air-powered sponge filter bubbling away very gently is all that is needed in terms of filtration.

It can be spawned in a group, with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number. Condition these with plenty of small live foods and spawning should not present too many problems.

Alternatively, it can be spawned in pairs. Under this technique, the fish are conditioned in male and female groups in separate tanks. When the females are noticeably full of eggs and the males are displaying their best colours, select the fattest female and best-coloured male and transfer them to the spawning tank in the evening. They should spawn the following morning.

In either situation, the adults will eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. These will hatch in 24-36 hours, with the fry becoming free swimming a 3-4 days later. They should be fed on an infusoria-type food for the first few days, until they are large enough to accept microworm or brine shrimp nauplii. The eggs and fry are light sensitive in the early stages of life and the tank should be kept in darkness if possible.

I Love Tetras And Oscar

So the anal fin doesnt matters? because one of them is longer and the other one is shorter same with the tail to both of them. So you mean like this one is a male? http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&b...1t:429,r:1,s:0 because i bearly look at mine and i saw a difference, one of them the dorsal fin is dark black like that one on the link and the other one the dorsal fin is light black not dark so does that means its a male and female?

Byron

Possibly. The one linked here is in my view a male. The plumpness of the females is usually apparent when viewed from above (overhead). I'm not aware of any variation in the anal fin in this species.

I Love Tetras And Oscar

Oh thanks but how about mine? i know now that one of mine is a male because the dorsal fin is just like that one on the link but my other one the dorsal fin is light black, is it its still young? or its a female?

Byron

I can't say for certain. The two photos in your first post appear to both be males, but the second photo is not that clear, so... . As for black, many things can affect a fish's colouration. They pale under stress, too bright light, inappropriate water conditions, some types of food, age... . All else being equal, the male dorsal will be solid black and the females will have no black pigment near the base. That's the best i can say. B.

I Love Tetras And Oscar

So you mean that the female dorsal fin will not be solid black?

Byron

That is my understanding; the black pigment fades out over the lower portion which is clear of pigment, whereas in the male it is solid black throughout.

I Love Tetras And Oscar

Can you show me a picture for an example?

Byron

This might be a female; the roundness of the fish is a better guide, and this one looks fuller than a male normally would.

Attached Images

Hyphessobrycon eques female.jpg (64.4 KB, 11 views)