Actually it depends on the type of fish.
Some fish are sexually dimorphic- where the male looks different than the female- size, dorsal fin, coloring etc- (like the Betta)
Some fish are not, and females and males look identical (like the Electric yellow cichlid or labidochromis)
Some fish are Sexually dichromatic, which means some fish can change genders from female to male to make up for loss of males (like the Anthias)
In any case, most fish in stores are juveniles and almost impossible to sex. Thus, if you wish to obtain a pair for breeding purposes and do not have access to sexually dimorphic adults, the best way to go about it is to get a small group of 6 or more. Odds are there will be a female and male in there, and pairing off will happen at some stage, when you will have to remove the other fish and put them in a different system.
2006-08-31 03:58:18
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answer #1
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answered by ? 5
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First you can't house there fish together. I'm amazed they have yet to kill each other. Neons are called community fish, they are non-aggressive. Silver tip sharks are semi-agressive. and Cichlides are very agressive. All are egg lay ing and extreamly hard to breed. Easy fish to bread would be platy's, molly's, and Guppies. All of these will get along with each other and with your neons. Your others are just going to get big and more and more agressive.
2006-08-31 05:20:27
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answer #2
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answered by Animal lover 3
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Perhaps the best piece of advice I can give you to get your Cichlids to breed is to keep them healthy. A good filtering system, with regular water changes, with the water chemistry matching their requirements, will keep them in good spirits. Only healthy fish will be interested in mating. Because females will be required to incubate the eggs for up to four weeks, she will need to be strong and healthy before she will be able to go without eating for that period of time.
2006-08-31 03:56:57
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answer #3
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answered by DanE 7
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Cichlids
Cichlids are such a diverse group, that it would take a small novel to give specifics for sexing each species. While many are not easily differentiated, there are a few rules of thumb that apply to quite a few species. Males are often slimmer, but larger than females, and are more vibrantly colored. The dorsal and anal fins of the male are more pointed, larger, and more flowing than the female. In many species the male will display egg shaped markings on the anal fin. Some males have a bump on the head, sometimes referred to as a nuchal hump.
Although the above general rules apply to many species of cichlids, if you are considering breeding them I strongly recommend doing your homework on the specific species before seeking a breeding pair.
Tetras
Tetras are not easily sexed, but do have some differences, which vary based on the species. Generally the females are a bit larger and plumper than males. Males are often more vibrantly colored and may have longer fins than their female counterparts. Because Tetras are schooling fish, breeding pairs can be obtained simply by purchasing a small school of them at one time.
I can't find information on the sexing of Silver Tipped sharks
But here is the Breeding conditions for the types you have
Silver Tipped Sharks= Breeding/Reproduction:
The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish have not been successfully bred in aquariums. In the wild they are mouth-brooders with the male brooding the eggs.
Cechilids=
Perhaps the best piece of advice I can give you to get your Cichlids to breed is to keep them healthy. A good filtering system, with regular water changes, with the water chemistry matching their requirements, will keep them in good spirits. Only healthy fish will be interested in mating. Because females will be required to incubate the eggs for up to four weeks, she will need to be strong and healthy before she will be able to go without eating for that period of time.
It is also a good idea to have several females to one male of each species you keep. This way, not just one female takes the aggression of the male. Having at least 2 females will spread the damage an aggressive male will dish out. And, if he is not ripping their fins too often, they will be stronger and healthier, and hence more likely to mate.
Diet is also important. I raise my Victorians and Malawi Cichlids on spirulina flake, with supplements of brine shrimp, blood worms, krill, and plankton. It is important to go light on the latter in order to prevent them from getting "Malawi Bloat." But feeding them frozen food once a week (and only what they can consume in about 30 seconds) seems to get them in the mood. I have noticed that most of my Cichlids have spawned within a few hours after I feed them one of these frozen foods. The most plausible explanation for this is that when a fish is going to breed, it has a certain amount of energy and materials (e.g., proteins, fats, etc.) that it can spare from the resources it needs to survive and grow. These materials will be put into the eggs. And so by feeding your Cichlids protein-rich foods they then have more resources to put into making eggs. The more resources they have available, the more eggs they'll make.
The last thing that I know has helped me and many others in getting their fish to spawn are caves. I use holey rock (limestone) with its many tunnels and caves. I know some people use clay pots. What's important is that they have a place they can hide, and call their own. This is especially important for mouthbrooders because they will need extra protection from enemies while they are holding because they can get pretty thin and weak.
Just a word of encouragement for any first-timers: The first time mating for a female is the biggest milestone. Once she has reached maturity and learned how to mate, she will continue to spawn with surprising regularity. Also note, I have noticed that the first time a female gets pregnant is often unsuccessful. They tend to be finicky and don't carry the eggs full term (either swallowing or spitting them out after a week). All of my females have had some sort of trouble the first time they conceived. But by the second time, they usually figure it out.
Still Can't get them to spawn, huh?
One problem people often experience is that their fish are overfed. What you can do, if they are sexually mature, is to separate mating pairs (you could do this with dividers, separate tanks, etc.) and starve them for a week. It is important to separate them because Cichlids get more aggressive with hunger. You should notice males digging a lot, making nests, and preparing to spawn. After a day or two of this behavior, reintroduce the females and wha-la! -- they should spawn.
Some supposedly easy-to-breed species can often be finicky. Make sure they have personal nooks, males have ample female selection (ratios of at least 2 females to one male), and keep water temps around 76єF or 78єF, with alkaline, hard water.
I would just encourage you to be patient. Some species, like Auloncara and nyererei are very slow to reach reproductive levels.
Neon Tetras= Neon tetras can begin breeding by about nine months of age. Neons will breed in tanks with other fish but due to the likelihood that the eggs will be eaten, they are most often breed in a small tank with a pair or small group of neons. A few breeders suggest adding 2 teaspoons of salt per 2-5 gallons in the breeding tank (each source I have has a different recommended amount from 1 teaspoon per gallon up to one per 10 gallons). A pH between 5 and 6 as well as very soft water are often necessary for successful breeding. A good breeding temperature is 75 degrees F.
Neons often spawn in the morning. While spawning, neons will chase each other through any plants. While all the neons may spawn in one day, the actual act is done between a pair. The male and female intertwine, and the female may become vertical. Each female produces 60 to 130 eggs all over the plants and ground. The eggs are not sticky. The parents should be removed so they do not eat the eggs. The eggs are light sensitive so keep the developing eggs out of direct light. Eggs are prone to fungus especially in light (for more information on egg fungus, check out my fish health page. The eggs hatch in about a day. After the fry are free-swimming in about four to five days, they can be fed strained egg yolk, infusuria, other microscopic live foods, or Liquifry (which is mostly yolk). Provide subtle lighting over the tank once the fry are swimming so they can see their food. Often, some fry will not survive.
One aquarist whose neon tetras spawned indicated that it may have been triggered by allowing the nitrates to build up in the water and then doing a 50% or so water change. His neons spawned the next day. These neons were fed live brine shrimp too. The pH was about 6.7 and the temperature was about 76 degrees F. Of course, the water was soft (dKH of about 5). Another aquarist says they tried letting the nitrates build up and then did a huge water change, and his neon tetras
2006-08-31 04:05:18
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answer #6
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answered by sexylittlemisstweetybird83 5
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