small fish easily bred in captivity

[MegsB]

is there any small fish that breed easily in captivity? i have a 33 gal tank i just set up with about 50 lbs lr and 60 lbs ls. the rock came out of a tank that was established for 2 years, i bought it a month ago totally covered in hair algea and aptasia, cleared that all up with aptasia killer and darkness (no lights and covered tank) over the past 4 weeks, put 2 peppermints in ther today in case there is any aptasia left, but all the hair algea is gone and i vacuumed the tank out (the dead stuff). the readings on the water are...
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10
Ph: 8.4
ammonia: 0

so its almost ready for my fish and a few corals (fragged from my 65).

i was looking for a smaller fish that breeds in captivity, or could breed in captivity, was hoping to have a pair or two (or a pair and 2 other small fish that are non agressive). anything come to mind? i could always run another small tank (have a full 29 gal set-up not in use) for babies or what not.

[jer77]

Well two fish that I've seen easily bred in captivity before are clownfish and cardinalfish. Specifically Ocellaris clowns and Bangaii cardinals. A refugium with lots of micro life helps a bunch to feed the babies.

[MegsB]

is a 33 gal big enough space for a pair of ocellaris clowns? i think bengaii cardinals need more space dont they?

would i need to buy 2 clowns from the same store (same tank) so i know they are ok together? or does it matter? or for that matter, i have 2 that have been a pair for the last 2 years, they are in my 65 now, i could move them?

any other kinds of fish?

[oct2274]

i know some of the clown gobies breed fairly easily

[jer77]

A 33 gallon tank should be fine for a pair of ocellaris clowns or even 3 or 4 of them. It should be fine for a pair of cardinals too. Both of these fish don't require much swimming room as they tend to stay around their favorite spot and don't swim around much. I know my cardinal stays in the corner of the tank only moving to feed once a day.

[Lotus99]

Either clowns or banggai cardinals would be a good choice. If you really want to breed fish, it's best to keep only your breeding pair in the tank. Other fish will harass them, and they'll harass other fish while they're breeding.

Clowns are nice, because if you get them small, you'll have a pair. Banggais are hard to sex, and becoming harder to find in fish stores as they're being overfished. Apparently, banggais aren't profitable enough for the large-scale breeding companies.

I was lucky and got a pair of banggais. They lost their first eggs, but have just spawned again. :)

[mildew]

I'd suggest going to liveaquaria.com (Drs. Foster and Smith) and looking at what they offer in the way of tank raised fish. This should give you an idea of what's out there that will breed. Make your choice and have some fun with it. My male pajama cardinal has a mouth full of eggs right now. Having them breed is one thing. Raising the young is another. Good luck.

[theatrus]

Breeding is easy, my osc clowns do it all the time. Collecting the just hatched fry (before they become powerhead soup) and feeding them live roteifers (and only live) often is harder :)

[MegsB]

yes i would deffinatly have a fair bit of research to do to attempt to catch and raise the babies! it sounds like a process.

what are roteifers? would they eat live baby brine shrimp?

[AquaReeferMan]

How about some neon gobies?