# Rainbows spawning??? Need info



## GForce (Feb 6, 2006)

My Bosemani rainbows in my discus tank are displaying what could be mating rituals/spawning behavior. When this is going on They have form a dark stripe that extends the length of the body. they swim together rapidly shimmying through the water with their heads pressed together. 

Has anyone here had any experience with rainbows? I haven't been able to find any info on breeding these guys anywhere. So I have no idea if they are scatterers, mop spawners, bubblenest builders etc. 
I am thinking about giving them their own tank once I gather enough knowledge to do it right.


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## Matt201985 (Dec 27, 2005)

They are easy to breed and long conditioning periods are not necessary. You need a 20G breeding tank with breeding mop or dense plants such as java moss at the bottom. Fish have to be conditioned with live foods for a week before spawning. Spawning takes place with one male to several females. Usually it takes place in the morning daily and may last for several days. Water quality has to be maintained and pH at around 8.0. Spawning may last a few days and eggs drop to the bottom. Well fed parents do not eat the eggs or fry. But preferable the parents can be removed after a week or the mop can be removed on a daily basis and put in another fry rearing tank with the same water setup as the breeding tank. Fry hatch after two weeks and need Infusoria as first food. After a week or so they can take freshly hatched brine shrimps. The fry will grow fast and soon can take other foods.


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## GForce (Feb 6, 2006)

Thank you for the info...How do I tell the male from the female? I only have two right now...should I get more?


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## Matt201985 (Dec 27, 2005)

Males tend to have more of a sloping forehead, whereas females have a more rounded forehead. This becomes more pronounced as the fish ages. See if u can tell urs apart from the shape of there forehead, easier to tell when they are older.Then let me know what u have for male or female ratio.


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## Matt201985 (Dec 27, 2005)

Id say 1 male and 2 - 3 females.


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## Matt201985 (Dec 27, 2005)

if u need anymore help and i dont show up online here, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], any ques at all, id be more than happy to help.


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## danu (Mar 25, 2006)

breeding rainbow is very easy, i used to have hundreds of them lol

email me at d4n_u if you want to know further....


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## GForce (Feb 6, 2006)

I only have two right now. This wasn't intentional. I had them in a community tank, and just observed the behavior in the last few weeks.

The only different in shape I can see is one of them appears Thicker on the body and the body looks a little taller too. General shape is the same.


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## Ben Mazur (Mar 21, 2006)

I think for most fish the female is thicker.


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## Matt201985 (Dec 27, 2005)

How to tell the diff is the female is much wider and back is much higher. Females are always bigger than the male, not hard to tell.


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## GForce (Feb 6, 2006)

Thanks for the info. I just ordered a bunch of spawning mops and am preparing a tank for them now. Wish me luck!!!


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