Breed Rare, Expensive Fish For High Profit

Which Fish to Breed? 

Many aquarists want to breed fish to recover the costs of their aquarium expenses or earn some profit. Aquarists also want to earn decent money by breeding certain species that are rare & expensive.

Breeding common fish is not a bad idea because you can easily breed them & quickly sell them but their market price is low. Species which are a bit difficult to spawn & have a higher commercial value are the one that we recommend. It is however difficult to find the person or fish shop who will buy them from you but still you can sell them if you work hard.

 

Breeding Rare, Expensive Fish for High Profit:

A lot of aquarists want to make money through breeding & selling fish, & they are looking for the type of fish that can help them make more wage. Earning money through fish keeping is difficult because there are many fish farms that are breeding & selling fish on high scale & it is hard to compete them. However, you can breed some rare, expensive fish that can let you earn more money than breeding common fish that are cheap.

Many people earn lots of money through selling pets online. Internet is the best source for business & you can find local people who can pay you for the fish. But for breeding & raising costly fish, you must be an experienced fish keeper because setting up aquarium for expensive fish could cost you over thousand dollars. My advice is to buy few already paired fish from fish store. If you do things right, then you can earn lots of money by breeding them.

Also, I would like you to talk to fish shop owners & ask them if they are going to pay you for the expensive fish you are breeding. Make sure you visit multiple stores & ask them how much are they going to pay you for the fish & which rare, expensive fish they are looking for. The reasons behind why these fishes are very costly are they need high care & better water conditions or sometimes breeding these fish is difficult or they might give birth to just few babies.

It is very important to make a reputation if you want to breed fish. Do not sell sick fish & make sure your fish are healthy before selling them. It takes time to make reputation because people buy from reliable seller. Having a good reputation will help you in selling fish faster.

If you want to sell expensive fish then its market is low because people usually buy cheap fish & not many wants to spend hundreds of dollars for one expensive fish.

 

Which Expensive Fish to Breed?

When somebody visits a fish shop & sees a stingray which costs few hundred dollars then they often think of making high profit through breeding this fish. Or maybe they watch a Zebra Pleco or a Red Frontosa, or any other expensive fish. But the problem with breeding expensive fish is that if you have little experience of fish hobby, then you may end up with a dead fish, or your fish might not breed, or you might not be able to raise the fries. Such problems happen when fish keepers have low experience of keeping fish.

 

Below you can find 3 best costly fish that can help you in earning more money:

1. Australian Arowana (Price: Over $100)

2. Zebra Pleco (Price: $300 to $400)

3. Discus (Price: Over $60)

 

1. Breed & Sell Australian Arowana Fish:

Australian Arowana can be aggressive towards its own kind or similar species. Keep them with robust & big fish.

Australian Arowana likes live treats. They like to be in slow moving water in the wild. They prefer clean water with surface plants & overhanding branches.

Australian Arowana is called Leichardti, Spotted Saratoga, Spotted Bonytongue, Gulf Saratoga, Barramundi or only Saratoga. They live in fresh water, & they are carnivores which means they eat live foods. They prefer turbid water.

Barramundi is a big fish & have high immunity. Water does not affect them that much. They like living in tropical tanks & can survive in low temperatures. Keep plants in the tank as Arowanas do not uproot them. When they grow older then, they need a larger tank.

Breed Australian Arowana for Big Profit

They can live in fresh or brackish water. Keep clean water in the aquarium & have abundance of oxygen. Don’t worry about intensity of light.

 

Category	Rating
Large Arowana Size	36 inches
Life Span	8 to 12 Years
Native	Indonesia, Australia & Papua New Guinea
Min. Aquarium Size	55 Gallons
Water Conditions	Temperature: 75 to 84 °F pH 6.8 to 7.5 Hardness 8 to 15 °
Behavior	Aggressive

 

Australian Arowana Fish Aquarium Setup & Water Conditions:

Australian Arowana needs a tank of around 48 inches long that consists of at least 55 gallons of water. A bigger aquarium will be needed if you take good care of your fish.

The water conditions for Australian Arowana are:

Water pH: 6.8 to 7.8

Water dH: 8 to 16

Water Temperature: 24 to 30 °C

Tank for adult Australian Arowana must be at least 72 inches in length, 24 inches in width & 24 inches in height. Big Australian Arowana needs about 680 Liters of water but a tank of bigger size is even better.

Australian Arowana likes to swim so if there is lots of free area & less decorations then it is good for the fish. A strong filter is required that can filter the aquarium well, especially if you want to keep big fish in a single aquarium. In harsh conditions, Australian Arowana might develop eyes & gills sickness. It is recommended to do partial water changes if you want to keep expensive fish. Cover your aquarium with a lid because Australian Arowana can jump out of the tank.

Australian Arowana can reach a length of 90 cm, & have a weight of 4 kg. When they grow to about 48 to 49 cm in length, they can breed.

 

Australian Arowana Fish Food:

Australian Arowana is a popular fish & aquarists keep them in aquarium. They feed on small fish, shrimp, yabbies, Crickets, waxworms, earthworms, frogs, crayfish, frozen & dried foods including shrimp, pellets & mussel.

 

Australian Arowana Fish Tank Mates:

Australian Arowanas are not aggressive in nature & they like to defend their territories. In the wilds, Australian Arowanas battle over territories & mature Arowanas show more aggression over territories.

Australian Arowana Tank Mates

They are aggressive & they fight against other fish & same species. Keep robust fish & big species in Arowanas’ aquarium.

Australian Arowanas may feed on little fish but can live with larger fish. Keep rainbowfish, Giant Gourami, Tinfoil Barbs, Clown Knife, Cichlids, Arius Catfish & other large peaceful Catfish in Arowanas tank.

 

Australian Arowana Fish Breeding:

Barramundis are mouth brooder & they reproduce before the wet season in temperature between 20 – 23 °C.

Size of one egg of Australian Arowana has a diameter of 1 to 1.3 cm. It takes around 18 to 30 days for the eggs to hatch & they are incubated in mother’s mouth. Offer little crustaceans & microorganisms to fries. It is not possible to breed Arowana in small tanks.

Gulf Saratoga is known as mouth brooders, & mother broods the fries in her mouth. Female can lay from 60 to 100 eggs.

When Barramundi is about to breed, then female & male fish likes to swim close to the surface of water & they like staying close to each other. One male Barramundi can be involved in a minimum of two spawning per season. Female Barramundi lay eggs & brood little fries in her mouth. When females are incubating the eggs or little babies, then they stay close to the surface of water & do not like eating.

Babies leave the mother but if they are in danger then mother call them back. Fries stay away from large fish until they grow up to defend themselves.

 

2. Breed Zebra Pleco for High Profit:

Zebra Pleco seems stunning & needs easy care. They seem different & unique in fish tank due to its amazing Zebra like colors. It is one of the rare & expensive fish in the fish world. Other names of Zebra Pleco is Imperial Pleco. A single fish costs from 300 to 400 hundred dollars.

Zebra Pleco can breed in aquariums. They do not like to swim that much because they are shy & nocturnal. When they leave their hideout, then they will surely grab the attention of people.

Fully grown Zebra Pleco is about 4 inches long. Zebra Pleco can live for about 10 to 15 years in fish tank if care well.

Zebra Plecos have alternating black & white stripes like Zebra.

 

Category	Rating
Level of Care	Simple to Intermediate
Behavior	Territorial but Good
Color	Alternating Black & White Stripes on Body
Life Expectancy	10 to 15 years
Length	3 to 4 inches
Food	Omnivorous Diet
Family	Loricariidae
Min. Aquarium Size	30 gallons
Aquarium Setup	Freshwater with a high current
Tank Mates	Peaceful Fish

 

Zebra Pleco Fish Tank Setup & Water Conditions:

It is easy to care for Zebra Pleco. Most of their requirements are alike other fish of South America.

Due to small size, Zebra Plecos do not need a big aquarium. You can keep them in at least 20-gallons tank. We advise you to choose a bit larger tank like 30 gallon which have more space for swimming. They are not territorial & can live in community with other peaceful fish.

Zebra Pleco likes to live in warm neutral water. Their ideal temperature, pH, & hardness ranges are wider.

Temperature Range: 79 °F to 88 °F

pH Range: 6.5 to 7.0

Hardness Range: 2 to 6 KH

 

Add rocks, driftwood, caves & other structures in Zebra Pleco aquarium which provides hiding space for the fish. Adding plants in Zebra Pleco tank is vital.

Do a partial water change of twenty percent every week & add fresh water to keep your fish healthy.

Zebra Plecos like to eat algae. They are not as big algae eaters as other Plecos. Give them other diets too.

They like protein enrich food. They like to eat at the bottom of the aquarium & are known as bottom dwellers so feeding sinking pellets is a better choice for them.

Adding live or freeze, dried diets are good. They like to eat brine shrimp.

They are passive & shy fish. They are nocturnal & do not like to come out during day time. They show activeness when its dark. They search for food when its night & explore the aquarium.

 

Zebra Pleco Fish Tank Mates:

Zebra Plecos can live in a community aquarium. Choose tank mates wisely. Adding same species is a good choice. Keeping one male Zebra Plecos with a few females is better than adding multiple males.

They are a little territorial against other same species. Male Zebra Plecos are particularly territorial. If you want to keep multiple males in a single aquarium, then watch out as they may fight over territories or keep them in a large aquarium so that every male has enough room to form their territory. Keep hiding cave for every fish to lower chances of fight.

You can keep other small size peaceful species in Zebra Plecos aquarium. Adding bigger fish or fish that stay at the bottom should be avoided.

You can keep Zebra Plecos with Harlequin Rasbora, Cardinal Tetra, Phantom Tetra, Denison Barbs, Apistogramma, Zebra Otocinclus, Cherry Shrimp, Certain Guppies & Platies.

 

Zebra Pleco Fish Breeding:

You can start the breeding process of Zebra Pleco which is easy & it triggers with a few easy water changes. Zebra Plecos like to breed in the warm rainy season in the wild. They breed in summers in the rivers. The best way to start breeding process is to increase water temperature to around 82 °F. Then add oxygen to aquarium using an air stone & air pump to trigger breeding process.

Female Zebra Pleco will carry eggs & male will chase female into a cave. She will lay around 15 eggs, & male will then fertilize those eggs.

Male Zebra Pleco will be guarding the eggs. Male may even stick around once they are hatched & eggs may take about 3 to 7 days to hatch.

For a few days, fries can live without feeding them. Then offer them powdered baby food & as they are growing then you can feed them baby brine shrimp.

 

3. Breed & sell Discus Fish for Big Profit:

Discus is a pretty specie & needs intermediate care level. They look beautiful because of their round shape, stunning body patterns, & unique colors.

It is called Discus due to its flat, circular disk shape look. They live peacefully & do not mess with aquarium plants, & tank decorations.

Keep Discus in lower pH of up to 7.6, but they are able to survive in higher pH as well.

Keep driftwood in aquarium because they like it.

They are peaceful & rarely show aggression.

They like swimming with mates & add at least 5 more fish in the same aquarium, & if you are looking to provide a happy environment for Discus then adding more fish is a good choice.

They like planted tanks & use them as hiding spots. When you add them to aquarium for the first time then they will hide in the corners of tank. They need lots of space in aquarium & frequent water changes.

Breed Discus Fish for High Profit

Discus can’t tolerate toxic chemicals which release from fish waste so it is important to keep its level low by changing water regularly.

Average size of Discus is about 5 to 8 inches.

 

Category	Rating
Level of Care	Hard
Behavior	Good
Color	Many varieties
Life Expectancy	10 Years
Length	8 to 10 inches
Food	Omnivore
Family	Cichlidae
Min. Aquarium Size	50-gallon
Aquarium Setup	Medium
Tank Mates	Compatible with peaceful schooling fish

 

Discus Fish Food:

Discus are carnivores & feed on insects, little fish, & crustaceans. Provide protein rich food to Discus such as beef heart. Mix them with other diets & prepare a staple food for the fish. They need a costly & high-price diet.

 

Discus Fish Tank Mates:

Keep six Discus fish in one tank & you can add more fish in the same aquarium too. Temperature requirement of Discus is slightly higher than other fish. If desired tank temperature is not met, then your fish may get ill & could have a shorter life span.

Discus Fish Tank Mates

You can keep Discus with peaceful fish that loves to swim together. When other fish starts swimming in the fish tank then it will signal Discus that the tank is safe & it is time for Discus to leave its hiding place & have fun.

You can keep Discus with other tank mates such as Red Eye Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Sterbai Corydoras, Hatchetfish, Cardinal Tetras, German Ram Cichlids, some Plecostomus Catfish & more.

 

Discus Fish Tank Setup & Water Conditions:

Keeping Discus in tank is not an easy job because they are very sensitive to water conditions. Still, you can simply setup a tank for Discus.

Maintain tank temperature b/w 82 to 88 °F, & use a better filter for cleaning it. Choose a tank that can hold about 55 – 60 gallons of water but choosing a larger tank is a better decision.

Discus can be kept in bare bottom tank with no substrate & decoration, & plants are not needed too. Use only tank light for good care.

If tank water has over 20 ppm of nitrates then it stresses Discus, & the ideal nitrates level in their tank is b/w 0 to 10 ppm.

If your tank water has only 0 ppm nitrates, then still your aquarium water needs partial water changes at least once every week. Fresh water consists of many minerals that Discus needs.

Live plants are helpful for aquarium as it acts as a natural filter & can lower the levels of toxic chemicals in water. The problem with plants is they reduce the efficiency of filters by keeping waste & debris in their leaves or roots, & cleaning them is a big problem.

pH level of Water: 4 – 7.6

Temperature level of Water: 82 – 88 F

 

Breeding Discus Fish:

Breeding Discus is not difficult but raising babies is a difficult job.

Finding gender of Discus is difficult because there is no difference between a male & a female Discus. However, still you can identify gender by looking at the breeding tube that only drops during breeding. Female Discus has a wider breeding tube while the male breeding tube is thinner. Breeding tube of female Discus has a blunt end while male breeding tube has a pointed end.

Aquarium requirement for breeding Discus is about 29 gallons but you need a larger tank if you want to raise the fries. It is very important to paint tank sides with either white or blue paint, otherwise babies will have difficulty in searching for their parents, also it will stress the fish during breeding period if aquarium is not painted. Paint back & sides of the tank but leave the front glass.

Add a sponge or a 100% nylon filter over the intake valve to avoid babies from entering the filter.

Adding a heater can raise temperature of water. If you are using a SUMP filter then my recommendation is to use filter inside the SUMP because if Discus lay eggs near the heater then there are greater chances that the eggs could die because of excessive heating.

Before laying eggs, Discus will clean the area where they want to lay eggs. After successful cleaning, female Discus will drop eggs, & male will fertilize them.

It will take several hours for the completion of this process. Do not disturb Discus during breeding process, because if they are stressed, they might eat their own eggs.