A couple weeks ago, I got 5 checker barbs for my 50G tank. I'm interested in breeding them to fill out their school. However, instead of the 2 males 3 females I asked for, it seems I actually only have 1 female. Most sources I've found online for breeding these fish say to separate the males and female for conditioning before introducing the most promising looking pair. My questions are: A: Is this information accurate? B: Will separating the female cause stress due to not being in a school? C: Will a divider work for separating them? I do not currently have an extra tank for conditioning (yet). I do have a breeder box for the eggs but it's way too small for conditioning for any length of time. Any help would be much appreciated!
A container that is too small for conditioning is too small for breeding or raising fry. A divider will work for keeping the female from the males, but you need to set up a tank for spawning them. Being separated from the males will probably be more of a relief than stressful. I would get the female in condition and introduce her to the breeding tank. I found this species to be easier to breed with two males and one female, but some people have gotten lucky with just pairs. Once you feel they have finished spawning, remove the adults and raise the fry in that tank.
So those 'breeder boxes' they have at fish stores aren't actually suitable for anything in the breeding process? I was hoping it would at least be able to keep the eggs away from the adults. Would keeping the divider in place as a section for spawning work? So for example, move the female to the divided section, go through with conditioning, then introduce a male or two to the divided section, then remove all adults post spawning?
