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Breeding aquarium fish is not so hard if you get proper guidance & proper steps. Some fish like guppies breed so intensely without even proper care. 

However, if you want to generate some profit by selling them then obviously you need some proper instruments & knowledge. But before starting anything you should know which fish need high care & which don’t. 

So here in this article, we are going to discuss the 9 best aquarium fish to breed for profit. It will guide you to choose the perfect starter fish to breed. So without wasting much time let’s dive deep into the topic. 

9 Top Freshwater Fish To Breed For Profit  

There are thousands of fish that you can choose to breed. However, you must choose according to three different factors. These are 

• Your experience in breeding 

• The market demand or popularity of fish

• Initial or long term budget to maintain the fries  

Now let’s check the list & choose fish according to those three factors which have been discussed above. 

• Discus Fish

Breeding Level – Hard

Average Price Range – $40 – $200

Keeping discus or breeding discus fish is quite hard. We don’t recommend this fish for beginners. One of the main reasons for it is discus is a very sophisticated fish. Moreover, a fair amount of labor is required to breed them.  

However, we have kept discus in this list because of its profitability. If you manage to keep alive discus fries anyhow then you can earn handsome money by selling them. 

However, the price of discus is dependent on the types of discus, market demand, availability in the market, maintenance required to breed, quality of the fish, size of the fish & color pattern. 

Read More:- 11 Most Popular Discus Fish: Make Your Aquarium Colorful 

Besides this, there are lots of varieties of discus which you can choose to breed. Cobalt Blue, Pigeon Blood Discus, Rose Red Discus, Mercury Discus, Blue Diamond Discus, Red Malboro Discus are some common types. Their price range varies from $20 to $170 in the market currently. 

To raise discus fries you must perform a 50% of water change every day. It is a must otherwise, fries will be stressed. Do check water parameters every day. 

Two weeks later you must transfer those fries into a bigger tank. 50% water change every day is mandatory with 4 times feeding to those baby discus.    

According to our research, Red Turquoise Discus is one of the most expensive discus currently in the market. Its price varies from $450-$550

Read More:- Is Discus Turning Black? Don’t Make These Horrible Mistakes 

• Angelfish

Breeding Level – Moderate

Average Price Range – $5 – $20

Breeding angelfish is relatively quite easy than discus fish. So, you can choose angelfish to breed for profit if you have a little bit of fishkeeping experience.  

To breed angelfish you have to have a medium-sized aquarium with plenty of space. We recommend at least having a 30-gallon fish tank for an angelfish pair. You must keep the water parameters & temperature in the right condition. 

If you have more than two angelfish then it takes time to pair. After pairing off you must shift them into the breeding tank. If you can’t understand whether your angelfish is a pair or not then simply purchase a breeding pair of angelfish from a shop. 

In the breeding tank, you must put a piece of slate which is set at about 45°, and a terracotta flower pot. This setup will help your angelfish to release eggs at the right spot to hatch quickly. 

There are various types of angelfish that you can breed. Common freshwater angelfish are easy to breed comparatively than saltwater angels. Blue Angelfish, Black Angelfish, Panda Angelfish, Golden Angelfish, and Koi Angelfish are some common types of angelfish.  

Peppermint Angelfish is recorded as the most expensive saltwater angelfish. Its price is approx $30,000

Read More:- 9 Most Awesome Freshwater Angelfish For An Aquarium

• Electric Blue Ram

Breeding Level – Hard

Average Price Range – $10 – $22

Electric blue ram is not so easy to breed according to experts. They need proper instruments for breeding and proper care to raise the fries. 

Establishing electric blue ram fish is quite hard. It’s better to purchase a group of juvenile rams and help them to create bonds between them. They will create their own pairs that will actually help in the breeding process. 

You must know that electric blue ram cichlids are monogamous. Both of the fish can be active parents. However, if you want to get quality fish then pairs should be chosen minutely. 

 As a breeding setup, you must add some flat stones or slates. Rams prefer to dig substrate during the breeding season. So you must add that kind of substrate. Soft water is required for breeding too. 

Read More:- Electric RAM VS German RAM: Differences & Similarities

• Ranchu Goldfish

Breeding Level – Moderate

Average Price Range – $5 – $300

Breeding goldfish, especially ranchu goldfish is neither too hard nor too easy. You have to know the basics of fish breeding before any planning. 

The appearance of ranchu goldfish is more unique than other goldfish species. There is high demand in the market for ranchus. To breed this fish you must choose a quality pair of ranchu goldfish.

As an arrangement, you must keep the water temperature as cold as possible. Ranchu won’t start breeding if they are not feeling comfortable. 

Putting floating plants & filling bags in the tank poured with ice cubes make the water temperature low. Try to keep the temperature around 7°C -15°C. 

You should know goldfish prefer to breed in the spring season. So you must mimic that season in their captivity. Gradually, ranchu will be ready to breed there.

Panda ranchu is one of the most expensive goldfish. Its cost varies from $50-$180

 

• Black Mollies

Breeding Level – Easy

Average Price Range – $2 – $5

Breeding black mollies are very easy and it is suitable for beginners. To breed Black mollies hobbyists just need suitable water conditions, temperature, aeration, etc. 

Black mollies are very much popular like balloon belly molly. You can be profitable if you start breeding black molly successfully. As its rates are not so high, you have to sell them in bulk to generate a handsome income. 

Read More:- 7 great fishes for only 5-gallon tank which you shouldn’t miss

As black mollies are livebearers so you can identify the pregnant molly easily by observing their distended belly. You have to wait for 3-5 weeks to get molly fries.

You have to build a nursery tank before starting the breeding process. In this tank, you have to put the pregnant female. Otherwise, males may disturb her. It causes stress on the female molly. 

Female molly can eat her own fries too. So you have to observe her well. After some days, you must put her into the mother tank. The breeder tank should contain only Black molly fries. 

Read More:- Types of Mollies: Choose from 8 Most Popular One

• Betta Fish

Breeding Level – Moderate

Average Price Range – $2 – $30

Breeding betta fish is not too hard but without knowing the proper technique it may seem hard for beginners.

Betta fights a lot. So, you can’t keep male & female betta together like other fish. If you do unknowingly then the male betta may start chasing the female one. 

If you see that your male betta is creating a bubble nest, it means he is interested in mating. At that time, you have to introduce him to a breeding tank.

Blackwater is preferable for the breeding tank. The tank should be full of floating plants & Indian almond leaves. Under those plants, male betta will feel comfortable & start creating a bubble nest. 

After a few days, you have to introduce the female betta in the breeding tank covered with glass. Glass should be transparent enough so that the male betta can see her. A couple of days later you should remove the glass & they will start breeding activity generally. 

Betta fish has so much popularity & if you can breed them successfully then you can generate a bulk of money by selling them. However, make sure to arrange tons of glass jars at the initial stage to keep betta fries separately. 

Plakat betta are the most expensive type of betta fish

Read More:- Is Your Betta Fish Happy: Top 5 Proven Signs To Check 

• Exotic Guppies

Breeding Level – Easy

Average Price Range – $3 – $50 per pair

Breeding exotic guppies are the easiest among all aquarium fish. They are the most beginner-friendly fish for breeding purposes.

Fancy guppies have lots of demand in the market. The vibrant colors of their tails & low maintenance make them more demanding. So breeding quality fancy guppies is always profitable. 

Guppies breed during summer. There are 3 basic tips that you can use to breed guppies faster. 

The first one is to increase the temperature gradually. If you are not from a tropical country then you must raise the water temperature gradually to breed guppies very often. Guppies remain very active in tropical weather. So you have to mimic this. 

The second one is proper nutrition. During the breeding season, you must provide them with food regularly. The food should be given according to their appetite. It keeps them healthy & prepares them for breeding. 

The third one is the male & female ratio in the tank. One male is enough for three females. This creates chances of breeding quite often. 

Read More:- 10 Best Tank Mates Of Guppy: Choose According To Tank Size

• Dwarf Cichlids

Breeding Level – Easy

Average Price Range – $18 – $40

Dwarf cichlids are one of the easiest cichlids to breed. It doesn’t need proper experience in fishkeeping. All you just need is shaded areas, caves, crevices, etc. in the tank.

Dwarf cichlids are very beautiful and worth keeping in a tank. So, as a breeder, you have to take this as an opportunity. You must keep some males & a higher number of females in a tank. 

You must know that dwarf cichlids create territories in the tank. So you must build a bigger breeding tank. It will help females to protect their fries easily. 

You can add some live plants to your aquarium to feel dwarf cichlids comfortable. Amazon swords and Java fern are two recommendations. Slightly acidic water is good for dwarf cichlids. 

Read More:- Top 7 Friendliest Fish Breeds For Your Aquarium

• Zebra Pleco  

Breeding Level – Moderate

Average Price Range – $300 – $400

Breeding zebra pleco is not so hard in captivity if you have proper instruments. Almost all types of pleco fish require caves for breeding. 

In the wild, zebra plecos live in a place where the temperature remains around 28°C to 32°C. The acidic water conditions are good for them. They prefer a high current in the water. So the captivity should mimic this to breed them successfully. 

As zebra pleco are not easily available so breeding this fish is worthy enough. It can generate a lot of money for you. 

You must build caves for them. 1-2 males with 5-6 females are enough for a large breeding tank. Don’t put more than two males anyhow. They will start fighting and show territorial nature. 

You must keep fries away from the breeding tank. Otherwise adult fish, even their own mother can eat them. 

Final thoughts

So as a final thought we can conclude fancy guppies, dwarf cichlids are the easiest fish to breed for profit. If you are a very beginner & want to do some experiments then choose these fish for breeding. 

Otherwise, you can choose betta or black mollies. They are easy to breed too. However, you have to know about the techniques. 

If you want to make a sustainable income then discus, zebra pleco or ranchu goldfish are preferable options. However, don’t choose these fish without gaining fish breeding or fish keeping experience. 

Best of luck & happy fish keeping.

Read More:- 11 Most Popular Freshwater Aquarium Fish With A Recommendation