7 Best Breeding Box & Hatchery – Breed & Raise Fish
You own a personal aquarium and you want to breed your fish for the first time? If that’s the case, this article will come in handy.
Today, we’ll talk about the best breeder boxes and hatcheries for fish. The items I will introduce to you, can all be bought on Amazon, so don’t worry, you can find them easily.
After I review these products, I’ll give you some tips on how you can choose the right item for your needs.
But of course, breeding can be done without a special box too. In the end, I will talk about 3 methods that work effectively to breed your fish without special breeding boxes and hatcheries.
Now, let’s begin with our first candidate:
1. ZISS BL-2 EZ Fish Breeder
This is the first product on our list. The ZISS Fish Breeder is a great item, that works for both beginner and experienced fish keepers as well. What does it include?
First of all, an interesting feature is the presence of 2 stainless steel meshes on both sides of the box. These will allow you to connect multiple boxes together, if you want to take the breeding process to the next level.
This breeder box was designed to raise fry of different fish species. This means that you can use it effectively for the following breeds:
You can attach the box directly inside the aquarium using the supplied adjustable holder. However, this holder was designed for rimless tanks, so keep this mind when you make your choice. A suction cup bracket is also added into the package, which allows for an even easier installation, than using the adjustable holder.
2. Finnex External Refugium Breeder
The Finnex Breeder is a little different from the first product, I mentioned above. This one was designed for those who are short on space besides their aquarium. How does it work?
You can hang the breeder box outside the fish tank, by clipping it on the wall. This way, you’ll have a separate container for your fish that entered the breeding period.
Also, the item comes with a water pump added into the box, which will allow you to get the water from the tank, into the box itself. This pump has an adjustable water flow setting, that helps your fish always get fresh water, during their breeding period.
This box is ideal for breeding both salt water and fresh water fish species. Also, you can use it for housing one or two Bettas, separately from your main tank. This specie is known to be quite aggressive towards others, so using the box as a container for them is a great idea, that even the manufacturer recommends.
3. Lee’s Net Breeder
This product is probably among the simplest to use by a beginner fish keeper. Basically, this item is a net box, that you put inside your tank as it is. Yeah, that’s all you need to do to set it up.
During the breeding period, all the fish that go through the breeding process are to be placed inside this box, to protect them from outside dangers. Also, the net can be used as a maturation tank for the fry.
In addition to this, you can also use it as a separation tank for other aggressive or injured fish, that might live in your tank. This way, you’ll protect both groups: those that live outside the net, and those that live inside it.
The net breeder comes with a set of locking legs, that you can easily set up inside your main aquarium. These legs will allow for a stable set up in the tank. A set of bendable metal hangers also have a big part in this process. These are used to attach the net breeder to the side of the fish tank.
But will this net breeder allow a natural and healthy water flow through it? Yes it will. The net was designed to let water pass through it without problem, and also furnish optimal oxygen levels for your fish inside the net.
4. PETS ISLAND Aquarium Breeding Box
The PETS ISLAND breeder box works as a traditional item, like the first one on our list. It’s made of plain transparent plastic, that will prevent your fish from attacking the newborn fry in the breeding box. It is ideal to use for sick fish as well, to prevent the spread of any disease in the main fish tank.
It works as a hatchery too, suitable for many different breeds, such as bettas, guppies, medaka and other species too. These are all viviparous fish breeds, which means that many other species that are a part of this category, will do just fine in this hatchery.
You can use the box to separate aggressive fish, like Bettas, from the others in the community. Also, if one of the fish in the tank got injured, you can put it inside the box, to prevent any further health issues on his part.
It doesn’t occupy too much space, leaving enough room for the other fish to swim around in the tank. You can install it using the suction cup included in the box. Also, it has a self-floating design, making it child’s play to set up.
The incubator installed in the box is suitable for many species of pregnant fish (like the ones mentioned above). Be sure to put these specimens in the incubator, without leaving out any. The ventilation hole on the box is very small, preventing the small fry from getting sucked into it.
5. Senzeal Plastic Fish Isolation Box
The Senzeal Isolation Box is another transparent plastic breeder box, that works for most fish species that you would keep in a personal fish tank. You can install the box very easily, just using the suction cups provided by the manufacturer.
It’s separated into multiple different sections, that were designed to work with all kinds of viviparous fish species. If you set it up this way, you can use it right away as a breeder box. However, if you remove all the partitions, you can take use of it as a large hatchery box for multiple fish.
Using it properly, you can prevent adult fish attack the fry. Also, you can set it up to separate aggressive fish from the rest of the aquarium.
However, besides traditional fish, it is also used to house shrimp and other marine life, separately from your normal fish community. This way, you can diversify the marine life present in your tank. The box is created to float in your aquarium, and it will prevent your fish from jumping out of the box.
6. Capetsma Fish Breeding Box
This product really speaks of great craftsmanship. It’s made of quality cell cast crystal acrylic. Of course, it’s transparent, like the normal plastic breeding boxes that came before.
This box was produced to work as a hatchery and breeding box for all kinds of viviparous fish species, like the medaka, guppies and bettas. When they breed, the newborn fry will be protected from outside dangers, like bigger more aggressive fish, that would eat them otherwise. This way, the survival rate of juvenile fish will greatly increase.
The box was designed to be used by sticking it to the wall of the aquarium, using the 2 suction cups included in the package. Also, it won’t occupy too much space, due to its slick form factor. The assembly is quite simple, it will only take a couple of minutes.
The package includes the box itself, 2 suctions cups for set up, 1 separator wall, 1 isolation board and 1 top panel, to prevent your fish from jumping out of the box.
7. Marina Hang-On Breeding Box
Like its name suggests, the Marina Breeding Box is a hang-on box, that you can easily install on the outside of your aquarium. All you need to do is hang it on the outside wall of the tank, and you’re all set for the breeding process to begin.
This is a multi-purpose box, meaning that it’s suitable for multiple different things:
For instance, you can use it to separate your aggressive fish from the others, while you create them a separate environment. This way, they won’t be able to attack their tank mates.
Another great use for this box, is to protect your newborn fry, from bigger or more aggressive fish, by putting them inside the box. It has plenty of space for many newborn fry.
Used as a traditional breeding box, the Marina proves to be a great asset. It will easily protect your livebearer fish from outside dangers. Also, it provides warm and well-oxygenated water for all the fish living inside the box, fry as well. The pump takes care of this process very well.
How to Choose a Breeder Box?
How to Choose a Breeder Box?
The first thing you need to consider when choosing a breeder box, is the purpose you need it for. Of course, most people will need such a box for the breeding process itself. However, as you can see from what I mentioned above, many people use such a box to only separate certain fish from the others in the tank.
You should know your purpose before buying one. For instance, if you need such a box for breeding your fish, the first item is one of our top recommendations. It was clearly designed to help you breed even multiple different kinds of fish at the same time.
But if you want to just separate your fish, so they won’t cause harm to the other, Lee’s Net Breeder could be a great choice. Also, this one is perfect for protecting your newborn fry, from other more aggressive fish, that live inside the aquarium.
Another aspect that needs to be thought of, is what kind of fish you have in your tank. Why? Well, for one, their size matters quite a lot. Obviously, you need to choose a breeding box that will house your pregnant fish with ease.
On the other hand, there are certain breeder boxes developed for certain fish species. For instance, multiple items I listed above were designed for viviparous fish species, so other types of fish won’t work well together in such a box. Consider this when you want to make a choice.
Think about your budget as well. Some of the items above are cheaper when compared to the others. Choosing a winner among them clearly impacts your budget, so think well about this.
A last aspect that needs to be considered before buying a breeder box, is how many fries you expect to have. Why? Because depending on this number (approximate), there can be certain products that will fit your need. Some were created to work with only some fry, other boxes however are suitable to keep many tens, or even hundreds of fry.
It’s worth mentioning that you can breed fish without a special breeder box. Here are some ways for this, that already work for many people:
How to Breed Fish Without Breeder Box?
How to Breed Fish Without Breeder Box?
If you don’t want to use a breeding box or a hatchery to breed fish, there are few ways you can make it work.
Using Live Aquatic Plants
This is the first method for breeding fish without a special box or hatchery. How does it work? The basic thing you need to do is to fill your tank with plants that would grow in your fish’s natural habitat.
If you’re fish lay eggs, and are not livebearers, they will use the leaves of the plants to deposit eggs on them. It’s that simple.
This method comes with a risk however: you need to make sure the other tank mates won’t eat the eggs that your breeding fish have already laid. For this, it’s best to not keep such fish species in the tank, until the breeding period ends.
Use a Separate Breeding Tank
Using a separate breeding tank is probably the simplest method you can come up with. All you need is another aquarium, where you only place the fish that enter the breeding period.
It’s important that you set up that specific tank with everything your fish might need, for a successful breeding process. For instance, add plants and hiding spots, because most tropical fish will use these to lay eggs, or protect them once they were laid.
When the newborn fry are making their appearance, you can take the adults out of this tank, and put them back in the original one, to protect the fry. Otherwise, they might eat them before even reaching an optimal size.
DIY Breeder Box
Another method to breed your fish, is to make your own breeding box at home. How? It’s quite simple actually.
All you need, is a clean and transparent (if possible) box, that you can place inside your aquarium. It’s important for it to be small, so it will fit inside the tank, and still leave enough space for the others.
Also, make sure you can place it inside, without it moving around in the water. It should stay put, so it won’t disturb the water flow and the other tank mates.
If you don’t have a transparent box made of plastic, you can use something else too. For instance, a small basket that has very small holes on its body, will do just fine. The set-up is all the same as before.
Basically, it’s important to maintain fresh water inside the box at all times. You can do this by installing a water pump, like the ones used by the products I listed above. Of course, if you’re going to use a basket, you don’t need a pump, since the water will move through its walls.
Conclusion
In today’s article we talked about the best fish breeder boxes and hatcheries. As you can see from above, any of these products can prove to be a good choice for both beginner and veteran fish keepers.
Making the right choice is quite simple, if you take into consideration all the aspects I mentioned above, in the according section. That doesn’t mean however, that there are no other points you might need to think about, before making a purchase. Do some thorough research, before buying one of these items, and this way, you’ll surely make the most out of it.
If you don’t feel the need though to buy a specially crafted breeder box, you can take care of this process without it too. I described you 3 simple methods that will work wonders, if you don them right.
