If you are looking for tips on breeding tropical fish, you must first decide what type of tropical fish you wish to breed. Some tropical fish are live bearers, which means they give birth to live minnow babies. The other type are egg bearers, which means the mother lays eggs and the minnow babies hatch from the eggs.

Most sources that provide tips on breeding tropical fish suggest that live bearers are the better place to start, especially for beginners who have limited to no previous breeding experience. Beginner breeders should hone their skills using any of three live bearer fish types, which are the three of the easiest to breed: mollies, guppies or platys.

One of the first, and perhaps most important, tips on breeding tropical fish that bear live young is to keep the baby fish, called fry, away from the rest of your community tank. Adult fish consider fry to be excellent food, so if you don't keep them separated, your breeding efforts will be sacrificed to the appetites and instincts of the rest of your fish. In fact, even the fry's own parents enjoy eating them.

Your best bet to avoid this fate is to use a separate breeding tank, with heavy foliage to provide cover for the fry. Once the mother has given birth, she can be returned to the main tank, which the young fry can grow in comparative safety.

Water temperature and tank size are both very important when it comes to tips on breeding tropical fish. Each different breed of fish has a different optimal breeding temperature, so first determine that. Fish will breed when the water temperature signals to them that it is breeding season. If you maintain this optimal temperature, the male and female fish will be more likely to breed. As a general rule, larger tanks tend to produce larger numbers of fry in one birth as well.

These tips on breeding tropical fish are but the tip of the iceberg. If you are serious about breeding, seeking the advice of an experienced breeder and relevant literature is always advisable.