Ornamental Fish Production and Management

9.2.1 Conditioning of parent fish

Before placing the parent fish together for spawning, they should be conditioned. Conditioning is feeding the fish with a variety of healthy foods to get them in top condition for spawning. Many species can be conditioned using a well-balanced flake food, though others should be conditioned on live foods such as brine shrimp, insect larvae, and flying insects. The parent fish can be separated while conditioning. This way, when the fish are reintroduced, they are eager to spawn.