# breeding reds



## CoolD (Apr 16, 2003)

my reds are still very young and are about 4 inches at most. they are light silvery colour and havent changed to the dark colour that they will be when they mature.
But every now and then they go through the mating motion. brushing up against eachother going in cicles and so on.
Do reds have to be that dark mature colour to mate? is it possible for mine to lay eggs? and if not, does this mean i will have a good chance of breeding them when they are old enough?


----------



## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> CoolD Posted on Apr 18 2003, 06:55 PM
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> my reds are still very young and are about 4 inches at most. they are light silvery colour and havent changed to the dark colour that they will be when they mature.
> But every now and then they go through the mating motion. brushing up against eachother going in cicles and so on.
> Do reds have to be that dark mature colour to mate? is it possible for mine to lay eggs? and if not, does this mean i will have a good chance of breeding them when they are old enough?


We have many references here to this type of behavior and it is fairly common for same sex fish to display what you are seeing, even at those young ages or younger.

I generally state (and science) that fish begin to become sexually mature at least 2 years of age. Or at least 5 inches long. In the mean time all of your piranas will generally color up the same. If you do indeed have a pair somewhere in there it will be at that stage of the growth where some differences in coloration (darker, but no guarantee) might be evident. It is really to hard to say until they actually spawn for you.


----------



## CoolD (Apr 16, 2003)

thanks hastatus.
i read a lot of your messages and in all of them you seem to know so much about piranhas.
i'll be sure to ask some more when my fish get big enough, as i really want to breed them


----------



## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> CoolD Posted on Apr 18 2003, 07:53 PM
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> thanks hastatus.
> i read a lot of your messages and in all of them you seem to know so much about piranhas.
> i'll be sure to ask some more when my fish get big enough, as i really want to breed them


 Thank you














. I do know a little bit







.


----------

