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With many of the Danios you can simply move them into a set-up just for breeding. With some of the more timid varieties though, you might need a different tactic. This is why I came up with my DIY Egg Trap.
I was trying to get my wild caught Danio tinwini to spawn for me, but every time I would move them into a breeder set-up it would cause them so much stress that I wasn't having any success. I though that if I could just provide them with a suitable spawning site that I could remove from their tank when they were done they would be much happier. This is what I came up with...
It starts with an inexpensive Pyrex® dish that I purchased at the local big-box store. I chose the glass dish because it's easy to keep clean and it is heavy enough to stay on the bottom of the tank. I like this particular dish because it's small enough to fit in 5.5 gallon set-ups and the plastic lid snaps on securely. The lid needs to fit well so fish/snails can't get to the eggs.
The first step is to mark for the hole we need to cut in the plastic lid.
The plastic is fairly thick but not to difficult to cut. I use a utility knife to cut mine. I like to cut the hole as large as possible so that the maximum number of eggs will fall into the trap.
With the hole cut, it's time to fit a piece of plastic canvas. This is another nice feature with these dishes, the lid has an inset area that the plastic canvas fits down into.
I typically punch a pair of holes in the lid at each of the four corners under the plastic canvas. I then use 14# test fishing line to attach the plastic canvas to the lid. My friend David from Florida simply hot glues his canvas in place.
The final step is to attach some moss to the plastic canvas. I have also used nylon yarn like what I use to make my spawning mops with good success.
Here's a picture of the trap in use. The clear glass makes it very easy to inspect the trap for eggs. I have found these traps very useful when spawning very timid fish.
I hope you find them as useful as I have. Best of luck with all your breeding projects!
Dennis
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