Breeding aquarium fish: where to start

Breeding guide · About 4 minutes to read · By Andy · Updated Oct 26, 2026

Watching your own fish raise a family is one of the best parts of the hobby. These are the easiest fish, shrimp and snails to breed at home, with a step-by-step guide for each.

A group of red cherry shrimp on bright green aquarium plants — Cherry shrimp breeding on their own in one of my tanks.

I've kept fish for over 10 years and have bred every animal on this page in my own tanks.

Easiest fish to breed, ranked

Animal	Difficulty	How they breed
Guppies	Very easy	Live fry, about every 4 weeks
Swordtails	Very easy	Live fry, 20 to 80 at a time
Cherry shrimp	Easy	Female carries eggs about 30 days
Mystery snails	Easy	Egg clutch above the waterline
Shell dwellers	Easy	Eggs laid inside empty snail shells
Bristlenose plecos	Easy	Male guards eggs in a cave
Jewel cichlids	Medium	Pair guards eggs on a flat rock
Corydoras	Medium	Sticky eggs on the glass
Norman's lampeyes	Medium	A few eggs a day in plants or a mop

Four things every breeder needs

Healthy, well-fed adults. Fish breed when they're in great condition. Feed a mix of good pellets and frozen or live foods.
Clean, stable water. Most spawns follow a water change. See how to do a water change.
Somewhere for babies to hide, like java moss and floating plants, or a separate fry tank with a sponge filter.
The right first food. Baby brine shrimp suit almost every fry.

Have a plan for the babies

Easy breeders fill a tank fast. Before you start, ask your local fish store whether they take home-bred fish, and check how many your tanks can hold with the stocking calculator. Never release fish, shrimp or snails into the wild.

Breeding picks

Paid links: if you buy through these Amazon links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Keep it all by your tanks. The Fish Breeding Planner has step-by-step pages for 8 easy species, a fry food guide and printable spawn and fry logs. Get the planner for $9