🧶 How to Make a Spawning Mop for Breeding Fish
🌟 Overview A spawning mop is a simple, reusable tool that mimics plants and provides egg-laying fish (like killifish, rainbowfish, and ricefish) a safe place to deposit their eggs. It also makes egg collection easier for breeders.
🛠️ Materials Needed
- 100% acrylic yarn (green or dark color preferred, as it resists rotting in water)
- Scissors ✂️
- A small object for wrapping yarn (like a book, cardboard, or clipboard ~6–8 inches wide)
- A cork, fishing bobber, or piece of foam (for floating mops)
- Optional: small rock or washer (for sinking mops)
🧵 Instructions
- Wrap the Yarn
- Take your yarn and wrap it around the book/cardboard about 50–100 times depending on how thick you want your mop.
- Cut the Yarn
- Carefully slide the yarn bundle off and cut through one end. You should now have several strands of equal length.
- Tie the Mop
- Tie the strands together at the midpoint with an extra piece of yarn, creating a “V” shape bundle.
- Add a Float or Weight
- For a floating mop: tie the knotted end securely to a cork or bobber.
- For a sinking mop: tie the knotted end around a washer or small rock.
- Place in Aquarium
- Drop the mop in the breeding tank. Floating mops stay at the surface; sinking mops sit on the bottom.
- Fish will deposit eggs among the yarn strands.
🐟 Tips for Breeders
- Check the mop daily for eggs.
- Gently remove eggs with your fingers or tweezers and move them to a separate hatching container to avoid predation.
- Use multiple mops in one tank to increase spawning success.
- Rinse mops occasionally to keep them clean.
❓ FAQ
Q: Why use acrylic yarn instead of cotton?
A: Acrylic doesn’t rot in water and lasts much longer.
Q: Which fish benefit from spawning mops?
A: Killifish, rainbowfish, ricefish, danios, and other egg-scattering fish.
Q: Should I use a floating or sinking mop?
A: Depends on the species. Surface spawners prefer floating mops; bottom spawners prefer sinking mops.
