How to Raise Sardines

Preparing the Aquarium

• 1

  Open the aquarium kit and remove all the packaging inside. Set the packaging and items aside and inspect the aquarium for cracks or possible problem areas.

• 2

  Fill the aquarium with clean distilled water and add the salt water tank additive according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• 3

  Place the heater in the tank. If the heater is the type that covers the full bottom of the tank put it in first; if it is the type of heater that hangs on the lip of the tank and heats the water from above, place it in one of the corners of the tank.

• 4

  Pour enough substrate into the tank to fill the tank up to 2" from the bottom. The substrate you use can be the small glass pebbles or smooth stones.

• 5

  Set the filter up while the water is heating. There are many different types of filters that can be used, choose one that is strong enough to get the job done for you.

• 6

  Attach the pump to the air hose and then attach the air-stone to the air hose. Place the air hose into the tank to begin the aeration process.

• 7

  Place the hide areas into the tank. Sardines prefer to have rocks or rough edges around the edge of the tank. This simulates their natural environment.

• 8

  Test the water with the pH testing kit. The ideal result is between 8 and 9 on the alkaline scale. Most pH kits have a litmus paper you dip into the water. The color of the litmus paper tells you what the pH level is.

• 9

  Wait for 3 days before adding any fish to the tank. This will give you time for the water to be heated, ideally to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and reach the right pH levels.

• 10

  Place a lid on the tank. Sardines tend to leap out of tanks with no lids, especially during mating season when the male attempts to garner the female's attention by leaping out of the water.

Caring for the Sardines

• 11

  Place newly purchased sardines, in the plastic bags they came in, into the tank for an hour to get them acclimated to the temperature. After the hour is up, release them from the bags so they can explore their new home.

• 12

  Feed the sardines a diet of live or frozen brine shrimp. Some frozen brine shrimp come in small cubes, others in larger cubes. One small cube per day should be enough for three sardines. The fish should be fed each day. If you anticipate being away from home, fish stores carry weekend feeders that release food regularly for a period of a few days.

• 13

  Watch for mating behavior. The males will be prompting the female to release an egg with a display of flips, turns and somersaults. She will lay an egg which the male will fertilize in mid-water as the egg flows downward. The female will catch the egg in her mouth where she will hold it until it hatches a month later.

• 14

  Keep the young fry in the tank until they are large enough to remove. Sardines typically do not eat their young the way other fish do. Once you can tell the sex of the young fry -- the males are more colorful -- separate these fish into other tanks to begin the breeding process all over again.

• 15

  Remove males so that there is only one full sized male per tank. Males may fight each other and you'll end up losing fish.