Betta Breeding

[Somethings Fishy Here]

Hey everyone, I won't waste everyones time asking how to get them to breed as I can and have done some research on my own. I just want to know the things that would be hard to research such as the ease of raising the babies, their habits, how soon they need to be seperated, and if its worth it to breed them (as I'm sure it is ). I found a male with a white body that shimmers turqoise and green in light with fins that go blue to purplish to red radiating from the body and doing so perfectly symmetrical... its like no betta I've ever seen so I kind of feel a need to breed it if it isn't to much more difficult than rearing livebearer fry. Thanks everybody



And if anyone is interested in seeing a picture for some reason or another I could have one up in a day or so just let me know

 

[Ethos]

Ease of raising the babies: In itself, pretty easy but alot of work. Water changes everyday, and they require striked diets. I myself still hasn't found out what to feed them....I herd to feed them the yolk of a boiled egg, but that can't be right.

Their habits: Just a plain plastic tub with a heater.

How soon they need to be seperated: As soon as you see them start fighting usualy after the first month and a half(?)

And if its worth it to breed them: I think it will indeed be.

Hope this helps.

 

[Somethings Fishy Here]

yes it does Ethos thanks... sounds similar to livebearer babies and that was my main concern as if they were much more difficult to rear I didnt want to bother.

 

[Ethos]

No problem.
My biggest concern is feeding them...
I still don't know what to..

 

[Somethings Fishy Here]

Well I'm going to keep researching, if I come across something that is looking like a common food for the fry I'll pass the info along.

 

[Synirr]

...if it isn't to much more difficult than rearing livebearer fry.

... From what little experience I've had with livebearer fry, it's definitely more difficult. I can ignore livebearer fry and still have some manage to survive to adulthood.

Betta fry require daily 75% water changes beginning after their first week to grow fast and consistently. I've skipped a couple of days on mine recently because finals are coming up next week and I've been studying like a fiend and all stressed out, and I'm already starting to notice some very small runts. The theory is that the fry release hormones into the water that stunts the growth of their siblings, so these have to be removed often. They also have to be fed live foods at least 3 times a day. Usually they won't take any food that doesn't move before the 3rd-4th week. BBS is the best food for them in my opinion, and they love it... this means setting up hatcheries, of course. Microworms are also good for very young fry. As they get older they graduate to grindal worms, white worms, springtails, and/or finely chopped/grated frozen foods. Some recommend feeding boiled egg yolk, but that seems like it would be terrible for water quality!

All you need to raise them in is a large container and a heater. Anything larger than a 20 gallon is recommended as a good size for a growout tank, but obviously the more fry you have the bigger the tank you'll need, and you can VERY EASILY have over 100 in a single spawn. Both of mine had nearly 200 fry to begin with.

Like Ethos said, they should be separated when they become aggressive, usually sometime between 1.5 and 2 months, but in smaller spawns it can happen sooner. Once they have been jarred their water should be changed at least every other day unless the containers are large (1+ gallon,) in which case you can get away with allowing 2 days between water changes. Basically, expect to spend more than 1 hour every single day dealing with them, and expect to empty your wallet buying food, jarring containers, and other supplies.

However, raising them is definitely worth the work. It's very rewarding to see them all grown up
Sooo... let's see that male!

 

[fishykisses]

let me tell you from experience - there is no easy in rearing betta fry.
Livebearers for one are hearty little bugger - betta's - NOT
two - livebearers just need to be fed ground flakes or frozen food - betta's - Live food, which is expensive and time consuming.
Livebearers just need a filter - Betta's - tanks need to be cleaned and 50-75% water changes daily...
If that's not enough reason not to jump into breeding, i'm sure you'll get some others.

Hee hee hee - Synirr, you beat me to it!

 

[Ethos]

Synirr - What do you feed betta fry?

 

[Synirr]

Synirr - What do you feed betta fry?

Usually they won't take any food that doesn't move before the 3rd-4th week. BBS is the best food for them in my opinion, and they love it... this means setting up hatcheries, of course. Microworms are also good for very young fry. As they get older they graduate to grindal worms, white worms, springtails, and/or finely chopped/grated frozen foods. Some recommend feeding boiled egg yolk, but that seems like it would be terrible for water quality!

 

[Ethos]

Whats BBS?
And where do you buy Microworms?
What about chopped-up frozen bloodworms?

 

[Synirr]

BBS are baby brine shrimp. You can buy eggs at most pet stores and there's a pinned topic on how to hatch them on the forum somewhere (basically you need a small container, an air pump, and saltwater with a pH of around 8, which you can achieve with aquarium salt and a pinch of baking soda if your tap pH is low.) Microworm starter cultures can be purchased online, or you can get them from forum members who have them (me, for example.) After week 4 or so you can feed finely chopped bloodworm, but before that the fry are too small.