Fry mortality rate?

[Synirr]

I'm just wondering what percentage of the original spawn usually survives to adulthood? I've found about 5 to 10 dead fry so far and my spawn will be 3 weeks old Thursday... personally I think that's pretty good considering how fragile they are and that this is my first real spawn, but I just want something to compare it to . I think the dead fry I've found were just weak to begin with (they were all very small compared to siblings) and began dying off when I started water changes.
Also, at about what age can you be fairly sure that, barring any unforseen accidents and such, the fry will stand a good chance of surviving?

 

[Kiarra]

About 4 weeks, I think, after the labyrinths have developed, they usually stabilize and survive. However, it's common to find more deaths during the time where the labyrinths are supposed to develop, because some don't develop, so they suffocate.

 

[Synirr]

Thanks for the info Kiarra
Anyone else have any input? What percentage of your fry usually survive?

 

[wuvmybetta]

Kiarra is right on with four weeks. It's an extremely rare occurence to find one randomly dead after that age.Even as early as after the first week in my experience..
Synirr, this is the best time to watch them closely When they take that first gulp of air, it's amazing. You can see the little bubble behind their eye in their newly developed labyrinths That's one of my favorite things about baby bettas. It's so funny how they shimmy around all freaked out when they do it for the first time. I would imagine it feels similar to water up our noses.

Anyhoo, I usually have around a 98% survival rate ( ). I've had many spawns that never had a single fry die,at all. Others with mishaps like choking or getting pinned under a plant weight etc. And a few that had 10-20% die offs the first couple of days . It's really just so different with each spawn. But every one is as exciting as my first
(can't tell I'm hard up for some babies, huh?)

 

[Kiarra]

On my very latest spawn, two eggs hatched, and I still have those two fry.

On the one a week before that, 6 eggs hatched, and I have four of them. The other two died about the time for them to be developing labyrinths.

They are 6 and 7 weeks old now.

 

[wuvmybetta]

One time I did an orange sibling spawn....uhhm, I can't think when but it was probably about 7 or 8 months ago. Anyway, dad ate all of the eggs so I pulled him,found one egg left,it hatched but the fry disappeared, went to tear down the tank a week later and there was a wee fry just swimmin along. He grew up to be the ugliest betta

 

[Synirr]

He grew up to be the ugliest betta

Oh man Wuv, I can't WAIT for them to get their labyrinths
I guarantee you I look at each individual fry every single day. I sit in front of that tank and just stare and stare. It has been great fun watching them grow.

I think I know why I lost a few earlier, too. The first few water changes I didn't have any extra airline tubing to slowly siphon the new water in, so I just poured it in and I think that might have shocked the weaker fry... ah well, you live and you learn. Now I've been siphoning the water in veeery slowly... it takes almost all day for the water to be completely replaced. I haven't seen but about 1 death since I started doing that

 

[GaryH]

My first successful spawn is 4 weeks old tomorrow and I've lost most of them for various reasons, mainly dad eating half of them after they had hatched. I had about 15-20 left after that, there have been a few dead on the bottom for no real reason, several have just vanished (I'm guessing the smallest fry) and now I have 5. A real shame, but I think it's a good number to start off with!

 

[bettaboi]

my first spawn is about 2 months old and i only have about 10 left (but i think thats not bad for a first spawn

 

[Synirr]

I've got like... 50-80 left
I'm so bad at estimation that there's really no telling how many there actually are.

 

[yeeviabetta]

All dead if i take over in 2 or 3 days old frys. LOL If I let the father takecare for at least 3 weeks, Maybe one to three dead. LOL