My Little Ones Are Finally Growing Up!

[Bubblenester]

I bred these bettas July 17th (some issues with food cultures slowed their growth a bit) and I finally jarred my first males yesterday. The two largest of them colored right up and started flaring at each other! My boyfriend has already claimed the turquoise. It looks like he will have a decent spread on his tail- the parents were not halfmoon stock so we didn't really have high hopes for the little ones.

4 days after spawning (father is in the background, and you can also see vinegar eels in the water)

Day 44- We see you!

Week 11

Week 13 Green Male

Week 13 Steel Male

Week 13 Royal Blue DT Male- he has a lot of red in his fins but the flash washed it out

The father. He was sold to us as a female, then changed his mind.

Royal blue marble female- she just won't stay still for a good shot.


ETA: The little green and steel males have both built tiny bubblenests. I'm overwhelmed by the warm and fuzzies...

 

[Heather.]

wow they are all beautiful.. Very good clear pics especially the first one..x

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Gorgeous beebees!

 

[lilfishie]

oo they are gorgeous, great pictures

 

[!Gina]

I love the pictures what lovely little fish

 

[liz2]

oh they are so cute...how many are there?

 

[Bubblenester]

oh they are so cute...how many are there?

We haven't exactly counted, but somewhere around 50 I'd say.

 

[spilz]

quality, fair play mate, they look really healthy, i really hope mine breed now, the bubble nest is built, but the female doesnt seem too interested so im not letting her out yet.

any chance you could give me a quick overview of your techniques??

once again, nice one for the youngsters

 

[Bubblenester]

quality, fair play mate, they look really healthy, i really hope mine breed now, the bubble nest is built, but the female doesnt seem too interested so im not letting her out yet.

any chance you could give me a quick overview of your techniques??

once again, nice one for the youngsters

I breed mine in a 10 gallon tank with 3-4 inches of water in it, heated to around 80 degrees F (submersible heater) and I put in a seasoned sponge filter (I don't turn it on until the fry hatch and are free-swimming- the water movement will disturb the nest too much). I also put in plants for the female to hide in, and half a styrofoam cup for the male to build his nest under. I condition the fish for at least a week by doing frequent water changes, feeding lots of live foods, and letting them see each other for an hour or so each day. I am a little concerned that since you've kept your fish together, they may be too used to each other to be interested in breeding, but I've never tried it so who knows.

I put the male in the tank and put the female in a hurricane lamp (a jar is fine too) and let them flirt for a while. If the female doesn't seem interested, I will let her out into the tank for a little while then put her back. I might repeat that a few times. It lets her interact with the male and I think they may release hormones into the water that induce spawning as well. When the female seems interested and I have a day off to stay home and keep an eye on them, I let the female out for good and wait for the magic to happen. I've also heard that a low barometric pressure induces spawning, so wait for a rainy day if you can.

I really do recommend getting cultures of vinegar eels and/or microworms established before breeding. It just sucks trying to scrounge up food for the fry from a culture that isn't producing much yet, and can result in lots of dead fry or at least slowing down their growth (ask me how I know!)

Let me know if you get them to spawn, and I can help you through the rest of the process.

 

[jourdy288]

Just asking, what size can they take flake? Also, I am making a betta movie. May I please use some pics?

 

[PoptartShop]

Aww they are SO cute!!
Great pics!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bubblenester]

Just asking, what size can they take flake? Also, I am making a betta movie. May I please use some pics?

For some reason I'm reading that question strangely. Are you asking at what size they will eat flake food? I don't give my bettas flakes but I start the little ones on Hikari "micro pellets" as soon as they can get their mouths around them. I think most of my little guys were eating them when they were about 3/4 inches long. I would guess that they could eat flakes at about that size too.

Sure, you can use the pics.

 

[imwithstephen]

That's wicked, it's cool to see the process. Did you find it difficult to get them to breed, or wasn't this your first time?

S

 

[Bubblenester]

That's wicked, it's cool to see the process. Did you find it difficult to get them to breed, or wasn't this your first time?

S

This is maybe our... 7th spawn? It went more smoothly than most. Maybe we're just starting to get the hang of it or something. I'm still annoyed that I didn't get any photos of the fish actually spawning, but I definitely will next time!

 

[12azor]

What do you do with them all?

Sell them to the lfs or sell them to popele on here?