New To Bettas, Thinking Of Breeding

[Jessman]

Hi, I'm new to bettas, having bought my first male yesterday. I'm more experienced in livebearers such as guppies and platys. 
 
My betta is housed in a 25l bowl, undergravel filter, 50w heater (smallest i could find, couldn't get a hold of 25w) he seems pretty happy. 
 
I'm feeding him ground brine shrimp with healthy nutrients and some other things in the powder (something my mum bought) he seems to love it! 
 
I have a plastic plant in the bowl, took it from my main tank, the edges of the leaves are slightly spiked, ive heard this can damage the bettas fins, any suggestions on which plant i could get?
 
I've also heard that breeding bettas is a great experience so i'm thinking of doing that in a few weeks. 
Of course I'll have to buy two more bowls or small tanks, (about the same size as the bowl he's in now) for the female and the fry. 
Here are the basics i know about betta breeding
 
- the male will produce a bubble nest
- put a female in his bowl
- he will twist or something around her while she releases eggs
- once the eggs are in the bubble nest take the female out
- when the fry are free-swimming take the male out
 
I'm just wondering when do you know to put the female in, as in when do you know she is ready to release eggs? are they just ready anyway or does it take time to produce them?
 
I know quite a bit about breeding platys and guppies as i am doing that anyway, with a separate tank for the fry until they are ready to be re-homed or move the favourites to the main tank. 
 
Also, is it relatively easy to breed them or quite a challenge?
 
Any advice, help, or thoughts about the bettas would be very much appreciated! Thanks

 

[attibones]

First, you will need far more than three tanks or bowls. Undergravel filters are really worth little. They don't do much for any sort of filtration. I recommend that before you get into breeding, you get your fish out of his bowl and into a proper 5-10 gallon tank with a HOB filter, appropriate heater, and silk plants, as well as a cave or two. Once that tank is cycled (one of the major problems with under-gravel filters: no cycling), you will then move the betta in there. If you have the space for at least four more tanks, plus about fifty or so betta "cups," then you may get a female. If you are going to breed betta fish, you will have to keep in mind what you will do with the fry. Betta young are not usually sold before they are two or three months old and have all their color. Unlike with platy or guppy fry, once they hit a certain age, the betta fry must be separated from each other. You have to have all the males individually housed, and many of the females individually housed. If you try to keep them together after a few weeks, you'll likely only end up with one fry remaining. It's like the Hunger Games for fish. I don't recommend any one except experienced betta keepers with plenty of space, money, and time to breed betta fish.

 

[Jessman]

Thanks i appreciate your advice. I might put off the idea for a while, gain more experience with bettas and maybe think about it again further down the line, we'll see what happens  

 

[attibones]

Excellent. Should you wish to go ahead and get a female, that would be totally fine. I rather like the females, even though they aren't as colorful as their male counterparts.

 

[Jessman]

Yes i agree, and females can be kept together too, added bonus! although i'd need a bigger betta tank if i was going to do that haha

 

[kSong]

I have a question about my male betta. He has had three batch of frys but every time when the frys hatched he would eat them, why? I need help.


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