Selective breeding

[Siamese Fighter05]

I was just wondering if you guys could refresh my memory i had a good book which said that there were certain colours of males which didnt carry the red pigment cells. Ive looked everywhere for it but cant find it Could you tell me which strand this is please as i am planning on breeding as you may well know ( no time soon but planning months in advance seems more sensible ) The reason i wanted this type is my lfs are swamped with red veiltails. and i know they wud give alot of store credit for quality hm stock, i obviously know that red bettas would still be in my fry but i was hoping for reduced numbers of them? are there any females without the red pigment cell because that would give me no red?. Thanks (If i get a succeful spawn Peeps on here can get 1st pick) For free just covering shipping (UK) lol ok they wont match bettamans lovely stock which i will probably purcahse a breeding pair from but for free shouldnt be too bad

 

[OohFeeshy]

I'm not sure HM's would be a good choice. They require larger tanks (for fry and adults), are far less suited to a community tank (where a lot will end up). I think CT would be better, people will go for the 'cool' spiky tail. I also think it would be best to try a spawn that will get the most variety in colours. If you go and see all the same colour, you think they're quite... boring, I suppose.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Ok thank for the advice, ill try crowntails. I guess i see your point about the lack of variety being boring. I guess i was thinking of getting my 'perfect' betta's for the my tank (soon to be diveded) not my cory tank b4 any thinks im getting ready of them (NEVER!!). But then again just because i like a particular colour doesnt mean everyone else will, so a variety makes more sense. Thanks for unblocking my 'tunnel vision' and ill just keep an eye out for some nice solid crowntails. thanks again

 

[Jessica13]

Actually.. I would go for the HMs.. They're the most sought after tail type and therefore, worth the most money. I picked up a male ct in my lfs for £3 whereas i've never even seen a HM in any shops! It would be nice to be able to have a nice supply of HMs in shops!

Also, a guy at my lfs said that CTs dont sell very well at all because people think the fins are shredded so only people who know what they're looking for would really buy them..

But, i'd go with whatever tail type you prefer anyway!

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Lol im getting tugged both way and i dont know which side im on
I diffently prefer the HM myself and like yourself ive never seen them in any lfs round here
But then again How much bigger thank do HM's need? I didn't think they would need a bigger one because when you add up the length of your fish your sposed to exclude the tail. But then again the fish might just generally need a bigger tank?
I like CW also and im unsure
Perharps i should make a poll ( if i can figure out how to do it)
Thanks for your input Jes

 

[Jessica13]

All of my bettas have the same sized tanks - 2 gallons I've had no problems at all and my HMs are just as happy as my other guys!

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Thanks Jes

 

[OohFeeshy]

TBH its more for the fry, HM's do need larger jars and better water conditions otherwise the HM won't develop properly. Also as adults, they need more room to swim to keep the tail at its best, otherwise it tends to curl and not look very nice (as HM's go).

EDIT- Here, dug this up.

Both parents need HM geno, of course. Otherwise it is basically water quality. I've heard that if betta fry ever get velvet, you will have no half moons. When they're jarred if you miss a day of water changes you lose the HM and can never get it back quite the same etc. Just keep your water clean and keep them well fed and practice their carding exercises and you might get a bunch.


The thread also mentioned having 4 or 5 gallon tupperware containers instead of beanie boxes.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

TBH its more for the fry, HM's do need larger jars and better water conditions otherwise the HM won't develop properly. Also as adults, they need more room to swim to keep the tail at its best, otherwise it tends to curl and not look very nice (as HM's go).

EDIT- Here, dug this up.

Both parents need HM geno, of course. Otherwise it is basically water quality. I've heard that if betta fry ever get velvet, you will have no half moons. When they're jarred if you miss a day of water changes you lose the HM and can never get it back quite the same etc. Just keep your water clean and keep them well fed and practice their carding exercises and you might get a bunch.


The thread also mentioned having 4 or 5 gallon tupperware containers instead of beanie boxes.

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Thanks for the info. I would be able to keep the water quality good. 5 gallon tubs... imagine if i had a large batch i better start collecting
Ps: What is carding exercises? Ive read up alot but never came across this, unless i have but forget the name
Thanks

 

[bkk_group]

i had luck breeding both actually. for first timers though i would recommend breeding plakats as their fins aren't as succeptable to variances in water etc. with HM the water must be perfect, CT as well. make sure the fish you breed haven't been inbred to death though, far too many "breeders" develop their lines for too long and then pass them on to the next often times unsuspecting wannabe breeder resulting in weak fish.

 

[SRC]

I'd imagine that even if they reverted back into Deltas/Super Deltas....that the general population would be impressed by them. When you havn't seen anything other thena Veil...they're truly awesome to see.

I like CT's alot, but if they aren't flaring...they kinda have a tendency to look like the end of a broomstick...so I agree that the general population would probably not think them nearly as grand as a HM or Delta.

I haven't noticed any of my HM or Delta's fin's "curly" due to lack of space. Mine are in the same size containers as the rest (veils, Plakats, Crown's) and their fins look just fine. They even stayed in beanie boxes for the first 4-6 months I had them..until I built my divided tank to put them all in, with no ill effects.

I have grown to love my plakats...and I think they are VERY cool (where as I didn't use to dig them quite so much) but I think owning a few really helped changed my mind some (and I have Wuv to thank for that lol). But, I have a tendency to think that for the general population they aren't going to be like "omg I gotta have one of those", simply because they don't have the long flowy fins that people associate with bettas. Unless you had some truly spectacular looking plakats (like that purple Mustard Gas one someone posted a while back) I'd have to lean towards thinking they'd think they were just females, if anything.

I think if you tried HM, Delta's, or even DT (Double Tails) that the general population would warm quickier to them then any other type.

But that's jsut my 2 cents worth. GoodLuck

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Quote ' I have grown to love my plakats...and I think they are VERY cool (where as I didn't use to dig them quite so much) but I think owning a few really helped changed my mind some (and I have Wuv to thank for that lol). But, I have a tendency to think that for the general population they aren't going to be like "omg I gotta have one of those", simply because they don't have the long flowy fins that people associate with bettas. Unless you had some truly spectacular looking plakats (like that purple Mustard Gas one someone posted a while back) I'd have to lean towards thinking they'd think they were just females, if anything. '

Yep i can diffently agree with that because when i first started fishkeeping (1year ago) I listened to a fs ( not to local) and bought 3 females to a male. Being a complete newb i didnt notice or even know that there were such things as plakat, until it was too late and my male was totally battered, he died)
i took the females back and one of the was identified as a male, immediatly i handed him over for a new longfinned betta because i didnt really accept him as a betta. About 2 weeks later i went down to get some platy and saw him swimming around, i noticed he had amazing shining blue fins along with his black body. I wish i had of keeped him because even some of the show bettas ive seen didnt match his beauty. Wonder where he is now
Thanks for the advice and im 80% sure im going with the Hm's

Edit: I never got the platy in the end, i got some clown loach instead, which was an even more daft choice than the platy. i took them back yesterday

 

[ManyFISH4Me]

I think you should start with a nice super delta pair, that carry HM. I'm sure your store will be thrilled with them. As for color, what about a Royal blue pair? You should get Steel, Royal, and Turq. If there is NO red in the parents, you shouldn't get any in the fry. (unless they both came from Multi's) But you should still get lots of blues.

 

[Synirr]

Personally, as far as colours go, I'd go for a marble pair. Plenty of variety there!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Yep, I agree marble would be a good choice. People prefer bettas with a variety of colour on them, each betta also has unque colouring.