What Am I Doing Wrong

[GuppyDude]

alright, iv been (adicted) to bettas for quite a while now and i have made many attemps at spawning them. the first few times, that i failed, i came here and got help, learned what i did wrong and what i could do to make it easy on myself. i think iv got it all down pretty much but for some reason im still not ahveing any luck!!! iv attempted to spanw 2 differant pairs about a dozen times this summer, each time trying a different approach. iv conditioned them on white worms and IAL, iv kept them away from any other betta contact during conditioning, but wen i put them together all i get is just aggression, no love... and its pretty much teh same thing every time.

my spawn tank is a 10g with about 4.5 inches of water in it, some java moss on one side for the female to hide in, some black cup things that kind of work as as shark cage where she can seek further shelter, and styrofoam cup (cut in half) and a thermometer. (my room temp is 75F, so i see no reason for a heater)

i userally add the male first and let him get used to the tank for about an hour before adding the female. once she is added she seems immediately interested in getting it on. she kind of twists around like she's trying to wrap but theres no other betta there, but the male chases her away from his cup (where there is no nest) and then with steely determination traks her throgh the java moss intent on nipping her fins off. the female occasionally gets brave enogh to go to teh cup but she is userally chased away or the male will just rest near the cup watching her untill she trys to run again. this pretty much goes on untill the female is down to tatters and i have to remove her. iv tried 2 differant pairs of fish, have tried spawning in water that was clean and clear and water that was conditioned with IAL. iv also tryed introduceing a second male so that teh 2 may stare each other down for 5 minuts before i pull the added male (giveing the spawning male the illusion that he has one the female and the territory). the strategy made little or no differants in any of teh spawns and im just about out of ideas.

could any of you fine fish keepers tell me what im doing wrong or what i can do to make this work? iv watched you all spawn these fish time and time again yet i am without luck please help!

 

[Saucy]

Get some IAL or Blackwater extract if you aren't using it. And get a heater. Up the temp to about 80. Maybe leave the female and male together separated for longer... That's all I can think of now.

 

[oneponygirl]

I'm not expert as I've not done this before but wouldn't the male want to have a bubble nest ready? I have no idea if that's the problem or not but if they spawn and she releases eggs where is he going to put them?

 

[bkk_group]

i think the male should be in the tank longer than a few hours before introducing the female for one thing, it's gotta feel like his territory, new surroundings kill the mating urges. let him have the tank for at least a couple of days then introduce the female into the tank but in a glass sleeve or chiminey (we just use a glass bottle). this way the male gets fired up by the female but can't get at her and gives her some time to get ready as well. after a day or two let them loose, cover the tank, make sure it is in a quiet location and give them some time.

 

[Kiarra]

The main thing that sticks out for me: the temperature. Mine would never spawn if it was so much as a degree below 80, and they spawned more readily at 81 and 82.

 

[GuppyDude]

temprature was the only thing that i immediately thoght was a problem possibly, ill try to rig up some device to keep the tank on 80. i have used IAL in the spawn tank before but i didn't see a whole lot of differance so i just quite useing the stuff except for conditioning. and the reason why i only had the male in the tank for an hour was because i was told by a breeder (not from this forum), that the spawn tank should be unfamiliar to both fish, but i know for sure bkk knows what he's talking about so i guess ill condition the male inside th spawn tank now.

im still a little scepticle about letting the male view the female in a vase for a couple days thogh, my fish are very very lazy and after about 5 minuts of flareing at a neighbor they deside that they cant get to em so why bother could i use like a mesh material to fence off a section of teh spawn tank so they can mabe get a little closer?

my ct pair is gunna be a couple weeks in recovery from the last spawn, the female if torn up bad and is missing half a ventral but she is ok now on her meds. ill have to starte conditioning my delta spawn tomarrow.

thanx a bunch, you guys are always great help

 

[Synirr]

Putting the female inside a vase in the spawning tank definitely helps. Even if they don't flare at one-another for long, it prompts the male to build a bubblenest because he sees a female in the area, and the fish are already familiar with one-another by the time you release the female. It's like the male says to himself, "oh, it's the lovely lady from the jar.... only I can actually touch her now!!! "

 

[wuvmybetta]

I agree with putting him in first, this way he'll have a chance to nest before the female 'arrives'. I wouldn't let him see her until you think he's ready. and if he has a nest already when you put her in, and they're both excited - go ahead and release her right away. Sometimes a small portion of another males nest works too. This will inspire the breeding male to build.

Do you know what your tap PH is? Have you tested it with IAL as well? Definitely try to get some black water extract (or my personal favorite- Amazon Rain)
Try to plan your spawn around the same time yoyu are expecting rain. Open the windows and...

Also, are you sure you just aren't chickening out too soon? Betta breeding does get brutal some times, and sometimes it's best to just throw a towel over the tank and look away .
As long as your female has enough cover and you are sure she can find a good hiding spot, just leave them be. Sometimes it takes days. Sometimes the males are extremely aggro in the beginning but they usually calm down. The chasing/slight beating is usually part of the 'foreplay' for bettas.

Be patient and brave

 

[GuppyDude]

well thats the thing, unless he see's a female he wont build a nest, i have fat lazy fish, except for the one u sent me, he acts like he's high on sumthin all the time i understand that both fish will take a beating during the spawn, but my ct girl had a couple spots that were way to close to her body and i didn't want to risk him hitting that spot and causeing a flesh wound. when they are together in there, i cant pretty much stand there and watch, its like im not even there but i do give them privacy, im just a little scared to leave them alone because he's so aggressive the whole time. and as far as the water goes, iv tried all kinds of water but iv had the most sucess with my clean tap water, but im gunna add IAL since im conditiong the male inside the spawn tank now.