Kelly loved the write up but wanted to add that I start my new fry on BBS. I don't worry about starting on micro worms. Also wanted to add to the post that olny 20 or 30 survive. If you are losing more then 5% of your spawn before culling then you are not changing near enough water, feeding way to much, or not feeding near enough.

-john

sponge/corner filter where can i get these from in the uk

I'm not sure about the UK (should be able to find them in your lfs) ,there is also a thread somewhere with a DIY sponge filter.

I have a strange question. If you have NO supplies, and assuming you get all the necessary jars for 50 cents each... How much is the grand total of EVERYTHING you need for one spawn? This is including all the food, housing... things like that. I know guesses will average, but I'm just curious what the opinion is

I don't intend to breed bettas in the near future, but it would be nice to know in the distant future what I should plan on spending for a first spawn, assuming I need to buy all new material.

KeddyPie... this is just a guess I'm sure Wuv and the other experienced breeders know much better.

10 gallon spawn tank ~ $20
50 gallon grow out tank ~ $60
Filters/siphoning equiptment ~ $25
Heaters ~ $20
2 Cultures (Microworm + Vinegar Eel) ~ $30
BBS + hatchery ~ $20
10 Plants (live or silk) ~ $20
Other stuff (nets, scoops, thermometers, water testing kits, dechlorinators,etc) ~ $40 at LEAST
$0.50 jars x 100 ~ $50

GRAND TOTAL ~ $285


This is if you get REALLY cheap, basic tanks and good deals on cultures and plants. I've estimated this is at least how much I'll spend on my spawn... My 12gal breeding tank cost $80, and my grow out tank will definitely cost more than $60. Its very costly and time-consuming to start off in breeding Bettas... if you have 200-300 fry, it could cost much more than $300. And, for a lot of the fry, you won't get very much money at all. What about the deformed or poorly marked babies? If you don't cull them, you'll be giving them away for FREE. And a large percentage of even a well-bred spawn can be deformed, poorly marked, have poor finnage, not show quality, etc. So, most of the time for beginning breeders, you are not going to come out even.

I was thinking (as much as people tend to not approve of this) buying a high-quality breeding pair of mustard gas or something similar (I just love those ones) and just breeding them once. Of course, I would be fully commited to that one spawn, trying to have the best outcome... But it is mostly to see if it is something I am interested in in the long run I can't decide to start breeding bettas if I've never done it, but I don't want my test-spawn to be Vieltails or something... Just the amount of effort and dissapointment in trying to find them good homes would turn me off of breeding.

Of course, I'm talking about the DISTANT future, like... in 5 or 6 years, when I've wracked up a lot more fishkeeping exp points (I've only been doing this a few months) and have my own house with a lot of space. Luckily, I'm in love with someone who is slowly catching on to my own addiction to fish, so I don't think I'd have much of a protest He's on pins and needles, giddy with excitedment that he is getting his first betta on wednesday or thursday, and went and bought a tank and set it up the day after I told him I was adopting some! I swear, he thinks he's adopting a child or something, he's so serious about it!

Thanks for the estimite, more are appreciated ^___^ I think I'd set my money limit on 500 dollars (and go overboard with needed materials, because they're always reusable for other things... Like getting a 30 gallon growout tank instead of a 10, and maybe building a betta barracks shelving unit with removable dividers instead of a hundres cups, so as I find homes for bettas, I can re-size the exirsting barracks to give everyone more room, and eventually use it as just a few fairly large betta tanks

Keddy

Also, if anyone cares, there is a VERY loud cricket in my room that I can't find I have to wake up in 6 hours, and I'll never get to sleep at this rate!

no problem! ^_~

WOW, it sounds like you and your BF are Betta-addicts in the making! thats awesome !! I totally agree about re-using the materials... actually, as breeders get more experience and acquire a lot of supplies and good tanks, it starts to cost WAY less. I'll hopefully be spawning two pairs by the end of the year, so I get to re-use all of the equiptment (at least) once! And, then I'll by using the 12gal for a female community tank

Seems a bit much to me... Not sure on the tank prices, but it may be cheaper to go for a couple of smaller tanks. Not only can this work out cheaper, it also helps cut the spread of disease. Filters you can DIY from old containers, a basic airump and some media, siphoning equiptment is airline tubing which is very cheap, the cultures will only be a few dollars each (not sure on vinegar eels but they seem alot of bother), bbs hatchery can easily be DIY'd.

Anyway, a few questions.
1. How often should you do water changes on jars of about... beanie box size?
2. Roughly how long from hatching to sellable size?
3. Can you feed decapsulated BBS without hatching them?
4. How long until they stop needing feeding (or other maintenance) twice a day (school etc.)?

And finally, since if I did breed I might have a pet shop buying, what colours are best to get maximum variety of fry colour?

The liquid Fry makes them grow thats about all though so you probally would want something more to supliment there diet. hope it helped

sweet that answered almost all my questions...if i wanted to say sell/giveaway these fry at what would the youngest age possible be?

Hi would liquifry be any good for the fry?and do apple snails give off infusoria?
thanks!

would a lone betta male ramdomly make a bubblenest? or do they need to be prompted?

They will bubblenest when they feel 'happy' as it were when conditions are ideal in their tanks, or when they are horny

No, they don't need to be prompted, but you can prompt them if you wish

hiii,
i had a beautiful male betta about a year and a half ago. i bought him from my LFS and he died shortly after about a week and a half later (very sad). Ever since then ive been tempted to get another but this time on his own not in a community settup. so what do you think about getting 1 to go in a 30 litre (about 6 gallon) aquarium?! thanks corey

hiii,
i had a beautiful male betta about a year and a half ago. i bought him from my LFS and he died shortly after about a week and a half later (very sad). Ever since then ive been tempted to get another but this time on his own not in a community settup. so what do you think about getting 1 to go in a 30 litre (about 6 gallon) aquarium?! thanks corey

I have just attempted a try at breeding a couple of Betta's - woooops...!!!
Firstly I have a 70G tank with 1 male and 3 x females - all very happily living/feeding etc with minimal flaring.

I prepared a small tank with around 6 inches of dechlorinated water 50/50 with regular tank water, placed a piece of bubble wrap on the surface and floated a few plants for cover. Put in the heater and brought up to around 80. (no filter at this point).

I netted the male and in he went, followed very quickly by the fattest female who I placed in a John Smiths pint glass filled to the same level as the tank and rested in the centre of the tank. The male immediately circled the glass constantly flaring at the female - she was going nuts at first but eventually settled and assumed the nose down position. Male at this point investigated the bubble wrap frequently and returned to flare at the female - this happened for an hour or so - I got called away to have my supper but upon returning to my surprise and horror the glass was empty - she had leapt out and was hiding for dear life behind the horizontally placed heater. I moved her out and then the trouble began - the male went ballistic, chasing her furiously round the tank, flaring and really digging in hard rams - the female was clearly very distressed but Id heard that things can get a bit rough so I left them alone for the night. This morning I returned to find the female floating on top of the bubble wrap out of the males reach, but still alive - no bubble nest had been built to speak of although a few were present. Again I left them and checked again this lunch time, she was still atop the floating bubble wrap and not surprisingly didnt want to leave. At this point I removed her to a separate fry tank where hopefully she will recover.

What went wrong? I have another 2 females in the main tank to try...??? The male is still in the small tank waiting for his next victim... What should I do next please help....

Bungy

Really silly Q, and I do apologise, but was your female showing vertical bars??? and was she visably swollen with eggs?

Really silly Q, and I do apologise, but was your female showing vertical bars??? and was she visably swollen with eggs?
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Not a silly Q at all - all the help I can get is appreciated.
No vertical bars present only horizontal ones which fluctuate all the time from full colour and no bars to pale with horizontal.
Swollen, difficult to tell given that this is my first attempt but this particular female was slightly larger and fuller than the other two although all the same size when I bought them from the LFS 3 months ago.

This post has been edited by Bungy: Jan 9 2008, 04:27 PM