Hello all!

[Headsinajar]

Hello all! I just joins today. I've recently began breeding bettas. Had a first spawning last week. The male leaves the fry on the bottom of the tank. They lay there for the most part but every now and again one will dart, or swim halfway to the surface. I guess it gets tired hallway up because it will start sinking to the bottom. Is this normal? And is it OK to be giving them newly hatched brine shrimp or should I have waited a few more days? My fry are about 4 days old ...hatched Sunday night.

 

[betta fish]

Hi, sounds like daddy isn't doing his duties, the fry should still be up in the bubble nest until they can free swim which should be any day now, that's when they will swim horizontal and not vertical this is when to feed them as up until this time they are still using their yolk sack, baby brine shrimp may be too big for the first feed, microworms are usually better for the first week at least.
I would remove dad when they begin to free swim if not now since he is not placing them back as he may start to eat them.

 

[betta fish]

Also should add lower the water until the fry can reach the top without too much effort as you really want them off the bottom of the tank.

 

[Toney]

Howdy

 

[Headsinajar]

Hi, sounds like daddy isn't doing his duties, the fry should still be up in the bubble nest until they can free swim which should be any day now, that's when they will swim horizontal and not vertical this is when to feed them as up until this time they are still using their yolk sack, baby brine shrimp may be too big for the first feed, microworms are usually better for the first week at least.
I would remove dad when they begin to free swim if not now since he is not placing them back as he may start to eat them.

He picks them up and takes them up to the nest and tries to blow them up there but they just spin and sink. Halfway down they will try to swim. But for the most part they lay on the bottom. Right when I'm about to give up on this batch, I'll see one or two trying to swim to the top and only make it halfway up. They don't seem to be growing at all. They look exactly the same as when they first hatched. They will be a week old tomorrow.