Breeding Betta....
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372xp
Fish Crazy
I see from your signature you have 3 females and one male in tank 2.
This isnt usualy a good idea.
However to answer your question there is a few things you need to take into consideration.
1; Do you have the time and space
2; Do you have enough tanks
3; What are you going to do with any offspring.
4; You will need food for conditioning and for the fry.
If you can answer these things ok then you need to start cycling your breeding tank. This doesnt need to be huge but will need a cover to keep the warmth in. Put a plant or 2 in as cover for the female to hide in.An Indian Almond leaf or 2 is a good idea . It is a good idea to only fill the tank 3/4 full.
Next you need to start to condition the male and female you intend to breed, as the whole process takes its toll. When the tank is fully cycled you can add your male to it. As he is in new surroundings he will normally start to build his nest, so you dont want a strong current or surface aggitation to disturb it. After a day or 2 add the female in a breeding trap so the male can see but not touch. Keep her in there for at least 24 hours so they get used to each other, all the while keep feeding.
She will let you know when she is ready to breed as you will notice verticle stripes on her sides (not horizontal that is a sign of stress). When this happens release her into the tank. She will probably go and hide, the male will chase her around a bit. When she is ready to breed she will hang under the bubble nest. They will 'embrace' a few times until she is empty of eggs. The male will then tend to the nest. Give it half hour or so then remove the female back to a breeder trap in her sorrority to recover.
A few days later the fry will hatch once they have absorbed there yolk sack you can begin feeding them and remove the male back to his tank where he will need a bit of tlc.
You will need to be cycling your grow out tanks for the fry as they get bigger.
Seperate the males as they become aggresive. You will need to eventually put them in individual 'jars'.
It is not a dark art it just needs time patiance and the right equipment.
Good luck, always keen for more breeders in Devon.
This isnt usualy a good idea.
However to answer your question there is a few things you need to take into consideration.
1; Do you have the time and space
2; Do you have enough tanks
3; What are you going to do with any offspring.
4; You will need food for conditioning and for the fry.
If you can answer these things ok then you need to start cycling your breeding tank. This doesnt need to be huge but will need a cover to keep the warmth in. Put a plant or 2 in as cover for the female to hide in.An Indian Almond leaf or 2 is a good idea . It is a good idea to only fill the tank 3/4 full.
Next you need to start to condition the male and female you intend to breed, as the whole process takes its toll. When the tank is fully cycled you can add your male to it. As he is in new surroundings he will normally start to build his nest, so you dont want a strong current or surface aggitation to disturb it. After a day or 2 add the female in a breeding trap so the male can see but not touch. Keep her in there for at least 24 hours so they get used to each other, all the while keep feeding.
She will let you know when she is ready to breed as you will notice verticle stripes on her sides (not horizontal that is a sign of stress). When this happens release her into the tank. She will probably go and hide, the male will chase her around a bit. When she is ready to breed she will hang under the bubble nest. They will 'embrace' a few times until she is empty of eggs. The male will then tend to the nest. Give it half hour or so then remove the female back to a breeder trap in her sorrority to recover.
A few days later the fry will hatch once they have absorbed there yolk sack you can begin feeding them and remove the male back to his tank where he will need a bit of tlc.
You will need to be cycling your grow out tanks for the fry as they get bigger.
Seperate the males as they become aggresive. You will need to eventually put them in individual 'jars'.
It is not a dark art it just needs time patiance and the right equipment.
Good luck, always keen for more breeders in Devon.
Firstly i understand this isnt the ideal way to breed ANY fish. but just dabbling atm.
i watched some easy breeding in 2 minutes videos on youtube.
I mocked up a tank with clean water and the top of a pop bottle for the nest.thermometer and a small bottle filled with hot water to keep the water warm (which i change when cold)
i put shadow (male) in the tank and put Snow (female) in the bottom of the pop bottle in the tank too, so they can see each other.
He imediatly showed alot of interest in her and started flaring and body wiggling showing off his fins to her. She looks at him and has bowed a few times (she is very fat and has the white anal protrusion).
He straight away started to blow alot of bubbles.
a few questions..
1- he isnt making a bubble nest, how long does this usually take? and could this mean the time isnt right?
2- she isnt *butting* the side of the bottle to get to him. does this mean she isnt interested?
3- i came down this morning to them both in the tank together, she has no torn fins, still has the white spot, and there is still no bubble nest.
i have changed their water and put her back in the pop bottle. He is still *showing off* to her and blowing bubbles at the surface.
As for the 3 females with the one male, was told by the LFS that as long as there are multiples of females to males they should be ok.
and as shadow (THE male) and Snow (one of the females) were in the seperate tank together with no fighting im confident they will be fine. But will keep an eye x
note: i have cycled media to go in any fry tank when and if needed.
i watched some easy breeding in 2 minutes videos on youtube.
I mocked up a tank with clean water and the top of a pop bottle for the nest.thermometer and a small bottle filled with hot water to keep the water warm (which i change when cold)
i put shadow (male) in the tank and put Snow (female) in the bottom of the pop bottle in the tank too, so they can see each other.
He imediatly showed alot of interest in her and started flaring and body wiggling showing off his fins to her. She looks at him and has bowed a few times (she is very fat and has the white anal protrusion).
He straight away started to blow alot of bubbles.
a few questions..
1- he isnt making a bubble nest, how long does this usually take? and could this mean the time isnt right?
2- she isnt *butting* the side of the bottle to get to him. does this mean she isnt interested?
3- i came down this morning to them both in the tank together, she has no torn fins, still has the white spot, and there is still no bubble nest.
i have changed their water and put her back in the pop bottle. He is still *showing off* to her and blowing bubbles at the surface.
As for the 3 females with the one male, was told by the LFS that as long as there are multiples of females to males they should be ok.
and as shadow (THE male) and Snow (one of the females) were in the seperate tank together with no fighting im confident they will be fine. But will keep an eye x
note: i have cycled media to go in any fry tank when and if needed.
I've always wondered about how people breed Betta fish and stay sane. lol It is my understanding that you need to separate all the males into their own tanks? I'm assuming this is true as it would make complete sense to avoid fighting. But how old would the fry be when you have to do this? I can't imagine having all those tanks around! lol It would seem the easy part is the breeding. The rest... well... not so easy! 
372xp
Fish Crazy
My guess would be that Shadow is quite used to having the females around, (if he is the male who shares in tank 2) so this is nothing new for him. I have heard of some breeders stimulating males by placing another in the tank, I would however approach this with caution. If you do seperate them with a tank divider or keep one in a breeding trap. The theory being that if there is no competition there is no urgency to breed.
Try a floating plant or almond leaf on the surface for shadow to attach his nest to. My male builds a new nest every day, usualy in the same place around the heater. You could maybe turn the temp up to 26 or 27, this can also stimulate breeding.
Try a floating plant or almond leaf on the surface for shadow to attach his nest to. My male builds a new nest every day, usualy in the same place around the heater. You could maybe turn the temp up to 26 or 27, this can also stimulate breeding.
As soon as the male fry start showing aggressive traits seperate them. A large tank with plenty of dividers is the way or a betta barracks, I think there is still one on e-bay.DyArianna said:I've always wondered about how people breed Betta fish and stay sane. lol It is my understanding that you need to separate all the males into their own tanks? I'm assuming this is true as it would make complete sense to avoid fighting. e But how old would the fry be when you have to do this? I can't imagine having all those tanks around! lol It would seem the easy part is the breeding. The rest... well... not so easy!
My guess would be that Shadow is quite used to having the females around, (if he is the male who shares in tank 2) so this is nothing new for him. I have heard of some breeders stimulating males by placing another in the tank, I would however approach this with caution. If you do seperate them with a tank divider or keep one in a breeding trap. The theory being that if there is no competition there is no urgency to breed.
Try a floating plant or almond leaf on the surface for shadow to attach his nest to. My male builds a new nest every day, usualy in the same place around the heater. You could maybe turn the temp up to 26 or 27, this can also stimulate breeding.
I was going to put Shadow with the 3 females in that tank, then decided to take him out to try to breed him. So this is new to him. He has only been a lone Male in a tank before now.
There is still no bubble nest this morning, so i guess they dont want to breed. Can the females become egg bound?? because by the look of her she needs a good squeezing!
Try a floating plant or almond leaf on the surface for shadow to attach his nest to. My male builds a new nest every day, usualy in the same place around the heater. You could maybe turn the temp up to 26 or 27, this can also stimulate breeding.
I was going to put Shadow with the 3 females in that tank, then decided to take him out to try to breed him. So this is new to him. He has only been a lone Male in a tank before now.
There is still no bubble nest this morning, so i guess they dont want to breed. Can the females become egg bound?? because by the look of her she needs a good squeezing!
372xp
Fish Crazy
Yes they can, it happened to one of mine a couple of years ago. This is not very common normally the female will re-absorb them or expell them on her own. Please dont squeeze her.
Take the female out and leave Shadow in on his own for a few days he may start to nest. I had a mustard gas VT who never built a nest his whole life, looked good though.
Take the female out and leave Shadow in on his own for a few days he may start to nest. I had a mustard gas VT who never built a nest his whole life, looked good though.
BEFORE breeding your bettas, you need to have an idea of what you are going to do with up to 200+ fry because that is a very normal number for a betta spawn. You need a tank for spawning your bettas in that is cycled, heated, has a couple of plants, and is around 10 gallons(38L). You will need quality food for your pair to condition them for the spawning and small live foods for the fry when they become free swimming, Betta fry do not normally do well on foods that are not alive. You also need jars/containers for the betta fry for when they start showing aggression to each other -- usually as early as 2 months old. A good start is 50 of these containers.
Once you have these things, then you can start to condition your pair. Conditioning is the process is feeding your pair of bettas really good food (I prefer live/frozen) twice a day for two weeks to help them prepare for spawning. This will help the female produce good eggs and the male be healthy and in good shape to take care of the eggs and fry for 3 days or so until they become free swimming since he doesn't eat during that time (normally). It is best to condition the male and female bettas separately in tanks next to each other with a piece of paper blocking the site of the other. It is easiest to already have the male in the spawning tank. During the second week of conditioning it is good to remove the paper so they can see each other for a little while each day to help with the conditioning. At the end of the two weeks, adding the female into the tank via a chimney(or anything that the female can stay in without actually being loose in the tank will work) will let her and the male see each other and start the courting process. The male will flare and show off for the female and will start to build a bubblenest. The female will normally dance for the male, show vertical stripes, and be nice and full of eggs. Once you see most of these signs, you can release the female into the spawning tank. It is important to watch the pair carefully. Some aggressive fin nipping is to be expected but one or the other totally beating up the other is not a good sign and the female will need to be removed as soon as possible. If after 3 days there are no signs of spawning, it is advised to remove the female because keeping them together any longer is asking for one or the other of your pair to get hurt. If the pair actually spawns, they will go under the bubblenest and the male will wrap his body around the female which expells the eggs. The male will then pick them up and spit them into the bubblenest and this will continue until the spawning is complete. Once spawning is complete, remove the female. The male will be very protective of his nest and that becomes dangerous for the female. Plus the female will eat eggs. The male will continue to put the eggs back in the nest until they hatch and then keep the little fry in the nest until they are free swimming horizontally (normally on the 3rd day). At this point it is good to pull the male out so that he can have a rest and good feeding.
Once you have these things, then you can start to condition your pair. Conditioning is the process is feeding your pair of bettas really good food (I prefer live/frozen) twice a day for two weeks to help them prepare for spawning. This will help the female produce good eggs and the male be healthy and in good shape to take care of the eggs and fry for 3 days or so until they become free swimming since he doesn't eat during that time (normally). It is best to condition the male and female bettas separately in tanks next to each other with a piece of paper blocking the site of the other. It is easiest to already have the male in the spawning tank. During the second week of conditioning it is good to remove the paper so they can see each other for a little while each day to help with the conditioning. At the end of the two weeks, adding the female into the tank via a chimney(or anything that the female can stay in without actually being loose in the tank will work) will let her and the male see each other and start the courting process. The male will flare and show off for the female and will start to build a bubblenest. The female will normally dance for the male, show vertical stripes, and be nice and full of eggs. Once you see most of these signs, you can release the female into the spawning tank. It is important to watch the pair carefully. Some aggressive fin nipping is to be expected but one or the other totally beating up the other is not a good sign and the female will need to be removed as soon as possible. If after 3 days there are no signs of spawning, it is advised to remove the female because keeping them together any longer is asking for one or the other of your pair to get hurt. If the pair actually spawns, they will go under the bubblenest and the male will wrap his body around the female which expells the eggs. The male will then pick them up and spit them into the bubblenest and this will continue until the spawning is complete. Once spawning is complete, remove the female. The male will be very protective of his nest and that becomes dangerous for the female. Plus the female will eat eggs. The male will continue to put the eggs back in the nest until they hatch and then keep the little fry in the nest until they are free swimming horizontally (normally on the 3rd day). At this point it is good to pull the male out so that he can have a rest and good feeding.
372xp
Fish Crazy
And this is what you should be aiming for. 
you can see the verticle stripes on the female. I took this photo last year during my males last spawn. It took him nearly 2 months to fully recover from his exertions, I dont think I had him fully beefed up for the job. The better the conditioning the more fry they will produce, and it is better for the parents. The female sadly died just before christmas, she was being bullied and lost condition before getting a fungal infection.
you can see the verticle stripes on the female. I took this photo last year during my males last spawn. It took him nearly 2 months to fully recover from his exertions, I dont think I had him fully beefed up for the job. The better the conditioning the more fry they will produce, and it is better for the parents. The female sadly died just before christmas, she was being bullied and lost condition before getting a fungal infection.well i gave up...not surprizing..
He has made a nest (or an effort at least) in the tank he was in before with no females!
But didnt make one at all in the 3 days he was in the female..although he was doing all the flirting big time.
He is now in the tank per sig, with the 3 females and they are all fine.
The 2 females that were very bloated are indeed EXTREMELY bloated still. This is what happened to one previous that in the end died...so im not holding up much hope of them surviving now.
just wish i knew why they die this way??
He has made a nest (or an effort at least) in the tank he was in before with no females!
But didnt make one at all in the 3 days he was in the female..although he was doing all the flirting big time.
He is now in the tank per sig, with the 3 females and they are all fine.
The 2 females that were very bloated are indeed EXTREMELY bloated still. This is what happened to one previous that in the end died...so im not holding up much hope of them surviving now.
just wish i knew why they die this way??
I highly suggest you put your male in a separate tank away from the females. You are walking a dangerous line with keeping them all in the same tank and there is no telling when you will find one of them dead whether it be from one of them actually killing the other or from stressing the other to death. The 2 females that are bloated, did you separate them from the other fish so that you could fast them? If not then they are just increasing the problem because they are eating when you feed the other fish in the tank.
We were away this whole long weekend...and they were not fed (fri-sun) but they still are huge, with protruding white bits. i'll try to get some pics tomorrow xWildbetta said:
i was told not to put them in with my Gourami's, but the 1m to 3 f/m ratio in the 70L tank would be fine. Other than that...i have no other tank for him.
I recommend you get another tank for him to live in separately just so that you don't end up with a dead betta at some time in the near future. I am sorry to hear that you got bad advice from your LFS but it was bad advice.
As for the females, Pictures would be excellent and help to see what might actually be the problem. Side view and a top view (of you looking down over top of the female) would be the best shots to show how the bloating is. Sometimes it takes a week or so of fasting to take down bloat from some bettas.
As for the females, Pictures would be excellent and help to see what might actually be the problem. Side view and a top view (of you looking down over top of the female) would be the best shots to show how the bloating is. Sometimes it takes a week or so of fasting to take down bloat from some bettas.
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