Failed Spawn

[Biulu]

Ever since I had Galan, my crowntail male, he has been making bubblenests, so after months I gave in and got him a girlfriend. For a month I prepared everything; the bubblenest looked great, and the female seemed like one big breeding stripe!

So, I put them together, and they actually mated. I made some illustrative videos of how the female seems to float 'dead' in the water while she releases her eggs. Galan went after them, and even the female (la Betta) helped to pick them up and bring them to the nest.

after that: nothing! The male didn't care about the nest, and was anywhere in the tank but the nest area. It looked as if only a few bubbles had eggs in them after 2 days, and that these didn't develop well.

After a week the male started to build a new nest, and the original nest with the eggs was almost completely gone.

Does anybody know what went wrong? Do I have to send the male to a breeding course?

Thanks!

 

[knt5005]

Some males just don't figure it out. However, some do. You could always try again with the same pair. He may figure it out.

Good luck.

 

[fishcrazy55]

yea....u can always try again or maybe get a new male if the 2nd spawn doesnt work...sometimes they really dont get it i have had a few beautiful males that wont even make bubblenests for me but o well good luck w/ the 2nd spawn

 

[mommyof2bettas]

It might just not work out.
But he sounds a bit old, and sometmes, old bettas aren't very good at spawning!

 

[Biulu]

It might just not work out.
But he sounds a bit old, and sometmes, old bettas aren't very good at spawning!

I was told that he would be too young! And that I should try again in a month or so, to see if he learned something.....
I will do so after summer holidays. Thanks!

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Age has little to do with their abilities. It may just be that none of the eggs were viable, which is why he lost intrest so quickly. It happens. Especially with inexperienced males. One of my first pairs did much the same thing. Inexperiece can only be cured by practise! My last two boys I spawned with were first timers and both squeezed their girls too tight. Sadly one of them died from injuries to her chest/abdominal areas and the other has managed with them but looks permanently as though she's just had a fight.
Happily both pairs have produced young, which are around 7 weeks old now.
Keep perservering. He'll get the hang of it.
P.

 

[Biulu]

Thanks for sharing that experience! Galan treated her well, but maybe he did not fertilise the eggs well... I will definitively try again with her, or with another female (Cambodian crowntail) that I just got.

 

[Lynda B]

I had a great spawning the first time Jack and Rose hooked up, but the second time, they only ended up with 10 viable eggs. Within a week, I only had one fry and then he died a day before he was 4 weeks old. You just never know.

Plus, yeah, some males are not meant to stay with the nest. You can definitely do a fatherless fry rearing. I did.

 

[Biulu]

B)-->QUOTE(Lynda B @ Jun 24 2007, 07:44 AM) [snapback]1665252[/snapback]
Plus, yeah, some males are not meant to stay with the nest. You can definitely do a fatherless fry rearing. I did. [/quote]

Oh, that is interesting! How did you do that?

 

[Lynda B]

Jack had proven himself to be an egg eater. That's where my entire first spawn went.

So, the second time, after he and Rose spawned and I knew they were finished, I simply removed him from the spawning tank. Because there was no gravel in the tank, any fry that fell didn't get injured or stuck. The eggs just followed their natural course and voila. Fry.

 

[Biulu]

Sounds good! I will try that next time!