Female Bettas

[LauraFrog]

I would really like to try spawning my bettas but space is very limited so I have a few questions:

1. Is there any reason why I can't just raise part of a spawn if I get too many fry? I can feed very small fry to my livebearers. I don't want to but surely it's better to give some of them a good chance than to let all of them fade away.

2. My LFS says that they don't get many females because the females they get become eggbound and die. Is this eggbound or is it constipation/dropsy? I haven't seen them before they die. If it is eggbound, how do I prevent it? I don't want to spawn them every time they fill up with eggs.

3. Is there any reason why I have to spawn them often or can I just leave them for months at a time?

 

[constantine03]

IMO, if you don't have room for the fry that will be produced from spawning your fish, you shouldn't spawn them. I'm not saying you should have a plan to keep and permanently house 150 bettas or what not, but you should be able to house them while they are growing, and have an outlet to find new homes for them once it's time. It's like people who breed their dogs because they want to see them have puppies, but don't have a plan for the pups and dump them at a pound to be put down...irresponsible in my eyes. That's just my opinion though. You're obviously free to make your own choices on the matter.

That being said, there are plenty of people who believe in strong culling in order to only have the best of a line- but that seems to be more in cases where that individual's livelihood depends on selling quality fish, or when the person is only interested in showing his fish.

I find it hard to believe that the females are all becoming egg bound and dying. I've read that it is somewhat rare for bettas to become egg bound, as the eggs are typically reabsorbed or released. I'd say that it has to be some other illness...maybe even an infection in the tank if they're putting them all in the same tank every time and they all die from the same thing every time...it's hard to say without knowing all the details.

Bettas don't have to be spawned ever. If you want a female to really produce a lot of eggs, she needs to be conditioned, and placed with the male to further egg production. Bettas really only breed well for the first year of their life, or less, anyhow. This is why planning is very important if you are trying to create a specific line. If your male/female becomes too old to breed before you've achieved the results of back breeding, you can loose all the work you've done.

Okay, that's my $.02.

 

[Colin_T]

Just adding to what Constantine said, if you are concerned about fish becoming egg bound, make sure they have plenty of swimming room, keep the temperature down and don't feed too often. If the fish aren't fed much they won't go into breeding mode and won't develop eggs. Cooler temperatures (20-24C) will do this too. The swimming helps prevent egg binding as well.

 

[bronzecat]

Just adding to what Constantine said, if you are concerned about fish becoming egg bound, make sure they have plenty of swimming room, keep the temperature down and don't feed too often. If the fish aren't fed much they won't go into breeding mode and won't develop eggs. Cooler temperatures (20-24C) will do this too. The swimming helps prevent egg binding as well.