Got A Male And A Female Betta

[trickyspark]

I bought a male betta last weekend.

I bought a female betta this weekend.

Upon bringing home the female, she was placed in one of those floating breeding cages. This cage has a divider,
so I placed the male in the other side. They are able to see each other, and the male definetly appears ready to
either mate, or eat her.

I'm unsure if he's a little aggressive acting because he can't get through the divider, or if that's just a natural
part of their mating ritual. He's flaring gills and fins, then he's trying to blow what appears to be bubbles
(guessing that due to the whole bubble nest thing).

The female appears to care less, her body is about the same size as his.

I was wondering if I should immediately place them together, keep them divided, isolate the 2 more, watch her and see if
she becomes swollen with eggs, or what. I don't want to introduce her to early. I decided on the breeding cage with divider
as a means of them getting familiar.

I know the male builds a nest, and cares for the eggs/fry for a short time. I know to remove the female A.S.A.P. after eggs
are laid. That is about all I know, when do I "open the gate" and let them together?

 

[lilfishie]

you have them in a floating breeder cage??

For a start you will need a tank to breed them in, then they need 2-3 weeks of high protein? food 2-3 times daily

The bettas will need to be kept seperate during this time.

Also do you have enough containers for upto 100 fry? possibly more!

 

[Netty]

If that's all you know so far then I really do recommend doing alot more research. To start with you've only just got your fish and they will be stressed from the move. Breeding causes alot of stress to them, so if they are not in top condition, it will leave them prone to getting ill or worse.

Also, are you prepared for possibly having 100+ fry that will need to be separated at about 8 weeks old in individual containers that are kept at the correct temperature.

You also need to have cultures of food ready for the fry before you even start.

There is alot of info on our website in my siggie. Read it well and do more research but please do not rush into doing this without knowing exactly how to do it and what equipment etc you'll need.

 

[mfcclc]

You really need to do a LOT more reading up on breeding if that is what you are planning to do. There is no way you should put them together at this stage. You must make sure you have correct tanks for them to be housed in permenately, all the equipment for breeding, food for the fry, make sure the fish are in the best condition possible and the list goes on. I have just got into breeding and believe me i have read so much information over the last few months that my head is full to burst and there are still things i am not 100% on. It is a lot of hard work, which is unquestionably worth it at the end, but please don't just breed them on a whim, it is not fair on the fish. Click on Netty or Bronzecats signature to go to their website which has really good info on keeping, breeding and raising betta, also look up the betta lady, she also has some good info. Hope all goes well whatever you decide to do x

 

[trickyspark]

I wasn't going to breed on a whim...

I've been breeding fish for a while, mainly gourami, pleco (bristlenose), rasbora(harelquin), platy and molly (just add water), and corys.

I've always liked betta, and I KNOW there is a lot I need to know. I wasn't going to just throw them together. Right now I have several tanks, and I work in a hospital so getting seperate containers is no problem there, I had already figured on needing a butt load. There are several "specimen" containers that are perfect.

I had stuck the female in the breeding cage while she was in a bag of water, which I poured out of the cup she came in, then placed in the tank to allow the temp to equalize. I didn't want the bag floating all over and it seemed the best way to secure it for the time. The tank is a 10 gallon which had a few cory (4) and some plants as the only other inhabitants.

I put the male in because he kept wedging himself up beside the breeding tank and I was worried he'd get hung up.

I did not put them in seperate tanks at the moment because I was doing my weekly maintenance, cleaning out poo, rescuing molly small fry I just found, this one tank was the only one I wasn't messing with.

If I were planning on recklessly mating the fish I wouldn't have even put the divider in or placed her in the bag. I did plan to do more reading up before I just stuck them in the same tank without any kind of seperation. She was going to go in one of my 30 gallons with my rasbora and platy for the time being (once cleaning had been finished).

I was just kind of hoping for some general information but I'll google it, sorry to come across as some fish abusing retard.

 

[mfcclc]

Apologies for seemingly offending you but the way you worded your first post did make it seem like you were willing to just put them in together straight away. I wasn't trying to make you sound like 'a fish abusing retard' as you put it but a lot of people post similar threads, and they really don't know anything! Please just bear in mind that most people who post in this section think of their bettas as family, not just a fish. I hope you go on to breed them successfully, and once again sorry for any upset

 

[lilfishie]

sorry for jumping to those conclusions, but your in the right place for all the information you need

 

[Netty]

Sorry but I got the same impression from your first post especially when you asked when you could open the gate and let them together. It also implies by your own word that "That is about all I know"

I know the male builds a nest, and cares for the eggs/fry for a short time. I know to remove the female A.S.A.P. after eggs
are laid. That is about all I know, when do I "open the gate" and let them together?


People here are willing to help as much as they can but please don't jump down our throats because of the way you made your first post.