my first spawn attempt

[rollntider]

appears to be a failure. I think he is to young and inexperianced (same for me ) but I thought he was interested because he kept spreading his fins out and not flaring. He looked very interested. I figured he was more into her than the nest and after 4 hours of him strutting i let her loose with him. He ran like she hit him with a stick. i noticed she was doing the text book going under the cup going in front of him and lowered her body and pointed south. He would run. then he decided to chase her and i decided to pull the plug after i realized all he wants to do is chase. She is ready and she is plump. He wants to play G.I. Joe...

 

[rollntider]

sorry I couldnt get a good pic of her....

 

[wuvmybetta]

Sorry,rolln. I completely understand the nerves during a spawn. It's nearly impossible not to rush in and save the female!! I can't even tell you how many spawns I've spoiled because I butt in.

So from my personal experience I will tell you...it's not easy to watch. They're brutal, as long as he's not seriously doing damage to her, just leave them alone. Sometimes it's best to release her, cover the tank and walk away. As long as the female has PLENTY of cover, she'll be fine. The spawn itself though is amazing to watch. They go from terrors to lovers in an instant.

 

[rollntider]

yeah i am re reading the spawn logs on the net....and i think i jumped the gun, i did read a few that the male would start in some cases building the nest after she is around....I will let them look at each other over night and release her tomorrow after supper... I think he was a bit scared and he turned really vicous... I willwait until i see a nest, if nothing in 2 days i will try the other pair...

 

[cutechic]

Good luck with your next spawn attempt, rolln

The will-be-parents are gorgeous

 

[rollntider]

Good luck with your next spawn attempt, rolln

The will-be-parents are gorgeous

thanks....I think they are sharp also LOL

Wuv: I have noticed the female is very interested if you know what i mean If the male is up high , she goes to the top and he is down low, she will follow. I have noticed he is started to go under the cup and deposit a bubble every so often....do the males add a bubble every so often? or do they build them all real quick? or i guess every betta is different. i got 2 VTs do a bubble building contest at each other... Or could it be he is just burping after getting a breath? ...this is exciting

 

[wuvmybetta]

hmmm, every spawn is different and spawn logs are amazing guides, but watching your bettas behaviour is the best way to judge. I have released females ONLY because they were interested even when there was no nest yet.The female will hang out under the cup or in the vacinity while he builds OR they'll spawn and he'll build as he puts the eggs under the cup. OR (lol, love the or's with bettas!) he'll chase her and she'll keep trying to come out, but he'll only chase her enough for her to duck back in the plants, and then he'll go right back to work,almost like he's saying "Don't look! I'm not ready yet!" At that point they're ok together, sometimes it takes a couple of days of being together.

 

[rollntider]

well I am confident she is ready from what i have read. She gets under the cup and when she sees him it is almost like she is submitting to him right then.. He on the other hand wants a beer and a blood worm dinner.

 

[thellama]

mine did the same thing for 2 full days...

the female would come under the nest.. the male would come towards her... and one of them would run and hide... it happened non stop for 2 days ...

on day 3 they finally got their act together and were doin it non stop..

jus leave em be like wuv said !

 

[wuvmybetta]

Give him some bloodworms then. I've noticed that if I feed them about 45 minutes beforehand, they go right to town If you don't fear spoiling the mood,vase her, feed her in the vase and feed him and then release her in about 30 minutes to a hour. Just place the vase over her, don't net her or anything, that would definately be a mood spoiler Do I sound bossy? I'm so sorry if I do ) I was only suggesting

 

[rollntider]

I will buy a hurricane lamp cover tomorow, I thought that divider may do the trick...and dont worry about sounding bossy, i have a wife and daughter I am used to it, and i need it

 

[rollntider]

Thanks Llama I am following any advice you folks want to give. the more the merrier.

 

[rollntider]

well i am off to bed, i gotta hange some lights tommorow for the wife, I gotta earn my keep around here and then work on finishing my growout tank, I am about tired of the first one but i learned alot....

 

[wuvmybetta]

ok good night I just had a thought so I'll post it anyway.

Personally, I don't use hurricane lamps, I float the girls in a clear Wal-Mart style cup. I introduce both bettas at the same time in cups,release the male he attacks the females cup and checks out the place.If the female seems intrigued I'll release her too and see how they get along. Re-cupping the female isn't rare but at least she has the feel for him now, she's not quite so unprepared for when she's released again. If he's overly aggressive and has totally blown his chances with her, I'll remove her and put her back in her tank for a day or two. Feed her well and leave him in the breeder. I feed about 45 minutes before reintroducing her to the tank. I just scoop her out of her tank in the cup and float her for a second, he usually has a nest going by now and she should get all excited get away, then I just release. Although releasing both at the same time has worked too, they went at it right away.

Mind you my experience is limited, it took around 15 spawns before I got my first batch of fry, I dont know if that was just the pair I was working with, me,or what. But I learned lots of tricks in that time

 

[thellama]

15

i have 3 fry from my first which im sadly thrilled about lol..

but now look at ya..

bettas galore!!

good luck rolln.. did ya ever get that female from aquabid? the one surrounding all the drama on chat