Want To Learn More About Breeding Bettas...

[Sly13Cat]

So I've been doing research on breeding Bettas and now I know a lot more than I used to. For example I used to think that you needed a 20 or 30 gallon minimum to breed Bettas but now I know that they can be bred in a 10 gal. I also know:
- How to feed the fry
- How to condition the Bettas
- Culling
- And The Basics...

I wanted to see if anyone here had any more information. I wondered what I could feed the fry instead of live food. Would frozen brine shrimp do? Also, where would you find a good pair of Halfmoon Bettas locally bred in Canada. Would Halfmoons from the LFS (Big Al's) do? Also, how long or how much work would it take to breed a fish like this?

Could I breed a fish like that starting from pet store fish?

One final question, if I wanted to could I cull some newborn Betta fry to Meat Eating fish because I only want about 10 or so from a batch. I plan on breeding not in the near future but maybe in a few years or so but I wanted to know what I need to buy and basic information.

 

[OldMan47]

Simples Sly13cat.
Conditioning is done with the sexes unable to see each other. Feed a variety of foods including live foods if you can get them.
Fry feeding is not needed until the fry's egg sac is absorbed. By that age they can usually take tiny foods like banana worms or micro worms. As they grow, the fry will eat larger things like newly hatched brine shrimp.
I am no expert on culling. That would require keeping the fry until you can decide which ones to cull and which ones to keep.
The basics are available almost anywhere. The essence of it is to set up a tank about like a 10 gallon for the male and let him settle in. Once he is ready, expose him to a female by using a chimney to separate them. When the female shows that she is receptive, remove the chimney and allow the fish to reach each other. After the breeding has taken place, remove the female and let the male care for his bubble nest and the hatching eggs. Once the fry are free swimming, remove the male and continue to care for the fry.
I know that you have also been reviewing alternative methods that include leaving the male with its fry in order to cull slower swimmers among his fry. I have never tried those methods so I will not inject my own opinion of the methods.