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How can you tell if your Betta's are good for breeding?

3K views 58 replies 12 participants last post by  LadyVictorian 
#1 ·
I've read alot about how people say you shouldn't breed Betta's from Pet Stores, is this completely true?

& how do you tell if your Betta's [both male & female] are of good quality to breed?

Like, for an example, Richard, my SDet is multicolored [as you can see by the pics below] - does this make him a bad choice for breeding because of all his colors? Is there a way I can tell what the main colors of his parents were just by looking at him? [sorry I dont understand how the coloring combos work no matter how much i try to]

And finally at what age do you think its time to stop breeding a Betta? I've read 2 years & the younger the better?

Sorry for the kinda crap quality pics, trying to get a good one of his coloring sucks when he wont stay still lol.

& as you can see, his color changes alot with the flash of the camera & the angle he is at. But he is obviously mainly blue, red & a pinky/purple color with clearish edges around his fins. Idk why he looks so green with the flash?







 
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#30 ·
When you breed, ask around in YOUR area. What do they want? Long fin short fin dark colors bright colors... Ask the possible "buyer" what they want - which is also a business tip :lol:

I will say, if you breed pet store bettas try to get some with decent finnage. That way you can also raise your chance of better looking fry. Don't be afraid to start somewhere - and yes, I did say "all good breeders start somewhere" and that somewhere probably wasn't 120 for a pair!!

As for the tank dilemma, I don't want to see that in every thread! But yes it is true breeders cannot keep all the bettas in 2.5-10 gallon tanks each. But as long as they are caring for their bettas, should it matter? I plant to get a shelf downstairs, heat the room and that way each betta is kept at a comfortable temperature.
 
#31 ·
I was not attacking the breeder I was reffering to the person who kept ordering Bettas online and ran out of space and uses flower vases.
 
#32 ·
Had it not been for the brave breeders that experiment with mystery genetics...we wouldn't have what we have today.....

The Betta either meets standards or it doesn't. None will be perfect and this is a good thing and what keeps us breeding and striving to create something special.

When you work with known genetic lines-you know pretty much what you will get-spawning a sibling pair from a true line.
Creating your own unique line can be more of a challenge-as well as take longer.

Question-what do you want-A challenge or a sure thing from another persons line-Both are equally great goals IMO-Remembering that even with known genetic lines you will still get some surprises.
 
#34 ·
I've read alot about how people say you shouldn't breed Betta's from Pet Stores, is this completely true?

& how do you tell if your Betta's [both male & female] are of good quality to breed?

Like, for an example, Richard, my SDet is multicolored [as you can see by the pics below] - does this make him a bad choice for breeding because of all his colors? Is there a way I can tell what the main colors of his parents were just by looking at him? [sorry I dont understand how the coloring combos work no matter how much i try to]

And finally at what age do you think its time to stop breeding a Betta? I've read 2 years & the younger the better?

Sorry for the kinda crap quality pics, trying to get a good one of his coloring sucks when he wont stay still lol.

& as you can see, his color changes alot with the flash of the camera & the angle he is at. But he is obviously mainly blue, red & a pinky/purple color with clearish edges around his fins. Idk why he looks so green with the flash?







In my opinion, as long as you know what you're going to do with your fry once they're adults, then breed what you want. People recommend you don't breed petstore bettas because their genetics are unknown. People also say that petstore/non-show qualilty bettas don't sell very well, but I'm willing to bet that all the members on here have at least one, if not more, petstore bettas. It's because they're pretty and cheap. Noone wants to pay 50 dollars for a fish if they're just going to be a pet, which is more than likely the people who will be purchasing your fry.

That being said, I would try to have a goal in mind for what you want to breed, but don't be scared to enjoy the hobby because of what other people say.
 
#36 ·
Well. I didnt expect there to be so much interest in this lol.

Oldfishlady; thankyou. I dont want show Bettas, I just simply want to have a go. & yeah, I have made a checklist of all the items I need. Im in search of a 10 gallon spawning tank & theres plenty of places around here that sell 20 gallon tubs which I can use for when they outgrow the 10 gallon. I would never just go in without knowing anything lol.

Sena Hansler; No one around here really has a 'type' [i live in the middle of nowhere] as its just usually kids that buy them. But the ones in the stores here are all CT or SDet [even though they label them as HM] and pretty much only come in red or blue. It was just by chance that I found my guy in the pics, thats why Im just curious to see what he could produce.

If it doesnt work out, I might only try once more with my blue male, if not, it's not going to bother me.
 
#37 ·
OFL: thank you for your description of natural breeding. I have numerous tanks that are NPT....my 2 sororities are NPTs, soil based of course. Most are not mature enough yet as they were done within the last 6 mos...but you can bet that I will be trying this method out on a few of my bettas when the tanks mature into the natural ecosystems, or as close to, that I have been striving for!

ChoclateBetta: have you been reading my posts at all? I explained that crazy/scary experience pretty well and you keep stating part of what I said in a very derogatory way, making it sound like I am neglectful and a hoarder ...which I am neither...I made a bad situation workable by getting them in vases...and through that experience I was able to come up with a way to house my breeders.
 
#39 ·
I would like to say that he is rather decent looking (my first hm was way worse then that ) and I dont rather care who you breed as long as the fry are taken care of and not abused, same with the parents. I think thats what a lot of people only care about everyone is loved and healthy :) . I think you get a nice marble hm girl ( shorter anal, even caudal )and you could get a ton of really nice looking fry. Older inexperienced betta produce weaker or not as many fry as younger ones, dosent mean impossible it is just more stressful on the male and I recommend conditioning him longer and feeding him while he has a nest.
 
#40 ·
Thanks! I got a 14 gallon tank today for the pair to breed in - should I put him in there now ir wait until the female arrives [which should be friday or monday]?

I have a HM female on order, I asked for green but the man said that might not happen. Hope so though.
 
#41 ·
Green will mostly throw blues with that male ... but 14 seems a little big to me to much room for first timers for my taste. I would fill it and leave it to cycle with some media but dont put him in. You want to grow some yummies in it for the babies. I would condition the female for at least a week after you get her travel stress can weaken a fish... I talk from experience... give her time to get eggy again.
 
#42 ·
Well its only a second hand tank I got from a lady on FB. The closest thing around here was a 9 gallon for $76 whereas the one I got was $50. Theres not much choice where I live unfortunately & geting things sent here online costs a heap :(

& yeah I wanna get enough live plants in there to grow food for the Fry. I read somewhere on here about 10 mins ago that brine shrimp can be used too if they are chopped up finely? Also micro pellets? Again not much in the way of food here for Fry, just adults, trying not to buy online unless I really have to.
 
#43 ·
Pet store bettas nowadays are often "breeder's" rejects. And often, some quality specimens are included to meet quota. I have nothing against breeding them - I too often do. What's important is having a plan and or a goal.

Starting with deltas is not a problem - even when your goal is producing show bettas. Simply look for those (specially females) with rather pointy caudal edges and keep breeding the ones with the widest spread. You will produce great HM in no time. As stated above, the only problem with them is not knowing their actual genetic background. But then again even knowing their background is no guarantee to producing something certain.

Keeping bettas differs between hobbyist and breeder. The former can keep 10 2.5g tanks but breeders need to house hundreds thus most often uses tiny jars. The advantage of tiny jars is it reduces body growth, giving fins a chance to develop.

@prosthetic; Summer should be near in NSW. Can you get a hold of daphnia and live tubifex? Can you age at least 5g of water (with dried leaves and some aquatic plants) outside for about a month - while you wait/prepare other things, including the breeders. This should give you adequate live micro critters for fry's first few days. You can also add egg yolk if you can't get hold of other live foods. In a few days, fry should have doubled in size and you can start adding a cup of daphnia per day (or every other day - depending on their survival rate). Fry probably won't eat them, but hopefully they will reproduce and fry will eat the newly hatched. You should be able to introduce crushed pellets after a week or two. . . . forgot, place a thumb full of tubifex in the tank just before you breed. If parents eat them add more. Make sure there's something they can cling to - pebbles, plant - anything.

Btw, chopped shrimps may cause more harm than good. Even adults may not touch them. It might only foul the water. You can try them when fry are bigger, but not for newly hatched fry - make a dot with a pen. That's how big they are. You need particle sized food.

If you use the 14g, you won't need to do water changes in the first week, specially if you only fill to 1/3 or 1/4. You only need to add more water daily until it's full. By then, fry should be big enough to avoid soft/slow siphon.

Your guy seems to be a result from green x cambodian. So you should produce various green/turquoise if he is paired to a green.
 
#46 ·
Yeah I went looking for baby brine shrimp today with no luck but Im going outta town on Saturday to check out other pet stores to see what they might have. No one here will order it in which kinda sucks :(
 
#49 ·
Breeding can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. During summer you won't need filters. Slight fluctuation should be fine - mine are out side and fluctuates slightly. I don't use any heaters.

If tanks are expensive, try using plastic tubs (I do). For jarring, I use 2 Ltr used drinking bottles - free. My highest expenses are for food, I can no longer gather them and buy instead.
 
#50 ·
Well I've already got the tanks, the containers for jarring mum has millions around the house & if I need anymore, large Chinese containers I can get from the local supermarket for like $2 for a pack of 6.

I just need the early Fry food, a light source & the sponge filter.

At least I wont need a heater which is nice. The room I'll be breeding in gets all the afternoon sun so it gets pretty warm in there.
 
#51 · (Edited)
I didn't go that cheap route.. I got all the items needed as cheaply as I could though.. Does that count? LOL

I went the tank way rather than the tub way- but I purchased short sided big tubs to place my 32oz clear cups into (with water + heater to keep them all warm).. that was the only "cheap" way I went with my set up.

I said $600, but was way off - looked at my files and all in all (not counting shipping packaging items, etc) I spent $600+ on everything not including tanks + fish.. tanks (for one breeding and one grow out) it equals up to $800-$900 total to start.

Money isn't an object for my breeding, otherwise I would of been going as cheap as I can and nothing wrong with that! I personally would rather be able to see my fry growing and being able to look for deformities easier, which to me is easier to see in tanks.

Good thing you don't need heaters :) It's winter here, snow will be coming soon.. I have no choice but to use heaters and such for mine :(

I wish you luck! You got some great advice from indjo and OFL, indjo has been wonderful in helping me with my coloring genetics for my breeding :)
 
#52 ·
Wow I never knew breeding was that expensive if I breed bettas ever only high quality to A. make them more appealing to people with proper homes and B. maybe make a little money and use it for fish. I have read many pet store fish have already been bred. I am sure you can give them better care than some bad breeders bettas are one of the easier fish to breed.
 
#53 · (Edited)
I didnt finish reading through yet, but I think the main thing here is you need a plan for the babies.

Do you want to show or breed show quality babies?

Do you just want to breed pets?

Do you have a place for the babies to go once they grow up?

These are my only concerns, really. No matter which way you go, research, research, research!

As far as materials, it can get very expensive.. I house all of my 30+ breeders in a room in my house dedicated to my fish. I keep that room at a stable 86 degrees. Each fish gets water changes every other day. They get high quality pellets and frozen foods.

Then for breeding, you need spawn tanks, lighting, plants (for the girl to hide), IAL, heater, growout tanks (larger) with lights and heater and sponge filter.. You also need live foods and containers for the babies once they get older.

My containers for growing my babies alone will cost me about 600 dollars when all is said and done, but that's because I get the 96 oz. containers, which is roughly .75G per baby.
 
#55 ·
It depends on how you want to "get rid of" them, I guess.

I personally am breeding show quality for three reasons:

1.) It costs just as much to produce show quality as it does pet quality, so I may as well breed for the best fish I can.

2.) I want to show (obviously).

3.) I don't want to just dump my babies off at pet stores to rot on the shelves. Since I'd prefer to sell my fish to good homes via the internet, I want to breed the best possible quality so that I don't have to send fish off to the pet store. I have a wider clientele (for selling fish) if I breed for higher quality.

The pet store thing depends entirely on your area as well. If I lived near a store that took good care of its bettas, I wouldn't have this concern. Sad thing is though, even my LFS and non-chain stores keep them in horrid conditions.
 
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