Red, Black, & White HM Dragon Pair

[BettaLover101]

Just the other day I purchased these two betta from Aquabid. Now, i've never bought any fish off of Aquabid before, I have bought plants and IAL though, so I hope that the fishies arrive safe and sound. I've already got a flat 5 gallon plastic, lockable, container outside with java moss and java fern as well as some IAL extract. So, I'd really like some input from the other members here since I'm really nervous about this spawn. I've never tried the shallow water method before @_@.

Temp: 65-80 degrees over the course of one night and day.
5-inch deep water
IAL extract, java fern, java moss
shady area

Condition: 2 weeks on frozen bloodworms, freeze-dried bloodworms, and frozen brine shrimp

Does all this sound good? What else should I change or do?

[BettaLover101]

Female:


Male:

[jeffegg2]

Looks like a good pairing! Can't wait to see the result!

Jeff.

[Mo]

Aren't you going to plan on raising the fry. Microworms, BBS, banana worms. Minimum of 20 gallon tank, a heater, etc.

[BettaLover101]

I have a 20 gallon ready to fill up once I see eggs in the nest. I also have 2 35 gallon tubs that are outside which I plan on using if I get a really big spawn.
For food I can get live bloodworms at my local Big Al's fish store when needed and I have multiple vials of brine shrimp eggs that I can use once the babies have hatched.
For what I know there are no stores near me that sell microworms (live) and I hadn't even heard of banana worms until recently so I doubt that the stores nearby would carry them.
I also have a heater, filter, thermometer, more IALs that I can get extract from and I have a tank full of just plants alone so I can take some of those plants and put them in the grow-out tank for the babies.

[starrlamia]

ooh i was eyeing that male! Cant wait to see the babies, good luck!

[MrVampire181]

The female strikes me as a male.

Seems like everything is good to go. If the first pic is a girl then watch for rose tails down the line. Good luck :D

[KadenJames]

I agree with MrV, that female is probably going to throw several rose tails. She's got extreme branching. Hope you're prepared to cull.

In my experience, baby brine shrimp are too big for a lot of newborn fry. They seem to have trouble fitting them into their mouths. Worms are the best way to go, because they're a step between infusoria and BBS. They also slowly sink to the bottom, where a lot of real young fry like to hang out the most. You can buy a starter culture from ebay for around $3, and it will last you until you stop sub-culturing them.

[BeckyFish97]

I don't mean to burst any bubbles...but if I'm honest...that female...doesn't look...very...female...

[KadenJames]

Anyone else thinking "she" has a gill plate?