Breeding "king" betta

[Fisherman J]

I do plan on trying to get breeding stock started from these fish, I am hoping to be able to try and get the king bettas size and the finnage of a veiltail. Once I get going a little more, and i get a little bit of money I will look into getting micro worms. For right now I am using baby brine shrimp, and hikari baby fish food. I am these fry foods are working great for me right now so getting different food right now is not a major concern. I will look into it more down the road juss a bit however, thank you for the advice!

[indjo]

Kings are commercial names for half giants (personal opinion). You might get bigger bettas (your cross) but not big enough to be Kings. You will have to selectively breed the larger ones. It would be best to wait at least 6 months so they have less to no growing ahead of them - some greedy fry may grow faster but not have the genes and end up smaller than the slower growers. But they should inherit the King's appetite. You want to feed them 3 - 6 times daily so they can grow to a maximum.

Off topic: is this going to be a spawn log? Do you want me to move it to the spawn log section?
If you want, this could be a thread to discuss possibilities/theories. Then you can make a new thread in the "spawn log section" . . . your choice.

[ChoclateBetta]

I am on the side that kings/ giants are hybrids.

[Fisherman J]

I think this thread will be for possibilities and I'll make a new thread in that section. So, how many generations do you think it will have to take before I can get back to the "king" size?

[indjo]

Maybe - no proof and king/giants don't show any Raja traits (the wild species allegedly crossed to).
Original giant creators claimed that they were selectively bred to be big - more reasonable

If you choose the right pairing, probably 3 generations. But that's the problem - identifying the genos. So you might achieve it in 3 - 5 generations.

[ChoclateBetta]

Bettas have been crossed with B.Smarginia, B,Imbellis, and B.Splendens. Why is it being hybridized again unreasonable?

[indjo]

Forgot who, but it was said that King betts were hybrids between splendens and raja (king). Splendens are nesters while rajas are mouthbrooders. So these two species are unlikely to cross breed.

Selectively breeding them to be bigger is more reasonable.

Smaragdina, imbillis, and mahachai are very similar to splendens and breed in the same way - bubble nests. So they can and have been crossed bred to splendens.

[ChoclateBetta]

As long as there genes are similar its still possible to breed.

[Myates]

I have a male in the breeding tank right now that I got from a pet store.. I also have some very lovely, show quality ones from breeders too.

So far, don't see an issue with a pet store betta. He's as gentle as a butterfly and just as pretty. Only negative to pet store bettas is that you don't know the parents or what coloration(s) are in their genes. But with proper care and conditioning.. they are just as healthy as any other and many pet store bettas produced award winning babies. And you do realize... pet store bettas do come from breeders. They are just in dirty water for a few days to a few weeks - which again, with proper care they will bounce back.

Definitely want to look into better food (Hikari is pretty much sub-par now) in the future - will make a big difference in their health and growth.

Keep an eye on their size and start moving them over to the grow out tank once they get bigger.. the longer they are in the grow out tank, the larger they get quickly.

Good luck!

[Sena Hansler]

I started out with pet store fish. Now I found a store (over an hour away) that does import, and gets the most gorgeous fish. Not everyone can buy online (shipping can get expensive). It's not up to us, it's up to you ;) and we'll help you out with your plans.