Intimidated by Betta Breeding (as an extension of my hobby)

[PrettyFrank]

Ever since my boyfriend got his king betta, I've been interested in breeding one of my females with his king. The problem is that the whole breeding business seems pretty intimidating. I'm not interested in breeding show bettas, I just want to do it for fun. But this presents another problem: what will I end up doing with the spawns? There are only so many friends I can give them to. Realistically, how successful would I be in giving away bettas to members of this forum? Has anyone ever tried it? But then shipping material would probably cost more than just buying a betta from the store...

Am I better off just not trying at all?

[trilobite]

Dont be intimidated! Its really fun and I think you should try it :D
I do it for fun not for shows too. If you end up with too many you can feed some to a bigger fish. That way you can keep as many as you choose. Im sure a petshop would like to take some free or cheap Bettas off you too

[PrettyFrank]

Using them as feeders is a decent option, however I have no fish large enough to eat them.

[dramaqueen]

Breeding is a big responsibility. Just make sure you've done your research ; make sure you have the right equipment, setup etc. People here will probably get on you about breeding petstore bettas but as long as they're healthy then you're ok. Chances are you won't get a great big spawn but it's possible. Myates got over 500 in hers. Lol That's a lot of babies to have to rehome.

[Alcemistnv]

I'm intimindated by breeding as well.

I really want to do it, but I have a feeling that I'd end up forgetting a water change, or that I won't know EXACTLY how to take care of the fry.

But if you're up to researching it and you have the resources, I'd do it :)

[PrettyFrank]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

Breeding is a big responsibility. Just make sure you've done your research ; make sure you have the right equipment, setup etc. People here will probably get on you about breeding petstore bettas but as long as they're healthy then you're ok. Chances are you won't get a great big spawn but it's possible. Myates got over 500 in hers. Lol That's a lot of babies to have to rehome.

Have you re-homed any of them? If you have, how have you manged to do so?

*Whoops, I just realized Myates is another member, not a betta, ha!

[GoodMorning]

myates is a girl? O_o

prettyfrank, to answer ur question, i think if you have time and money, then you can definitely handle it.

[PrettyFrank]

Originally Posted by Alcemistnv

I'm intimindated by breeding as well.

I really want to do it, but I have a feeling that I'd end up forgetting a water change, or that I won't know EXACTLY how to take care of the fry.

But if you're up to researching it and you have the resources, I'd do it :)

I feel that I'm capable of managing the spawning and breeding process, as I have a lot of free time. Perhaps too much free time... :P I'm confident in my research skills, I just don't know what to do when I actually have betta behbehz, y'know? There aren't exactly any resources for that, which is why I'm curious as to how other people deal.

[LebronTheBetta]

If you have the responsibility, then go for it. :)
Just make sure to know what you're getting into, it will require hours of work each day and over +1000 for the F1. But in the end, it's worth.

DQ doesn't breed, and yea, Myates is a girl.

[GoodMorning]

there are a lot of ways, even if you end up with 300 babies, some of them will die right away. Also, you need to cull the ones that are not up to par, especially the deformed ones. By then, you should have a manageable amount but shouldn't ship them out yet until they're 2-3 months. It's pretty easy to find members on here who will pay for the shipping and handling, you could probably fit 20-30 juveniles in a $5 flat rate box, then charge another $5 for a heat pack and packaging materials. Also, a lot of people in your local area will take them, try the local aquarium clubs or craigslist.

lebron, u must be a girl too huh O_o