Wild Type x Dragon PK

[marbledplakat]

I introduced my Wild Type Male (beautiful, intense colors) and one of my Dragon PK females from HM x HMPK lines. She immediately began showing vertical bars and he's "dancing" like crazy. I will post pictures when I get home from class. So excited! :)

[LoveSGSE]

Cant... Wait... For... The... Pics....!

[BettaLover101]

Same here, I really want to see what the adults and fry look like.

[marbledplakat]

I came home to find that not only did my pair not spawn but that the female has been ripped to shreds. She is still showing her vertical bars but this male is just too aggressive. I introduced a second female who also showed vertical bars and swam right up the nest ready to spawn but he attacked her too. With a bubble nest an inch thick you think he'd be ready to get this show on the road.

What's frustrating is that I know that if I were to take him out and throw in my DeT male they would spawn instantly. Any time a male hasn't worked in the past I took them out and put him in. He uses their bubblenest and everything and proves to be an excellent father with great offspring. Too bad I really want plakats this time. I'm considering my Opaque PK male (from HMPK lines) but he seems more interested in fighting rather than breeding. I just don't want my new females killed because the males are being stubborn.

Any thoughts on whether I should switch it up or see if this wild boy calms down?

[marbledplakat]

I took the badly beaten up female out and put the other one where the male can see her but not bite her.

[indjo]

I'm guessing that you didn't float your female before releasing them. This is important when dealing with an over aggressive male. BY floating the female, 1). you give her time to ripen her eggs. 2) you sort of tire the male. Hopefully the male won't beat her up too badly.

On your next attempt, I'd suggest the above plus the use of plants. At least 1/3 of the tank should be stuffed with plants. More is better.
Try to use a tank/container with a wide area, not deep. The female will have more space to escape.

Wild type + dragon should give you great offspring. Good Luck!

[LoveSGSE]

indjo, how do I tire the male? And what do you mean by ripen her eggs? Kinda confused.

[marbledplakat]

I'm beginning to think it's the IAL leaf extract. Ever since I started using this stuff my bettas act like they're on steroids. This is the first time I've ever used it in a spawning tank.

I had my female floating in a cup for almost two days before I released her. I waited until the male seemed done working on his nest and started swimming back and forth between her cup and his nest. I did add more plants though so hopefully he will have a harder time chasing her around while I'm at class tomorrow. We'll see what happens.


Here are some pictures of them. Sorry the ones in the spawning tank are so dark.

Male:
(He's stunning when he flares but he also moves around too much for me to take his picture.)



Female:



Nest:

[bettalover2033]

Wow Fantastic!! just magnificent and interesting how these fish breed and show!! hope all goes well!!^^

[indjo]

Originally Posted by LoveSGSE

indjo, how do I tire the male? And what do you mean by ripen her eggs? Kinda confused.

If a male constantly flares, he will eventually get tired. Sometimes before I spawn aggressive males that won't breed, I flare him with another male for at least an hour. If I think he's very/too .....active???..... I would flare him longer, but change his sparring partner (so they don't get stressed). Then let him rest. Usually he (they) will start making nest (don't know why).

Then I would place him in the breeding tank and float the female for at least one day (sometimes 3 days - depending on how the male is acting). I usually release the female just before dark. Oh, I usually use much more plants when breeding aggressive males.

Females will always carry eggs all their adult life. When they get into "the mood" their eggs sort of ripens and are ready to be released/layed. Some females need a longer time before they're ready to release their eggs. If these females are released too soon, the male will have a longer time chasing and nipping at her. She will end up badly hurt. So to reduce chasing time, I usually float my female - hoping that when I release her she will almost immediately spawn.
I release females just before dark because they will see and sense each other but stop their activity after dark. They usually spawn the next morning. Very little nipping.