Experienced Breeders: Advice to a novice?

[Jdh]

Hi Breeders,

I'm looking into breeding Betta Fish. I understand the process, but I have a few specific questions:

I'm considering importing Bettas from Thailand (or simply Bettas with proven genotypes). Is there anything in particular I should be looking for when buying a pair? Do you recommend buying from any particular vendors?

Can I use my local river-sand as a substrate if I wash it thoroughly?

Thanks for any help!

-Josh

[MrVampire181]

I'm not sure about river sand. I don't reccomend substrate at all for a breeding tank.

on Aquabid just look for bettas you like, but look at the seller feedback, the higher the feedback the better.

[Oldfishlady]

The only problem I had with sand I used from my stock pond was the silts that would never settle...I wouldn't recommend it for that reason
If you use substrate in the spawning tank make sure it is fine grained or the eggs can fall through and the male will have trouble retrieving them and can get side-tracked and not spawn as well or place a piece of slate or a large leaf under the spawning site so the eggs don't get lost.
Bare bottom tanks work well too and can be easier to clean- either way works well for spawning in my experience.

[Jdh]

Okay, thanks for the info :)

@Mr. Vampire - But is there anything I can request/should be looking for genetically? Are their any particular breed standards that a breeder would find desirable?

I have one more question: How do you handle the large amount of fry? Do you sell to local pet stores?

[MrVampire181]

Originally Posted by Jdh

Okay, thanks for the info :)

@Mr. Vampire - But is there anything I can request/should be looking for genetically? Are their any particular breed standards that a breeder would find desirable?

I have one more question: How do you handle the large amount of fry? Do you sell to local pet stores?

Sibs. Breeding siblings is one of the best ways to get good fish. Line breeding involves breeding brother to sister, then father to daughter, then granddaughter to granfather. That way the granddaughter to grandfather spawn has 90% his genetics and produces better fry when bred brother to sister. You can do this with the female too.

People always think you can raise 500+ fish. You'll raise a fraction. Most of mine are around 20 that grow to adulthood.

[brandonwlee]

Agreed breeding siblings is one of the best ways to get the desired traits that you want. Just be careful not to inbreed for more than 6 generation in general, after that, you may get some unwanted traits and some fish will be stunned of growth. outcross to a good line will keep you going for a long time. but watch out for the fish that you buy, you may get the desired phenotype, but the line is not pure and will cloud your original line. one way is to see the whole spawn of the fish u r buying if possible, not only a single fish. if the majority of the whole spawn has the same finnage and colouration, then it is a pure line. anyway, it depends on how serious you are towards the hobby. hope you get what u r looking for!

[1fish2fish]

I highly suggest you join the IBC (www.ibcbettas.org). The IBC holds the current show standards for all bettas and its members have a wealth of knowledge that is extremely useful for a new breeder. You may even be able to find a breeder or IBC sanctioned show near you and be able to pick up some very nice stock for very cheap.

I would avoid breeding colors involving Red for your first time (including orange and yellow) as they can be hard to work with. Multicolors are probably the easiest to work with color-wise because you will get a variety of colors. IMO a new breeder should breed for form and finnage before deciding to settle on one color but if you do your research there's no reason why you can breed for form and color at the same time.

I'll third the suggestion that you get a sib pair for your first spawn. It will give you a better guess at what kind of fry you'll get, even more-so if you are able to ask the breeder at little about the genetic backgrounds of the fish.

For fin types I would stay away from rosetails because they tend to produce a lot of bad genetics. Crowntails also because it is extremely hard to produce quality CT unless you have amazing water quality. Halfmoons and HMPK are the trendsetters right now so I would choose between those two. I would also avoid Double tails starting out because you have a lot of culling when it comes to DT because of short spines and deformed swimbladders.

For the spawning tank I'd advise going bare bottom. Many people breed in fully planted tanks with substrates but I prefer a bare bottom tank with non-rooted or floating plants for easiest clean up.

[MrVampire181]

Agreed 1f2f, DTs, CTs, and Rose tails are difficult. But HMs IMO are iffy, big fins leave the male at risk but protect the female, so depending on her personality they'd be fine. From experience HMPKs are the easiest to breed...in fact my first 2 spawns with them went so well I may be buying several more!

[brandonwlee]

agreed HMPK is the better choice for begineers and requires less attention. it is also more hardy and more susceptible to minor diseases and bad water quality. it's more agressive and will give u a good time flaring. sapwning will have bigger spawn and stronger fry compared to HMs and CTs in general.