Mixing betta breeds?

[small fry]

Hello. I have a veiltail betta, Tony. He is sick so he is not ready to spawn. This thread is more about my sister's betta.

My sister has a Crowntail. She really wants a female, but can't find any CT FMs anywhere? She want to know if it is ok to interbreed species.

Would this be problematic? And would the fry be styrle? Just wondering. She really wants to raise betta fry.

BTW we don't have a big petstore within an hour of where we live, so ordering fish would not work.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

[MrVampire181]

I would not breed petstore fish. They're genetic mutts..while pretty they're not quality.

Also all tail types are the same exact species (betta splendens). You should never cross species like splendens X macrostoma (would never work anyway but you get my point).

Try www.aquabid.com for your first breeding pair and try to buy a brother and sister pair.

Also RESEARCH!! Raising fry isn't easy!

[1fish2fish]

I agree.

[leeb62]

There are some betta seller from TX and they sell pretty nice looking betta on aquabid. Maybe you can email them.

[small fry]

My sister wants to raise betta for the expirence, not really for show. I guess she might try a pair after a success or 2. Has anybody ever mixed veiltail and crowntail? What does the tail look like?

About the fry. Don't you just put them in jars and change the water everyday?

I am also thinking about getting a female if Tony ever heals from his unknown illness.

Thanks!

[MizzVamp115]

I don't know about the tail type you would get, but I'm pretty sure there is more to caring for fry than just putting them in jars and changing the water. Are you really ready to potentially take care of 50 to 100 bettas?

I'd research some more and maybe talk to some breeders if you're really serious about breeding.

[small fry]

Actually, I was thinking it would be more than that. I've done a bit of research on the topic a while back.

[MizzVamp115]

Originally Posted by small fry

Actually, I was thinking it would be more than that. I've done a bit of research on the topic a while back.

Just making sure. I've seen a few people that just wanted to try it for an experiment and not know all the work that goes into it. I thought about it when I bought my first girl until I read some of the topics in here and swiftly changed my mind lol.

[1fish2fish]

What are you going to feed the fry? What will you do if an illness breaks out? How much water will you change daily? At what age will you jar the fry? At what age will you start feeding and doing water changes? Are you prepared to kill any fry with genetic deformities to prevent that from going back into the gene pool?

And the biggest question... how are you going to find homes for up to 50 mutts? There are VT and CT rotting to death in pet store cups all over the world, why bring more into the world when there's already so many that go unwanted. Your going to have a very hard time selling the fry to anyone, if you give them away are you sure you know enough betta lovers that will take proper care of the fish they take?

VT/ CT mixes are ugly the first generation.. they look like VT with raggedy fins because of the varying degrees of web reduction shown in the fry. It is only after one or two successive generations that the fins start to look even remotely nice.

Breeding for experience is fine and dandy but if your going to breed it HAS to be for the betterment of the fish and breeding the two most unpopular tail types right now, on top of them being from unknown genetic background, is not going to better the fish. You don't have to show the fish you breed but you should have a goal in mind that will make Betta splendens better in future generations.

Look at it this way, pet store fish are like mutts you buy from the animal shelter, many dogs die each year in animal shelters, so why would someone breed two shelter dogs?

I'm not trying to be mean so please don't take it that way. Breeding is not just some thing you do like growing flowers, you have lives in your hands that you are responsible for. It must be taken seriously.

[small fry]

Very good point 1fish2fish. I was prepared for anything when it comes to fry, but mixing bettas bloodlines making more confusion is probably not a great idea.

Do fish actually have paperwork on thier backgrounds, though? I mean, I bought my betta Tony as a veiltail, but are you saying he could actually be a mutt? Would it be a bad idea to breed my lfs veiltail with another lfs veiltail? Or would that just damage the bloodline?

I certainly don't want to de-purify a bloodline. But I was wondering if I could breed my veiltail (that doesn't have paperwork) with a veiltail (without paperwork) from a small lfs?

Thanks for the help so far!