Courtship and Spawning

[MrVampire181]

A lot of epople may be wondering how this is supposed to go. I think it deserves it's onw thread.

Ok so where were we..oh yes so your male is swimming free in the spawning tank and your female is in her glass chimne yor cup or whatever the heck you wanted to use. So now your male is up the roof with testosterone and is flaring like crazy, she may even be flaring back at him.

So here's how the spawning tank should look:



and now with the happy couple:







The bubblenest:

The bubblenest is a very important part of the spawning ritual. The nest protects the eggs and fry from suffocating in the stagnant water in their natural habitat. So you can have a few options for nest anchors, lids, stryofoam cups cut in half lengthwise, Indian Almond Leaf...just whatever your prefer. The bubblenest should be a good size before you release the female:







The release of the female:
Ok so now when the male has his nest ready we look at the female for readiness.

Dark bodied females will get vertical bars when they're ready to spawn:


Your female should be fat with eggs...but skinny females will produce spawns too.



Finally when the female is ready to spawn she will hold her head down at a 45* angle with her vertical bars showing. This lets the amle know she is submissive and ready to spawn:


The Spawning:

So now the female is approaching the nest with ther head down, wiggling her body like a snake. The male stops chasing her and the two join under the nest:



Now begins the actual spawning, the two will circle each other and begin to embrace. Most of the time it takes a while to get it right:



Almost there:



AAAANNNNDDDD SHABANG!!! An embrace:











Now after each embrace the female will float stunned under the nest while the fmale goes down to collect eggs:









The male then blows the eggs into the nest:



Here is a video of my Blue Dragon Geno HMPK Pair spawning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyG-TMfUAyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hno6Rt8Eueg

Ok so now the female retreats to the plants. Now get a cup and gently take some water out of the spawning tank and slowly and gently remove the female with a net....CAREFUL NOT TO DESTROY THE BUBBLENEST!!!

She may come out looking pretty nasty from all the chasing and nipping:



Slowly acclimate her back to her tank, and do some extra water changes for a week or so to keep her injuries from infection.

Now the male has a nest full of eggs and soon wigglers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gs7JDAK_fw



And finally they hatch! They hang tail down in the nest:




Soon they become free swimming and it's time to take the male out. Do the same thing you did with the female but check the cups for fry and if you find any use a turkey baster to put them back in the tank.

[weluvbettas]

great thread! where did you get the pics??

[shinybetta]

Nice guide! Though, once you spelled male, "Fmale" Haha!

[MrVampire181]

Originally Posted by weluvbettas

great thread! where did you get the pics??

www.flippersandfins.net :)

Originally Posted by shinybetta

Nice guide! Though, once you spelled male, "Fmale" Haha!

oops hehe ;P

[demonicangel132007]

Thanks, I have this bookmarked for whenever I get the courage/money/whatever to set up a spawning tank. But when the fry finally get big enough to separate what do you usually suggest to put them in? (if it is talked about in another thread just point me in the right direction) The Sticky in this section said something about jars, but what size?

[leeb62]

Good information for sure. Love the super clear pictures of them warping each other. :)

[MrVampire181]

Originally Posted by leeb62

Good information for sure. Love the super clear pictures of them warping each other. :)

Even after seeing them embrace as many times as I have it never fails to amaze me.

Originally Posted by demonicangel132007

Thanks, I have this bookmarked for whenever I get the courage/money/whatever to set up a spawning tank. But when the fry finally get big enough to separate what do you usually suggest to put them in? (if it is talked about in another thread just point me in the right direction) The Sticky in this section said something about jars, but what size?

I use quart mason jars when I first jar them. I also use plastic cups. Cups and small jars get cleaned 100% everyday. The best fish are housed in gallon pickle jars I get from my neighborhood restaurant.

[Dragonlady]

This is fairly accurate. Good job! Keep in mind that some female bettas are capable of drawing blood on human skin. Females that are ready can be very aggressive if she rejects or challenges a male, even if he is ready. Other female bettas hate other females, but are excellent spawners!

[demonicangel132007]

Originally Posted by MrVampire181

I use quart mason jars when I first jar them. I also use plastic cups. Cups and small jars get cleaned 100% everyday. The best fish are housed in gallon pickle jars I get from my neighborhood restaurant.

Awesome! Thank you so much. If I have any more questions I'll ask.

[MrVampire181]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

This is fairly accurate. Good job! Keep in mind that some female bettas are capable of drawing blood on human skin. Females that are ready can be very aggressive if she rejects or challenges a male, even if he is ready. Other female bettas hate other females, but are excellent spawners!

Oh yeah. Some betta ladies are crazy! I've had dead males from females and many shredded.Now a days my breeding is mainly shortfins but I still have problems. For example, my Super Red HMPK pair was in the tank. Then the female ripped the males fins...seperated...reconditioning...trying again in three weeks.