I am going to follow these instructions:
Quote:
Breeding bettas is fairly easy but there are a few things to take into consideration before you decide to undertake such a project. Keep in mind that a spawn can easily produce up to a few hundred fry and each male will need his own container as the babies mature. Also, food for the fry will need to be prepared ahead of time.
List of Supplies
10 gallon tank or larger
Live or silk plants
50 to 100 jars
Microworm culture
Brine shrimp eggs and hatchery
Heater
Styrofoam cup or plastic lid
Setting up the spawning tank
A tank anywhere from 10 to 50 gallons can be used. Larger tanks are preferred because they are easier to keep clean. The tank should be kept away from direct sunlight and drafts. It should be filled to a depth of about 6 inches or so. Make sure the water is dechlorinated. A heater is needed to keep the temperature at about 78-80 degrees. Make sure there are plenty of plants in the breeding tank to provide cover for the female and for the babies. Floating plants can help provide surface structure for a bubblenest. Styrofoam cups, cut in half or lids to plastic food containers will do the same thing. Aeration is not recommended because the water movement will disturb the nest.
Conditioning
Conditioning of the male and female is done separately for 2 weeks. During this time, feed them rich, nutritious foods such as frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms. Be very careful if feeding live foods as they may contain parasites.
Introducing the pair
The male should be placed into the breeding tank first, in order to give him time to claim the tank as his own. During this time, he should start building a bubblenest. Two or three days later, you can put the female in a container (a vase or jar) and place it into the tank. This way, the fish can easily see each other but not be able to get into each other’s space. Seeing the female should cause the male to work even harder on his bubblenest. The female isn’t ready to spawn until she shows vertical breeding stripes. PUTTING A FEMALE THAT ISN”T READY TO SPAWN WITH A MALE CAN RESULT IN DEATH FOR THE FEMALE! Give the pair 2-3 days to get accustomed to each other, then release the female. Do this when you will be home to keep an eye on them. You may have to remove the female if he gets too aggressive with her and there are torn fins and open wounds. Minor aggression is normal and there will be some nipping and chasing. The male and female will go under the nest and “embrace”. It will look like he is hugging her. The eggs will be released and fertilized. The first few attempts will result in few, if any, eggs. After the eggs are released and fertilized, the male will pick them up and spit them into the nest. When the female’s eggs are spent, she’ll try to leave. This is the time to remove her. Put her in clean, warm water and give her some tlc.
Some things that can be used to induce spawning include the use of Indian Almond Leaves, banana leaves and water conditioner that contains Indian Almond Leaf extract.
Raising the fry
The eggs will hatch in about 24 hours. The male will move eggs around, rearrange the nest and add bubbles to it. In about 36 hours, they will become free swimming. Clean water and nutritious food is very important at this time. Many breeders feed their fry microworms, infusoria, newly hatched brine shrimp and vinegar eels. The fry need live food. THEY CANNOT EAT THE SAME FOOD THAT ADULTS EAT!! They should be fed 2-3 times a day but be sure not to overfeed! Siphon the tank every day to remove detritus and replace some of the old water with conditioned water of the same temperature. Some breeders don’t change the water until the fry are 2 weeks old. Live plants increase the population of micro organisms that the fry can feed off of.
Sexing
The fry should be sexually distinguishable at about 2 months of age. When the males start getting aggressive with each other, then they need to be moved to their own containers. Females can be kept together. At around 3 months, you ought to be able to see the traits you bred for.
Responsible breeding
Before breeding, please take some things into consideration. The fry need to be fed regularly and water quality needs to be kept up with. Also, take into consideration what you’ll do with the babies once they’re grown. Do you have room for all these fish and will you have homes for them? You are responsible for the life that you helped to create. Please breed responsibly.
|
1. Condition my bettas on frozen brine shrimp for 1-2 weeks (probably 1)
2. On Monday of next week I will introduce the male to the tank.
3. I will add the female in a glass jar on Wednesday.
4. I will wait for 1-2 days (what happens if the female still has horizontal stripes)
5. Hopefully the fish will spawn.
6. I hope to have baby bettas by Sunday of the next week.
7. Take care of them :)
Any thoughts?
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
