Our first attempt Male CT and VT female

[MrVampire181]

Betta fry are difficult to raise! It takes a while to actually get a grip on how to do things and successfully raise them.

[Saphire]

Originally Posted by MrVampire181

Betta fry are difficult to raise! It takes a while to actually get a grip on how to do things and successfully raise them.

We figured out how to do water changes without opening the cover but since we have an airstone on the tip of the tubing, we don't get all the crap that on the bottom of the tank. Any tips advise would be welcomed from the pros.

[MrVampire181]

I really don't worry about the waste on the bottom. I have snails for that lol. I just clean a lot of water daily to keep ammonia and stunt hormones well under control.

[tpocicat]

I put a piece of old pantyhose at the end of the air tubing I use to suction water and waste out of the fry tank.

[styggian]

Originally Posted by Saphire

We figured out how to do water changes without opening the cover but since we have an airstone on the tip of the tubing, we don't get all the crap that on the bottom of the tank. Any tips advise would be welcomed from the pros.

http://youtu.be/FOY_PVjErR8

[MrVampire181]

I use my python siphon with pantyhose at the end because I'm too lazy to carry a bucket to the bathroom lol. I then use the python to refill jugs of water for water changes because once again too lazy lol.

[Oldfishlady]

I use my homemade siphon I made out of airline hose with a couple of chopsticks attached to make it ridged and my thumb functions as the control valve for more control.

Making about 50-60% daily water changes-for larger spawns I will make twice daily water changes-usually about 20-30min after I feed.

I siphon into an old 1gal ice cream bucket with a handle-then I use a flash light and shine under the bucket to help spot any fry that might have gotten sucked up. I use my little siphon to suck the little fry up into the tip and place back into the tank.

I refill by gravity for the first two weeks-I have hooks over my tank so that I can hang my ice cream bucket with like temp dechlorinated tannin stained water back into the fry tank using my siphon that is clipped to the edge.

After 2 weeks-I refill with like temp dechlorinated water from 1gal milk jugs pouring the water over my free hand to displace the water flow so not to injure any fry.

I like to keep common snails in my fry tanks-ramshorn, pond and trumpet-they help create infusoria for free range fry food and help clean up any uneaten food, dead/dieing fry, decaying organics-the snail poop is much safer for the fry tank and easier to see than the bacteria created by decaying organic matter.




As you can see its a pretty simple setup-I used twist ties to attach the chopsticks-but have since changed that to the black electric tape and that works better-the twist ties would hang up on the plastic veggie wrap and tear it.
I like to start my siphon on the top first to remove any surface scum before the water level gets to low-then I start on the bottom..

[Saphire]

This may sound kind of dumb but i've been obsessing over not opening the tank since we are in the middle of labirynth formation... Am i paranoid? We need to adjust the heater cuz temp in there is very hot... Even if we added water it's still a toasty 87 degres in there. Is it dangerous for the fry? I know my snails did not like it... Even with acclimating they died pretty quickly.

Thanks for the help and support... This community is really great!

[tpocicat]

There shouldn't be a problem as long as you put the wrap back quickly.

[Saphire]

We are starting to see a little bit of coloration in our little guys!!! (happy dance)
Another kind of dumb question : how is it possible to have a whitish colored fish from brightly colored parents??? One of the bigger fry looks like it's going opaque while others are starting to go towards the reddish/orange hues.