[jterrero]

Hey Everyone.

This is my first attempt at breeding (Which was not my intention) and I'm a little nervous after my fry hatched. I have a few questions, if you could please answer them I'd greatly appreciate it

1) After fry start free swimming, at what point do I take out Male Betta. What if certain fry are swimming but others are still nested

2) After fry start free swimming, at what point do I start feeding

3) When is it okay to turn off the light I have setup near the tank

4) Is there a tutorial our there or some step by step instructions on the "SAFEST" way to start replacing water

5) The bottom of the tank seems dirty, I do not have any filtration in. What can I do to clean up without disturbing / hurting fry.


thanks in advanced

 

[LittleBeta]

O.O I will be stalking this thread! I need some of these questions awensered for future references XD

 

[Curlyfatbottom]

Three days or 72 hours after hatching
That is when they become free swimming,when you start feeding very little amount of food and safe to take the dad out
The light depend on you.
The reason you leave the light on is for the male to see the egg/fry when it's dark
Another reason is that some male get trigger to eat when it's morning( you don't want that to happen)
In the first two week
The fry are to small to do anything
pretty much all you can do is add small amount of water each day(same temperature)make sure the fry is about a week old
Or you can buy a sponge filter or make one and run it with an establish tank for a week then put it in your fry tank with a low setting a bubble a second(make sure you Rinse the filter before you add to your fry tank)
To much cod n zombie(playing game)
My eye sight is getting worst
I don't siphon with a small air line or use a turkey Baster until they're a month old

 

[tpocicat]

I usually leave the father in until I see fry swimming away from him, that is a pretty good sign that it is time to get him out of there. Like CFB said, usually around 3 days after hatching.
I start adding water slowly with a drip line with same temp, conditioned water after I take the father out. About a quart a day until the tank is full, then 50% water changes every other day after that. I use airline tubing to siphon the "dirt" from the bottom of the tank. Some fry might get siphoned out this way, just put them back.

 

[indjo]

Wait until all fry are free swimming - then take daddy out.
Start feeding immediately after free swimming because they should have used up their egg sacks and need nutrition.

Lights are totally up to you. I don't use extra lights and they manage to care for eggs and fry. In fact I often cover everything (specially when it's windy) and make it dark.

If your tank isn't full, add some water daily with a drip system until it's full. Then you can attach an airstone to an airline tubing and siphon water (not waste) out. You won't suck out any fry this way.

Start sucking wastes after fry is 1 week since free swimming (10 days old). Use an airline tubing without an air stone. I tie my tubing to a bamboo to make it easier to navigate and use my finger/thumb at the other end to control suction.
The strength of suction depends on the distance between the tank's water level and the waste bucket. So if the waste bucket is level to the tank's floor (on a chair or something) the suction should be lower and fry should be able to avoid it. But if your tank is on a table and your waste bucket is on the floor, you will have strong suction.

The key to successful fry rearing is patience..... everything needs to be done slowly and carefully.

Good luck.

 

[jterrero]

How many should a normal fry have? I see some are still stuck in the bubble nest, some started free swimming, others are laying on plant, i think eating maybe.. But counting all of them I am only counting about 80 or so. is this normal or should i have spawned a lot more than that ?

 

[Curlyfatbottom]

This fall under how health the pair is(did you condition the pair), gene of the parent and age
Plus did the parent egg some of the egg and did dad take a good care of the egg/fry
Water condition
Yeah that normal
Less concentration on how many you have and worry how about how you going to keep them alive
Feeding
Rearing
Water change
Jarring
Finding a home for them
Getting them to breed is the easy part.
Keeping the fry alive is the hard part.

 

[tpocicat]

I've had as few as 4 live to adulthood, and as many as 50... Each spawn is different. You usually end up with fewer than you start with, I think that is mother nature taking care of the weak ones.
Now it is your job to keep these fry healthy. Best of luck.

 

[indjo]

There is no normal count. Many factors determine fry count. And as stated above, you will have less to adult. Just do your best in keeping the water clean (not the tank - for now) so that your fry will have a big appetite and grow. The faster they grow, the easier to feed - more choices.