[jibruno]

i have 7 CT bettas, 3 males and 4 females.

i made an ideal breeding tank based off the advice and knowledge of tons of people.

iv tried different foods, different tricks, tried everything

I have tried almost every combination i can think of for my pairs and failed spawning them all 11 times now.

The furthest iv gotten was one pair embraced, made eggs and then an hour later my male destroyed his nest and hid, but i had hope and tried that pair again the other night, and my female wont even go near him now..

Iv come to the conclussion that i suck at breeding bettas and probably have the worst luck out there. I dont wanna stress out the fish i have more than i already did so i think im just gonna throw in the towel.

i was looking forward to doing this but theres obviously something im missing, and cant figure out.. i just suck ><

 

[jibruno]

and the worst part is, my male made a HUGE nest this last spawn, 10 inches across and it was thick.

and my female was swollen with eggs, idk why its just not working ><

 

[bettalover2000]

Maybe try another breeding pair off of AB?

 

[bettalover2033]

Some fish just aren't breeders. I know how frustrating it can be to have to play the waiting game while conditioning and the rest of the process.

If you really would like to breed I would suggest buying online. It all depends on what you are able to afford and your personal preference. Try a nice CT or HMPK pair and you will be amazed at what you get.

Have you tried a different method? Is your male that you recently tried (that made the big bubblenest) very aggressive?

I was told that using less hiding places and a smaller tank (like a 5 gallon or even a rectangle 2.5 gallon) can do the trick. I would go with the 5 gallon though if you have one.)

 

[jibruno]

i got a beautiful pair online, and also tried the 5 gal tank trick,

using the 5 gal tank almost killed my female, she lost 80% of her fins within an hour and had to call it quits

the male who made the massive nest is my most calm male, he will be agressive at times but only when first seeing each other

 

[bettalover2033]

i got a beautiful pair online, and also tried the 5 gal tank trick,

using the 5 gal tank almost killed my female, she lost 80% of her fins within an hour and had to call it quits

the male who made the massive nest is my most calm male, he will be agressive at times but only when first seeing each other

That is great news! I would love to see pictures of them...(The AB picture anyway). Hopefully this pair works!...I had the same thing happen to my female. This was her when she I found her after school:

....This was also a few days after the "attack."

 

[jibruno]

aww the poor girl, so do you get a lot of successful spawns?
maybe you have some advice

the few times my pairs do spawn, my male eats the eggs and destroys the nest ><

 

[bettalover2033]

aww the poor girl, so do you get a lot of successful spawns?
maybe you have some advice

the few times my pairs do spawn, my male eats the eggs and destroys the nest ><

Yeah, she was worse the few days before and I thought she was going to die because of her wounds. Thankfully she didn't.

To answer your question, yes I do get plenty successful spawns. I usually get up to 40-60 to adulthood. I moved last year and had to give and sell all of my fish for $5-$10 meanwhile they were worth $20-$25. I was disappointed but I didnt have a choice.

My advice would be to get as many things as possible to encourage their breeding behaviors. Get IAL's, IAL extract, Also your water should get a brown tint into it from the IAL and a lot of live plants. I personally use Water Sprite, but you can definitely use Marimo balls (I think you said you have those?), Water Wisteria, a bunch of Ancharis works good as well. Next try to release the female and male together so the male doesnt make the tank his territory yet. If the tank is heavily planted you will find that this works best for both the pair and the fry. The fry will have Lots of infusoria and places to rest. For the pair, the female will have a places to hide and get away from the male. Lastly for the male, some plants will encourage him to build a larger bubblenest if the IAL doesnt. Most of the time the male makes his nest under the IAL, but they might choose other plants or corners. (Water conditioner)-- I have never used this but hear good things about it.

Another method I have never tried (though I would like to) is using another female to float while the pair are released to get the female to embrace with him. I also heard MANY amazing experiences with this as well. It's almost like it gets the paired female "jealous."

I hope that helps.

 

[indjo]

jibruno: What size are your bettas or if you know, what age.
Try keeping them all in solitaries, out of sight of any other bettas or fish for that matter. After 2 days of total solitary, try flaring them (male to male and female to female). Make them (specially the females) aggressive. Keep them like this during the conditioning period. After a few days, some should flirt.

Choose a flirting male and female. If the female was in a tank/container you could float in the breeding tank, float her and release the male. If you need to move the female to a chimney or something, don't put the male in yet. Give her a few hours to settle then release the male in the breeding tank. If both flirt, you can immediately release the female or wait for a day or so.

Good luck.

 

[Fasht]

I have read that you can also try the shock method. By doing this you need to isolate your make and female in a seperate container/tank. You must let the water get somewhat dirty and let hem sit there for a couple of days. Then transfer your pair in your clean spawning tank and they should spawn right away or soon after. I havnet tried this method yet so i can't guarantee a success rate

 

[bettalover2033]

@Fasht: I too have heard many good things about this method. I can't remember the member in here that tried this method and had a really good success.

 

[Fasht]

I can't remember the member either.

 

[Tisia]

I know GreenTea managed to do it successfully a couple of times.
I think OFL generally uses the method as well and was the one that instructed GreenTea on how to do it

 

[bettalover2033]

Thanks Tisia! I forgot that is was GT that used this method.

 

[Myates]

I second the question about their age- normally breeders tend to go for 3-4 months of age, as the older they get sometimes the trickier it is..