genie

Have you all heard about these bettas that are newly discovered, but will probably be extinct before they are accepted as a species?
They sound fabulous. Here is a link: www.svas.info/2007-04_Newsletter.pdf
They aren't fighters, so you can have a species tank. Their colors arent as bright, and they are a wild type.
IBC is trying to breed them in captivity to preserve the species.
I want some, like 3 or 4 pairs! I am sure that the average aquarist cant get them though since they are endangered. They are brackish, unlike Splendens.

COBettaCouple

wow! yea, i'd love to see them be preserved in the wild (but as the galaxy rasboras illustrated, commercial developments or just plain greed come first). I would love to breed them and help build up the population.. i wish there was a breeding program setup for betta lovers like us to coordinate a moving around of genetic stock for diverse breeding. with a lot of us who love the bettas and a program like that, i bet a captive population could really blossom even if thailand's government allows the wild habitat to be destroyed.

genie

It seems that the IBC has a program in place for people to breed them. check out www.ibcbettas.com . Anyway, I am not set up to help maintain the population, but I would love to have a species tank of them and let nature take its course.

COBettaCouple

Do you mean the 'Betta Pals' program? I saw that program a while back, but don't have the space or money for breeding. But thanks for reminding me of it though, I will email them and see if i can get information on the mahachai betta effort and if we could be a part - from the article on them, it sounds like breeding and raising the young would require significantly less money and space.

genie

They have something specific to the Mahachai effort... http://smp.ibcbettas.org/ I think this is the link.

COBettaCouple

thanks. still couldn't find the information on the mahachai program, so i hope the email gets a good response.

chickadee

I really believe that the help and assistance is for licensed and established breeders and their members. They have wonderful shows and love bettas and are good at promoting care and good information but do not really recommend home breeding.

Rose

COBettaCouple

We'll be joining the IBC now I think. Between the upcoming show in Jax and the betta sp. mahachai information we're now aware of their website and organization.

Not disagreeing with you, but why do they have the "Betta Pals" program then? Their website says the program is to encourage new members to try breeding Betta.

What is the process for becoming a licensed breeder? Do any breeders breed in a home setting? I'd understand them limiting sponsored breeding, but would love to help build up a probably-endangered Betta and follow the experts guidelines for setup & care of sp. mahachai.

Thanks Rose, I know you want what we do - the best for Bettas and I promise you, we'd only undertake a breeding that we were sure of being able to do and still care properly for every betta involved. I'd hate to lose a single fry.

chickadee

I believe their concern is the breeder that gets one breeding pair and breeds until the inbreeding is so bad that it weakens the strain worse than helping it. In most states there is a license that you get to handle fish and you would need to check with someone who actually has one to find out how you get one. I believe that the folks at Miami Aquariums would know something about it. I believe it also entitles you to import and export them. All I am personally aware of is the one time I had to turn in a breeder to the folks at the IBC and he was removed from being able to sell on eBay and Aquabid and several places because all of his fish were being bred by the same pair and the fry of that pair and they would not live long.

Rose

Phloxface

I wonder if they could be eventually bred with Betta Splendons to create a less aggressive strain that could actually live together? This is what I'd like to see out there. All any breeders seem to care about these days is color and tail type and even making them MORE aggressive. I'd much rather have a tank full of peaceful Bettas.

COBettaCouple

Hmm.. inbreeding is about as ethical as dyeing. A cruel, greedy practice.
I'd think that a database of strains and participating breeders to coordinate breeding pairs would be an excellent way to ensure the maximum genetic diversity while raising the captive population. Given the mating habits of sp mahachai, i think the young would have to be placed into male and female tanks when they reach a certain age. Anyway, I can see how the folks at IBC wouldn't KNOW that we'd never inbreed and can see why they'd want to be as sure as they could of that not happening. Inbreeding would most certainly be counter-productive to the effort. I suppose our reaction to the plight of sp mahachai was kind of like how we feel seeing a sick betta in a cup at petco.

Thanks Rose for the info, we appreciate it. We're learning.

genie

http://www.atisonbetta.com/Stock7.asp
Here is a place where you can buy your Mahachai Betta. They are $17 each. I am considering it.

Phloxface

Did you have a look at this page on their site http://www.atisonbetta.com/Bettafighters.asp

"If you train my fighters properly and size them evenly, you will definitely win over any opponents from any
part of the world. "

"Every opponents will suffer severe injuries on mouth, eyes and ears. This is a 11 months old fighter that has excellent scales and greatest fighting stamina. It is a very cruel fighter that never let oppoenents take a rest."

* * * * * *

They sell fish specifically for fighting. It's sad! I wouldn't buy from here and support this cruelty.

genie

Didn't know that. I got the link from the IBC website.

COBettaCouple

Hmmm.. i'm surprised.. Maybe the IBC needs to check what sites they have links to and not have links to sites supporting the cruel practice of betta fighting. I don't believe they support that and must not know that this website does.

I was thinking "$74 for a pair with shipping.. should i do that?" then i saw your msg phloxface that they supply betta fighters and i know none of us would support them. Too bad.. i was being crazy enough to pay $37 for 1 fish and do it twice (that betta bug! )

chickadee

If you really want them that bad you could ask Javier at Miami Aquariums if he could get them for you. They do advertise that if they do not list what you want they will try to get it for you.

Rose

COBettaCouple

Thank you for the suggestion. I've emailed Javier about them. I must admit the $74 did make it a decision to think about budget-wise since we'd want to be able to get them all of the things they would need to be a happy couple (and take care of their offspring).. so at least 3 tanks to setup and everything for the conditions they prefer, etc. Certainly Miami Aquariums would be the preferred place to buy them, i don't know why i didn't think to email them about that. Glad you're here to set us straight. btw.. has your weather improved?

chickadee

We are a town divided. The river is over the higway to the west and to the south and into the town over 1/4 mile in both directions. This county is the only one still in the warning until Wednesday but we have more rain scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday and Friday. Many of our friends are perilously close to the flood plain and we are worried about where they will go to. We do not know many who do not have water in their basements and we feel fortunate that we live at the very top of town and have no damage to anything.

I had some time last night when my electricity was off and my computer service went off mid-post while I was answering someone here. We still do not have a lot of our cable channels our hospitals had to send a lot of people to the nearest town as we only have 25 beds and there was a lot of folks who could not get in to work at the hospital.

My nephew is half way across the state cleaning up the broken telephone poles from the ice storms last winter and may lose his house from the flood while he is gone. We have not called him as it is not something he needs to worry about as he cannot leave to come home as he has his whole crew there and cannot leave.

I guess you could say that when it rains it pours but we are still so fortunate as there are so many communities who were so totally destroyed and many lost there lives this last weekend in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa due to tornadoes. I feel so sorry for those people.

Rose