|  |  | 
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| fry not able to stay in bubble nest
this is my second attempt to breed bettas. the first batch died within 1-2 days after hatching and it looking like it's happening again with my 2nd batch. the only thing i notice is that they are having trouble staying in the bubble nest as soon as they hatch. the eggs will stay fine but when they hatch they start fall to the bottom, the dad tries to put them back but they just fall again. it looks like 1/3 of the babies have died already. what could be causing this? | 
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| What do you have in there for the bubble nest to attach to? That may be part of the problem.
Another issue may be if you didn't condition Dad with enough protein. For the bubbles to stay together for so long, I'm guessing the male uses a bit of protein (like the slime coat) to give the bubbles stronger surface tension. This second part is pure hypothesis, though.
It may also just be inexperience on Dad's part. Some animals (just like some people) don't make good parents. | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Fry raining down from the bubble nest is normal....This is the males most active time during the hatching is 24-48 hours after the mating....He will pick up any eggs that fall and reinsert them into the bubbles.......The reason the eggs are falling is the fry are wiggling around inside of the eggs....If you get a magnifying glass you can actually see them wiggling around inside the eggs...Quite amazing actually.....
Do you have live food realy for the fy? | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Martinismommy... For how long after the fry hatch is this common? You say it's common while they're in the eggs, but the poster said that the fry have already hatched. Also, what kind of die-off is normal? 1/3 doesn't seem terribly extreme in a fish like a betta (there's a reason that fish produce so many eggs), but I'm not positive about this, having never bred egglayers before.
The food question is definitely a good one. You don't want the fry to be caught without sustenance, and most of the foods take a bit of time to prepare (unless you've got a local store that carries them pre-cultured). | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| i have a synthetic plant to help the bubble nest. i was feeding the male dried blood worms and pellets. my male is still pretty small. is the male suppose to spit the eggs/fry towards the bubble nest? or is he suppose to put them in the nest?
Martinismommy
the fry are falling to fast and too many are falling, the dad cant keep up. as soon as he spits them in/towards the nest and turns around to pick up more they fall back down already. i started a batch of baby brine shrimp.
Last edited by hmglauj; February 17th, 2009 at 11:02 AM.
| |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Well 1st off they may not even be dead...Many times the hatchlings lay at the bottom until Dad finds them....The fry are going to fall to the bottom for 3-5 days until they are able to swim vertically....Some males get overwhelmed during this time and will eat the eggs but most of the time all ends up well in the end...
I agree, 1/3 is way too high of a percentage to be losing...I have a spwn going right now that is 24 hours old and fry are raining down like crazy..I'll try and get a video...
Next time you might try adding an Indian almond leaf to the water to create a more natural enviornment for spawning...You should also add a live plant ASAP for the fry to feed on starting at day 3...BBS are too big for newborns...The only thing that newly hatched fry can eat is microworms...
Do you have photos of your breeding pair? What tail type are they?
Last edited by Martinismommy; February 17th, 2009 at 11:33 AM.
| |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| I think (please, MM or one of you other breeders, correct me on this if I'm wrong) most people either use a natural plant leaf (almond? though I've heard of people using oak, I think) or a styrofoam cup (those things perform miracles of surface tension. Water just beads up on them) to aid in the bubble nest. I'm not sure, but artificial plants, particularly silk, may not have the right interaction with water's surface tension.
Also, blood worms and pellets doesn't quite sound like enough protein for the dad. He may just be exhausted. The mating is really rough on both parents, and then he needs to stay awake for a couple of days afterwards. I think most people do a diet of various live or frozen foods for a week or more before breeding. Again, MM, correct me if I'm wrong.
Edit: Totally  by MartinisMommy. I just parroted everything she said, pretty much. 
Last edited by sirdarksol; February 17th, 2009 at 11:06 AM.
| |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Sir, you are absolutely correct....It is important to have a plate and Almond leaf in the tank...Another reason the eggs may be falling is because the lid is allowing air into the tank....You want a tightly sealed tank with LOT's of humidity dripping during the hatching process....
As for conditioning the pair.....The really should be fed live bloodworms and mosquito larve in order to boost them up for spawning... | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Here is what I use... A styrofoam plate cut in half.....Notice how the eggs have been moved in the 2nd photo... | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| the male is a crown tail and the female is half short and double. this first batch i used a lid and they all died, not sure if it was because of it or not. this time im not using one, should i be? i should note that the eggs are hatching after 36 ish hours | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| hours later...Dad moved all the eggs over so he could manage them all.... | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| YES, get a lid on the tank now......Fry can not handle any surface air....What is your heater set at and is the tank bare bottom? | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| 80 degrees. yes it's bare bottom, the dad can clearly see the fry on the bottom of the tank. i'll put a lid on as soon as i get home. hopefully it wont be too late
Last edited by hmglauj; February 17th, 2009 at 11:23 AM.
| |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| What's the water level in the tank? | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| about 2 inches | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| I keep my water level at 4 inches...It's too late to add water now though....What size tank are you spawning in? | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Can you see tails hanging from the nest? | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| i did not see any tail hanging. the ones that hatched, so far, are mostly on the bottom of the tank. dont remember the exact measurements, not home right now, but i thinks it's about 7'' by 13'' | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| That's probably the 2 gallon...You really want to get a plant like a Christmas moss in there....This is what the fry hang on to when they are 1st hatched....You are also going to want to spawn in a 5-10 gallon tank next time...A 2 gallon is not big enough to riase fry in..They can't be moved for at least a month... | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| thanks for the info, i'm learning a lot. this is actually my first thread here and i gotta say there's a lot of cool people willing to help others here. thanks a bunch for all your input martinismommy. i'll be sure to keep you guys updated. | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| That's what we're here for. We are lucky to have more than a couple of members who have successfully raised bettas, and who do so in a manner that is healthy for the fish. | |
| | |
February 17th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| You are welcome! I look forward to hearing how it turned out for you....If you need anymore help feel free to ask...
Karen~ | |
| | |
February 18th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| update
i added some almond leaf extract, installed the lid, and got some micro worms from a buddy. the babies seem to be doing a lot better, tails are now hanging from the bubble nest. the bubble nest itself looks a lot better too, increase humidity from the lid maybe? | |
| | |
February 18th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Wow cool!!!!!!!!! So happy to hear this! I kind of thought they were still alive.....Don't start feeding them until they are vertically swimming and you remove the male... | |
| | |
February 18th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Awesome news! It sounds like a significant portion will likely pull through. | |
| | |
February 18th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Glad their doing better.  | |
| | | |
Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads 
