Dark_Rider2k3

First off MM's guide was AMAZING. Very well written!!

Now here my ?'s:

How many times a day do you feed the fry? And what do you usually feed them?

Also, You put the males in jars, right? What do you do to keep the jars warm? And I'm guessing you do water changes daily in the jars?

*thinks some more......*

wow haha I had tons of ?'s but MM's guide answered almost all of 'em!

Oh yeah, can you get a hurricane globe anywhere? Like.. could I go to Wal-Mart and get one?

I think that's it. Haha but if I have any other ?'s I'll be sure to bother you all with them :P

Thanks everyone!

edit:

oh yeah! java moss and Hornwort.. are those good for spawning tanks? or does it have to be almond leaf and Christmas moss?

edit2:

I also have a 16.5 gallon tub. Could this be used or do I need to go get a 10gallon?

Martinismommy

Well thank you! It's been a learning experience for sure! lol

Christmas moss...Do NOT use hornwort it sheds it needles bad! The 16 gallon will work just fill it with no more than 4 inches..Feeding fry is an all day adventure...I feed mine 6 times a day...Live microworms for the 1st 3 weeks and then start to add baby brine shrimp...At 6 weeks I use a cheese grater and grate up frozen bloodworms...Yes, I change the water everyday...My house is warm so my containers are always around 76-78 degrees...If you live in a cold area you may want to get a really large tub and put a heater in it so you can have all the jars heated...(put the jars in the tub) The hurricane lamp you can find at Walmart...

Who do you plan on breeding? Do you already have the pair?

Dark_Rider2k3

Do you have any pictures of the Christmas moss.. i've only seen Java moss around here lol..

And that is a lot of food!! I can see it being expensive just on food alone haha!

Now, about the microwoms.. could they be growing on my bamboo i have in my 55gal? And if so, can I place some of it inside of the breeder for them to munch on? I've never tried culturing my own bacteria or anything like that haha.. so that kinda confuses me as to what to do.

And what about freeze-dried bloodworms for week 6? Or should it just be frozen?

For the water temps, I think I'll be okay.. I thought about it more and they should maintain a good temperature.. and water changes will keep them from overheating..

I don't really know about the breeding pair yet.. I do have 2 males and a female but not sure about them... but here are some pics:

My 1st male (Auron):



Here is another pic of him.. you can't see him well but it kinda made me laugh... he likes to hide inside the crevice of the cave.. even though he can't fit LOL.. he like.. hides his face in there.. I had to shake the cave to even get him out for that first pic haha!



Here is my second male, Xavier:



The way the plastic was I could only get that one good shot.. may try for more later =/.

Here is my female Isabella:

cinderelly9000

You may have some trouble if they are from a pet store as they may be too old. how did/do you plan to condition them?? I used blood worms and brine shrimp (frozen) freeze dried stuff really isnt that great for them so I wouldnt recommend it but im not an expert on that. But anyways good luck!! its the most rewarding experience if you succeed!!

Dark_Rider2k3

I haven't worried about conditioning them yet as I don't even know if these are the ones I want to breed. But if I do, I'm not worried about them being too old. Even seeing each other every day (Auron is in a divided 20gal with the female) they constantly make bubble nests.

Thanks for the info about the freeze-dried stuff... I didn't know that at all. I will get some brine shrimp and check for frozen bloodworms.

How do you know, btw, when they are conditioned?

Red1313

For conditioning you need to feed them preferably 3 times a day with high quality food (either flake/pellet but preferably live) for 3 weeks. AT this point the female with be really thick with eggs and they should both have bright colors and just look in prime shape.

Dark_Rider2k3

wow that is a lot of food!

How do I prevent them from over-feeding? I don't want to make them constipated...

Martinismommy

You can order Christmas moss on E-bay...As far as microworms growing in your tank that would be impossible...They live off of oatmeal and only live in water for 3 days....You would have to buy a culture and start growing your own....Youtube has some good videos on microworms....You can try freeze dried bloodworms but mine don't eat them until they get older....

I would advise against using the fish in these photos..They appear to be older....You may end up frustrated with some tore up fish if you do..The best age for breeding a betta is 4-5 months...

Martinismommy

Oh, one more thing....They will not get constipated when they are eating live foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp.....

Dark_Rider2k3

Ahhhhhh... learn something new each day!!

And yeah they are older:

Auron: 1 yr
Isabella: 8 months or so
Xavier: 7 months

I'll look up on youtube about growing microworms.. see how they do it.

If I don't use them, which I am very doubtful I will, would you want to sell me a pair MM? I know you wouldn't have any at the moment, but in the future if you do... lol

agabr123

have you thought about what you're going to do with the fry? do you have a big enough grow out tank? and do you have a place to keep all the males separately?

aside from the age factor, i think you'd be much better off breeding a pair of MMs bettas or a similar pair, you probably will not be able to sell your average veiltail or even crowntail as they are very common and can be bought at pretty much any petsmart/walmart/etc. people wont be willing to pay overnight shipping (usually around $30) as well as the cost of the betta for one that isn't of excellent quality.

Dark_Rider2k3

With the fry, a few will be given to friends who want to get into fish keeping, and the rest are going to my LFS. They said they would give me a discount on some purchases if I were to give them some of my betta fry. Right now in terms of a female grow-out tank i have 2 15.5 gallon containers in my room. For the males, probably what most people have said (a bunch of glass jars which I also have).

And yeah... that's another reason I am thinking of buying a pair of MM's bettas.. if there was ever a reason that the LFS wouldn't take any more of my bettas, I could sell them on aquabid..

sirdarksol

Java moss and Christmas moss are almost exactly the same thing. The only difference is the way they branch. The Christmas moss has more of a triangular branching pattern.

Seven to eight months isn't really that far out there in breeding. You'd get maybe a smaller batch, but that isn't necessarily bad. I've talked to people who have bred bettas who were 1 to 1-1/2, and things went pretty well.

agabr123

if you're going with MMs bettas, i wouldn't give them to your LFS unless they're willing to give you quite a large discount, males on aquabid generally go for $20-25 plus shipping and females are either included or go from $10-15 plus shipping, your LFS probably won't give you anywhere near that and with the huge expense of breeding bettas it's probably not worth it depending on the discount you're getting. again, i'd look around on aquabid and kind of see what bettas they have and what they go for and make some decisions from there

sirdarksol

However, you may be able to set something up with your LFS (not a Petsmart or Petco, though) where you sell your bettas from their shop. Basically, you don't get paid unless the bettas sell, but neither does the shop get any money unless the bettas sell. Two of the nearby LFS do sell show-quality bettas (one had a blood-red half-moon for around $60 several years ago, when I started keeping fish).

Dark_Rider2k3

My LFS is Elmer's Aquarium.. so idk I could see about it.. it's not a chain store but it is pretty dang big.. again idk.. won't hurt to ask I guess haha..

And yeah.. I guess selling on Aquabid would be the best choice.. though I didn't know if they'd sell that easily seeing as how many others are on there lol

agabr123

There are a lot of others, but it really depends what people are looking for. If they want a red halfmoon and you're the only one with a red halfmoon that they like they're going to buy from you Another thing that might be good is including pics of the parents, most other sellers don't and that could give you a little edge.

Amanda

Also, on the age of the bettas - if you bought them from a fish store, they are usually already 8 months to a year old. So, you have to factor that in the age. They sell them at these ages so that the fins are fully formed. The female may be younger b.c they tend to sell the females at a younger age.
Just something to keep in mind.

Dark_Rider2k3

Thanks for all the help!! I will PM MM about her bettas in a bit . Also thanks for the aquabid tips. Will take those into account in the future.

I have, though, set up my own sponge filter. I'll post pics of it to see what you all think. It was tricky because of the low water level that will be inside the breeding tank lol. I also found (but need to test) a heater with my other aquarium supplies. Will be testing that soon. So I only need now the christmas moss, some way to light the tank, and to get me a good pair of bettas.

I have so far:

Breeding tank
growout tank for the females
some jars (need more) for the male bettas
2 custom-made sponge filters (though I only have 1 air pump so only 1 is able to be used at the moment..)
A heater (that needs tested)
Plastic Wrap
Aquarium thermometer

speaking of lights, what should I use for lighting the box? Will any light work or do I have to be careful with certain lights?

hkirchen

http://www.productzoo.com/catalog/bu...oductid=DC0480

I got this site from one of MM's posts and these seem like very good containers. I think that she uses them herself. They also seem like they are afordable if you buy them in bulk!

I am getting a pair of MM's babies in less than two weeks, and I am so excited!

Good luck with your endeavers and post pics of your process!

Dark_Rider2k3

sorry but the page link is messed up lol. And yeah I will definitely be posting pics of the process! It will be an interesting adventure!

hkirchen

Perfect grow out tanks!

Sorry about the other link! Here is the thread that I got it from. Hope this one works!LOL

Dark_Rider2k3

ohhhh awesome link!!!

How many should I get? And MM's idea with the PVC is great.. I already have an idea to make the water changes easier on them!!!!!!

hkirchen

I am going to buy 50 at first, and see how it goes. I am not trying to do a mass breeding at first, so that should be okay! If I do get many more than that, I will prob have to get more containers! Hmmmmm.... How many of my friends need to have a betta?LOL!

Have you contacted MM about her beautiful pairs yet?

Martinismommy

The only pairs I have available right now is these gold/lilac pairs....I'm all sold out until the MG's are ready in April...

Oh wait, I have a Pink/maroon BF Plakat pair ready to go...

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Dark_Rider2k3

haha I was just going to contact you.. I think waiting is better, especially since it'll only be until April . But yeah... what do the gold/lilac pairs look like? Not much for pink

Martinismommy

The gold/lilac pair is the one on the right....He is a really pretty boy! And actually, I like the solid gold boy on the left even better!

Dark_Rider2k3

ohhhhhh haha i see..

i'm not sure, though, which i like better lol.. they are both beautiful haha..

do you breed and variants of blue? And how much do you sell them for?

Martinismommy

Yes, I breed blues..I sell a male for $25.00 and a pair for $40.00...

Here is a new picture of my gold boy taken without the flash..You can see his pretty gold coloring..I have the gold pair up on E-bay right now for $30.00 buy it now for the pair..

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Dark_Rider2k3

hmmmmmmmmmmm wow... hehe... that is gorgeous..

but financially I have to hold on haha.. man i want one bad but I know it's for the best ya know?

I must not let my MTS get the best of me haha!

But yeah.. they are gorgeous .

Come April I'll be ready to adopt some of your bettas =D