TFA101

I probably wont make it to that point, but if I did, I have a couple of questions:

1. The female must show her "I'm ready bars" before anything, or something like that. Is the male always prepared to spawn, or is he in need of conditioning as well?

2. The father must build a bubble nest prior to anything. Dusty began making his, but is not even a quarter of an inch wide, long, or anything. It seems as if he's given up. Is there any way to re-stimulate reproductional instincts through foods and stuff?

3. As fry, will males be quarrelsome? Somewhere I read if males are form the same spawn, they will not attack each other because they've grown up together. True?

Alessa

are you planning to bread bettas? I hope not...
if you arent then please excuse me and disregard the below comment:

to bread bettas you need thousands of dollars in equipment, and hours of daily work to do it successfully. Not mentioning the space and effort included, as well as the danger that the girl and boy will end up killing each other.

bettasneed to have have an incredible amount of conditioning... and have TONS of offspring that end up needing each their own container, daily water changes, special food and heating. Also a huge tank for the boy and the girl with a special conditioning routine that will not always be successful... and yes, they WILL attack each other.

take a look at this:
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/be...ng-bettas.html

Allie

Breeding betta isn't NOT for the average fish keeper. Personally I wouldn't recommend it.
No the fry will have to be separated as soon as they start showing their sexes. You can have to 10-500 babies depending on how successful a spawning is. Betta fry can be very fussy eaters and cost a lot in live food.
Sometimes females raised together can work out in a 30g +. Lots of frozen blood worm gets any fish ready to spawn.

Chief_waterchanger

Just as a sidenote: We have a friend in the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association that breeds them in a 10g tank with very little financially invest, and has been quite successful. I do, however, agree that it is not for someone who isn't willing to put lots of work into conditioning the adults and caring for the fry if they are successful. If you are serious enough about it that you go through with it I would hope that, success or failure let us know how it turned out for you and what steps you took.


EDIT: I should have said very little invested financially in the adults to do the breeding, but you still have to house the fry until they are sexable then seperate and sell off potentially hundreds of fish. Also, if you have a common color variety what sets your fry off from the bettas they sell for $2 at the local pet store, to most people? (Quality is the answer to that rhetorical question, but the problem with the common color strains is having to undersell the other guy/gal selling common color variety #1.) If it were me, I would invest in a very uncommon color strain of very high quality after you learn to breed them, of course. But again, all of this is assuming you take the time-consuming road to breeding bettas.

Allie

Ones without any red coloring in them at all seem to be a breeders goal these days. Coopers, gold and platinum are the colors talked about. Dragons without red in them at all is a big goal right now. Dragons are the most popular right now. Halfmoon, Delta/Super delta, and HM Plakats are big sellers on Aquabid.

sirdarksol

Why not? If a person can get everything they need together, why should a person not try to breed bettas? TFA said "I probably won't get to that point," which suggests to me that the knowledge of the difficulty is there.

I think that, regarding betta breeding, we've become far too quick to make assumptions. I have seen a few instances of people asking a simple question about breeding bettas and being deluged with "you don't have the equipment/time/etc..." instead of "do you have the equipment/time/etc?"

Martinismommy

I've pondered the thought through my head many times....I'm in a position that allows me all the time needed to care for the fry...I would love to hear some success stories regarding Betta breeding....I think it would be so rewarding to be able to raise fry and produce some beautiful specimines....

MinxMermaid

since i've been here, seems like the people asking about breeding are the ones who are just learning about getting their first bettas. i think that's why they get the immediate negative comments. i think the fish newbies think, ah a male....a female...babies!!! and have no idea what's involved.

i think if an experienced betta keeper like Karen or someone asked, then maybe the experts would be much more open to guiding her.

i in no way percieve myself an expert, i'm still very much a beginner and learning every day. we try to learn and make sure we don't put our fish in danger along the way.

Chief_waterchanger

I agree with Sirdarksol, and my reasons are as follows...

1) This is one of the few hobbies that your status in life doesn't really matter. A billionaire has to learn the same information and keeps fish the same basic ways (perhaps a little more fancy but ultimately the same) as any of the rest of us.
2) We have no idea the life situation of even the up and comers in the hobby. I know that the majority are young adults or children that don't have access to the things/money/time to properly do many of the more intense fishkeeping tasks, but there are still other types that get into the hobby.

For reason 1 we can't just assume that people do not have access to the equipment. For reason 2 we can not assume that they do not have the time or ability to learn quickly enough to do whatever it is that they are wanting to do.

Mixing the two reasons is why I agree with Sirdarksol that we should probably ask "Do you have X/X1/X2/etc" rather than "You don't and it is a bad idea."

I am not pointing my statement at anyone in particular, because looking back I've realized that I've often started more skeptical than I should've when answering a "how do I breed Betta Splendins" thread. We are a community that grows together, so we can work together on this.

Pandora

I've been breeding bettas for almost 5 years now. It definitely CAN be done, and done well even on a university student's time and financial budget. However, it is a lot of work, and I've devoted a lot of both time and money I could have spent doing other things on my fish. It's a learning experience and you really have to have a passion for the fish for it to be worth the time and effort, and to know your limits in terms of how many fry you can raise at once, etc. I know I've made mistakes and lost some fish along the way as will anyone starting out, but I've learned a lot and have some beautiful fish to show for it.
It's definitely not for just anyone, and not something to be attempted without preparation and research, but every breeder has to start somewhere. Professional breeders and top IBC breeders at one point had their very first betta and very first spawn.

sirdarksol

I agree with you...
but...

We aren't here to parent, we're here to guide and to learn.
That's why it would be better, in my opinion, to just politely let people know what they need.
If we just say "you shouldn't do that because you don't have the knowledge/equipment," there are people whose response would be "Well I'll show them that I can do it." These same people are more likely to look at a politely stated list of equipment, skills, and time, and say "Holy cow! There's no way I can do this!" I know this because I'm one of those people.

TFA101

well, i dont think I'll be breeding bettas for a long time

Chief_waterchanger

Pandora, would you be willing to converse with me about breeding betta splendens in greater depth whether that be on a public thread or by private e-mail? I am interested in getting the higher quality, less common colors that Dino and I have invested in going, and so far have chickened out when the aggressive behavior started. It is nice to have a well established breeder on the site.

Pandora

Yes, I'd be quite happy to help you out and answer any questions you might have. I know how scary it can be until you sort of get used to it! My first time I moved the poor girl in and out and in and out so many times both of them must've been incredibly confused... until she decided enough was enough and hopped the divider!
It really is incredible to watch them grow from little specks to finned beauties, kind of addictive really, especially if you have a bit of an interest in genetics.

sirdarksol

I'd be appreciative if such a discussion occurred in the public forum, as I do have an interest in genetics, but I cannot afford to breed bettas right now, so I've got to live vicariously through the rest of you.

Butterfly

Me too
CwC when you get ready to do this you could do a progressive article in the fishhouse blog step by step and with pics of course.
Carol

Chief_waterchanger

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fi...tml#post401823

Pandora and anyone else interested please see this thread. (As mentioned in the thread, please, chattering is asked to remain to a minimal in the step-by-step thread, but we can, if desired setup a copy thread for chat. .. Would that work for you all? )

Martinismommy

Pandora..

I am also interested in learning about all that you have to share...I bred American Cocker Spaniels for 25 years and finished many Champions so I'm well versed in the genetics end of it..Not only in color but conformation....Maybe sharing on the open forum is a good idea....This way anyone who may have considered breeding can learn the proper steps to take in order to acheive the goals they may have in producing healthy sound Bettas...

I'd start by asking if you could post some of your Betta kids that you bred and raised...Photos of the parents would be extremely useful as well..

Thank you so much for answering these questions for us Bettaholics....

Devon

I'm with TFA101, it's something I researched quite a bit and said, "not in my present situation." But I haven't ruled out breeding bettas as something I never could, should, or would do... just not at the moment.
Doesn't mean I don't still research and love to hear what others have to say on the subject... awesome to have a real live betta breeder as a captive audience. You can never know too much going into it, I should think.

Butterfly

CWC you must have been posting the fishhouse blog post as I was posting the suggestion here LOL I guess great minds think alike huh
Carol

TFA101

WOOT! I'm loved lol. Yeah, I'm really interested in researching breeding habits. I see videos on Youtube that cast an accidental betta pair. But yeah, I'm just not at the time or place to be performing such a difficult task in "the common household"

Chief_waterchanger

Crazy ones do to.

Pandora

Wow, I'm feeling like a celebrity all of a sudden
I'd be quite happy to discuss it openly, it'll be great to help others learn from my mistakes!
Just remember, I don't have all the answers, I still screw up and sometimes lose fish through my own errors. Also, bettas do seem to be rather the individuals... what works for me won't work for everyone... and what works for someone else has often failed for me! But I will do my best!

And Martinismommy... I'll get pics up soon. They're all on my laptop right now so will do some playing around this evening.

COBettaCouple

I would be curious to your methodology for preparing them, spawning them and raising the fry compared to what I've read online and discussed with IBC breeders.

We do have the space and money now (unless our MTS fills the new apartment first), but not sure of having the time.

Pandora

I posted my (rather lengthy) method in the betta breeding project thread: http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fi...g-project.html

Really the most important thing for raising fry is lots of food and lots of water changes...
If you have questions along the way I'll be happy to help you out as best I can! The thing to remember is that these lil guys have just as much personality and individuality in the spawning tank as they do as pets. They can be finicky about their partners, and can act in strange and surprising ways!
Good luck if you decide to go for it. It's a ton of work but incredibly rewarding.

COBettaCouple

Thanks, I'll check that out. Those daily 50% water changes are the thing I've thought about.

Dark_Rider2k3

Wow this thread is really great!

I am amazed at the bettas spawning, and eventually want to try this out. It's not the right time or moment, but definitely when I get out of school i'll be trying this!