Are Betta Breeders Not Popular?

So are betta breeders not popular? Because I see people posting about there bettas all the time and bettas are literally in every fish store. Just asking because I am interested in breeding them in the future and selling my first batch. Future as in not for a while though.

 

I think that breeding bettas is not very common for 2 reasons:

A) You will get SO many fry you won't know what to do with them!
A2) Lots of work

B) Many stores won't take bettas as they already have a breeder that they've made a deal with. Unless you have a plan for all those fry, breeding them will end up in chaos!

But then again, if you are able to get a deal with a store, then go for it!

 

Since their is such a surplus, and each male needs it's own tank, stores are more likely to get other types of fish before bettas. You would have the most success breeding the higher end bettas as opposed to Petsmart quality bettas.

 

The losses can be hard too. If you don't remove the female quickly enough after breeding, the male will kill her. If you put the female in with the male, and she doesn't like his bubble nest, doesn't like him, or he tries to mate before he's ready, she'll kill him.

I have heard that getting a large kiddie pool and putting it in the back yard, with bird/animal protection, then adding males and females is an effective way of breeding. You will loose fish in territorial squabbles, and for normal fish loss reasons, but you will also get lots of babies.

 

So I guess betta breeders are not so popular. But if I was to breed bettas and sell them. Not to just a store but maybe online and they were quality bettas would they do good?

 

I was a breeder, planning to restart this fall.
It’s not very popular, except from the distributors that breed them to sell off to local chain stores and such. I don’t give my fry to chain stores.

In simplest form, no it’s not popular.

 

I was a breeder, planning to restart this fall.
It’s not very popular, except from the distributors that breed them to sell off to local chain stores and such. I don’t give my fry to chain stores.

In simplest form, no it’s not popular.

Do you sell yours online? Also how big of a tank do you have to hold all the fry before you have to jar.

 

Do you sell yours online?

Nope, I only do them within my area, but I will certainly look into trying it someday.

 

Nope, I only do them within my area, but I will certainly look into trying it someday.

How big of a tank do you have to hold all of the fry? Before ofcourse you have to start jaring.

 

So I guess betta breeders are not so popular. But if I was to breed bettas and sell them. Not to just a store but maybe online and they were quality bettas would they do good?

I'm a breeder and have been doing quite some time now. I don't recommend selling to stores unless you get something set up with them. Otherwise your loosing money because many only offer 25% back. Breeding betts is unpopular because many don't know what they are doing, something like 90% I would say. High grades are going to sell the best, and sometimes you might need to have a large percentage of the fry culled based on circumstances. Another breed selling extremly well now is the wild species. Otherwise, halfmoon coppers sell real well especially with white or black colors. However most people on the market for a betta won't pay for a high grade. That also means stores won't buy them.

 

The better / more unique they look the more you can get for them. I was thinking about breeding as I look for a more fancy looking betta I can't find locally.
20-60+$ +/-shipping.

 

I'm a breeder and have been doing quite some time now. I don't recommend selling to stores unless you get something set up with them. Otherwise your loosing money because many only offer 25% back. Breeding betts is unpopular because many don't know what they are doing, something like 90% I would say. High grades are going to sell the best, and sometimes you might need to have a large percentage of the fry culled based on circumstances. Another breed selling extremly well now is the wild species. Otherwise, halfmoon coppers sell real well especially with white or black colors. However most people on the market for a betta won't pay for a high grade. That also means stores won't buy them.

How big of a tank do you use to store all of the fry before you have to start jarring some?

 

To be TOTALLY honest here: Yeah. I think betta breeders are not very popular in general.

They are SO readily available in every pet shop and department store and a LOT of breeders are buying petshop fish and trying to breed them instead of researching, buying quality and breeding them instead. It makes no sense to buy some half breed mutt for "X" amount of dollars PLUS overnight shipping of a live animal when I can go to the petshop and buy it for $5 to $20 depending on variety.

Unless you're breeding SUPER quality and have built up a big name & brand, its really a losing situation in my opinion.

 

Welp my two replies about tank size for all the fry were either dodged or they just ain't coming back to this post. OR they just have not come back yet. Anyways. Anyone know the tank size to hold ALL the fry until you have to start putting the bettas in their own separate container?

 

Welp my two replies about tank size for all the fry were either dodged or they just ain't coming back to this post. OR they just have not come back yet. Anyways. Anyone know the tank size to hold ALL the fry until you have to start putting the bettas in their own separate container?

I haven't bred bettas since I was a kid. I used a 10 gallon to breed and house the fry before I had to separate them. I just used a 10 gallon with only a few inches of water in it and that was adequate. I had so many babies and nothing to do with them, I ended up giving a lot of them away. Its fun, but its expensive for for what you can make. brine shrimp eggs are expensive to feed fry and when you can only get maybe a dollar a fish, it is not worth it unless its for fun, or you are breeding those super fancy bettas. I had fun breeding mine, and I got some really pretty babies.

 

If you have 300 hundred plus fry, you're going to need a big tank, like a 40 gallon breeder. When theyre half an inch long you can't really keep hundreds in a 10 gallon.

 

If you have 300 hundred plus fry, you're going to need a big tank, like a 40 gallon breeder. When theyre half an inch long you can't really keep hundreds in a 10 gallon.

I never got that many fry surviving. I had maybe 50 or 60. I definitely moved them into separate containers before they were an 1-1/2" long.

 

I can't help with the breeding part but but I have both males and females in a 75 gallon tank. So far in two and a half years I have gotten a whopping 1 betta born in the tank.

 

Wild betta breeders are prevalent

 

How big of a tank do you have to hold all of the fry? Before ofcourse you have to start jaring.

Well, none right now, I actually jar my fry as soon as they are free swimming.

 

Are wild bettas better or something? A lot of people like them.

 

People do tend to like wild bettas more because 1. They’re rare and 2. You can keep them together. My advice? Don’t breed with the goal of making money and always have a plan that doesn’t include culling the fish for if they don’t sell.

 

People do tend to like wild bettas more because 1. They’re rare and 2. You can keep them together. My advice? Don’t breed with the goal of making money and always have a plan that doesn’t include culling the fish for if they don’t sell.

So you can keep wild males together? I swear if this is a real thing ima flip. I've literally dreamed of keeping them together. I failed at making a betta femalr sorority.

 

When these folks say "Wild Bettas", I'm pretty sure they are talking about species other than B. splendens. Many species are mouthbrooders, some get quite large, some stay incredibly small. A few are ugly as sin, and a couple are more colorful than even domestic splendens.

 

When these folks say "Wild Bettas", I'm pretty sure they are talking about species other than B. splendens. Many species are mouthbrooders, some get quite large, some stay incredibly small. A few are ugly as sin, and a couple are more colorful than even domestic splendens.

Male wild bettas can be kept together?

 

Some species, yes. You have to research each species individually.

 

So you can keep wild males together? I swear if this is a real thing ima flip. I've literally dreamed of keeping them together. I failed at making a betta femalr sorority.

Hahaha yes, that’s right. But as chromedome said, only certain species.

 

Welp my two replies about tank size for all the fry were either dodged or they just ain't coming back to this post. OR they just have not come back yet. Anyways. Anyone know the tank size to hold ALL the fry until you have to start putting the bettas in their own separate container?

Sorry, for the late reply, I was diving in Jamaica last week and couldn't get to this. I keep the bettas in a 10 gallon for almost 2 weeks. Then depending on the size of spawn, normally I move them to a 30 gallon tub loaded with hornwort. they stay in this tub for normally up to 6ish weeks from the beginning. if you have questions about the wild species, ask, i've bred a few of them as well.