Betta Breeding Check List and Questions!

[Wendigoblue]

I'm trying to make a check list for breeding bettas, so if I missed anything let me know!!



Check List:

Items for Spawning:

- Spawn tank
- Tanks for the betta pair
- Medicines - Betta max, MarOxy or Methylene Blue and BettaFix
- Spawning Pair
- Heater
- Thermometers
- Indian Almond Leaves
- Tube for the female in the spawning tank
- Nest areas for the male - a half cup, plastic lid and some other things.
- Nets
- Terra cotta pot - for the female to hide
- Lamp


Items for Feeding:

- Food cultures - micro worms, brine shrimp eggs, vinegar worms, black worms, white worms and daphnia
- Food cultures for the cultures - green water
- Spirulina powder
- Ken's Golden Pearls
- Gel foods
- Flakes and Pellets
- Pepper grinder
- Syringe
- Beef heart
- Krill and other dried foods
- Frozen foods


Items for Growing Out the Bettas

- Air pump
- Growout tanks
- Tank Lid - plastic wrap with mesh
- Air pump
- Air hose
- Sponge filter
- Gang valve
- Plants
- Siphon with rigid rod on the end
- Jars


Items for Choosing Bettas

- Flat sided glass/plastic jars
- Magnifying glass
- Chop stick - for manipulating the bettas to turn sideways
- IBC form and finage pamphlet


Questions:

- After starting the first BBS culture, when do I start the next BBS culture?


Notes:

- Start the BBS cultures the day of the spawn.
- Container pond made from a stock tank or large clay pot, as a growout for the fry.



Thanks for any advise or input to the very long check list!

 

[Wendigoblue]

Anyone? Please?

 

[Wendigoblue]

Added new stuff to the list.

 

[Lucy]

Good luck with your project.
You may have seen this already:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/step-by-step-guide-to-breeding-bettas.37434/

 

[Wendigoblue]

I have seen it before, it's a great thread on breeding! Thank you!

@junebug and @popkiller, do you mind looking at my list? I'm really worried about not having everything I need, when I start.

 

[junebug]

Add Kens Golden Pearls to the list. Get a few different sizes, very small for the fry. You want to get them eating prepared food within two weeks after the spawn IMO. Also you can get some Repashy gel foods to place in the tank so they can graze all day, or make your own gel foods.

Make sure to start your BBS culture as soon as the spawn is complete. It takes about 2 days for them. You'll also want some green water and spirulina powder to feed the BBS.

As for using a container pond for grow out, that's how they roll in Asia, so it will work fine as long as it's well filtered, and the temp remains stable. Remember you're going to be doing lots of water changes on the thing, so do whatever makes it easiest for you.

 

[Wendigoblue]

Thank You so much! I updated the list with new notes and stuff added for the check list!

The Ken's golden pearls were very neat, when I was looking them up! They mentioned having replaced BBS in Europe for marine fish. Would they be a stable enough diet to just use them and not both BBS and the Ken's golden pearls, with the added live foods? I read what the ingredients were and they have lots of stuff in them, not just BBS.

I have been trying to do a pond for a long time now, but it's been too cold. Later I will try to set up a system to lessen the water changes and the pond will probably be an added thing for the system. Right now I want to figure out how it's like doing the spawn and water changes without a drip system or stuff like that, so I can upgrade the system later targeting the problems I had. I looked at a sprinkler system turned into a water change system that looked awesome! Creating a system like that so I only have to deep clean the tanks once a week would be awesome! Thanks again!

 

[junebug]

The deal is, you have to train the fish, somewhat, onto prepared foods. So the gel food is great because they will smell it in the water, and nibble on it. Golden pearls are an easy migration from BBS. You start mixing them in with the live foods as soon as the fish are big enough for them, then gradually wean them off live foods.

 

[Wendigoblue]

Thanks for the help!

I have most of the stuff on the list, just waiting for it to warm up to buy the cultures! So, do I need anything else for raising them from birth to selling point?

 

[Wendigoblue]

Updated the list! I also have added another question, so an answer would help a lot! Thanks!

 

[junebug]

It looks good, echi. Regarding the pots, I have heard of people doing that. As long as it's heated and clean, you should be good.

 

[Wendigoblue]

Great! I'm still trying to find out what I'm going to do with all those jarred bettas, but by looking at other breeder's setups I think a garage shelving system would work best. What were you going to do about the betta jars?

I hope to get a plakat pair, but if needed I may have lots of 2.5 gallons everywhere...

 

[junebug]

Shelving units and a big table I made haha. I plan to build a system where all I have to do for maintenance is pour new water in the male's jars. Everything will be on automatic siphons, built in like overflows, and the output for it will water my houseplants

 

[Wendigoblue]

I would love to do a unit like you described! I've been trying to figure out how to make a system, but it would take a while to make one! Thanks of all the help!

 

[Wendigoblue]

I plan on getting a 40 gallon breeder for a sorority of the growing females. It'll be planted, but I'm a bit worried about not being able to catch them when it's time to sell them... I do tend to over plant a bit... Any way I can't wait until I have another tank to setup!

 

[junebug]

I would love to do a unit like you described! I've been trying to figure out how to make a system, but it would take a while to make one! Thanks of all the help!

It's not too bad actually. You can do it with a big sterilite tub for the females. You then build auto-siphoning jars (poke a hole a few inches from the top and run airline tubing in, then silicone the airline to the bottom and seal the rest of the hole). Set the jars inside the tub (which incidentally is big enough to heat efficiently) and when it's time for a water change, which will happen daily or every other day in the males' jars, you just pour water in the top of each jar. I was also going to use PVC to build a larger auto-siphon in the big tub, so every week or so I would fill the big tub to above the overflow line during water changes, and have that drain into a large potted plant or something on the floor

 

[Wendigoblue]

Thanks! You just gave me an idea!! I will make sure to do a thing on the setup, if I figure out how to post good pictures! I cannot wait! This sounds like an awesome new hobby for me.

I'm thinking about doing the betta pal program with the IBC soon. Do you know how it works? I really would like to get the bettas with in this month if possible, but I still need some stuff.

If that doesn't work out, I plan on waiting and importing a pair. These are color patterns I picked out so far:
- Royal blue/steel blue/ turquoise marble line
- Metallic marble line ( still not sure if they go into the marble class or metallic class? )
I would love to work with marbles or butterflies. I love the different patterns they can get!

 

[junebug]

Betta pals is easy. You just contact a breeder through the program, and they send you a pair of fish. If you're having trouble, join the International Betta Congress FB page and ask about it there. An IBC officer will get back to you

 

[Wendigoblue]

Thanks!

What are the best fry foods you can culture? This is currently my list:
- brine shrimp eggs
- micro worms - I may buy a mix of banana, walter and micro worms, as I've seen some combos on eBay.
- vinegar eels
- daphnia
Any other culture I should add for feeding the fry? I will also buy the live food cultures for the adults and larger fry later.

 

[junebug]

Well I absolutely suck at live food cultures haha. However I suggest getting more variety. V. eels for newborns, micro worms at a few days free swimming. Then add BBS to the mix, and start in with daphnia later. However to avoid problems you want as much variety as possible, so blackworms are good to have, as are grindals. Feed worms and crustaceans at the same time so everyone is getting all the nutrients they need. I suggest adding infusoria regularly, especially during early development.

 

[Wendigoblue]

I'm starting my infusoria culture, so I hope to be able to have lots of cultures ready for spawning! I do have hydra in the tank I plan on taking water from for the infusoria culture. Is this going to be a problem? I can take the water from another tank, but it doesn't have many plants.

I want to culture daphnia outside in a 5 gallon bucket, so hopefully I'll have lots for when I need them! I was wondering if I can culture black worms with the daphnia, but I guess I can experiment with the best ways to culture them.

 

[Wendigoblue]

Just a little update, but I was thinking of doing a spawn with pet store bettas... I know not a lot of people want them, but if my LFS will take them I want to see if breeding is right for me (plus I have a few people that want bettas and don't care about show quality). And if I have problems with spawning and think it isn't for me, I would like to just keep a bunch of bettas. Objections? I will have a plan for the babies don't worry!