Betta genetics and breeding

Hi,
1. I was wanting to know more about betta genes and coloration along with different breeding techniques.
2. I was more interested in breeding crowntails, half-moons and plakats.
3. I was also wondering how betta shows work and how to identify show quality bettas along with how to identify good form?
4. I was wanting to show my bettas if I get some, what are some good shows?
5. Also would people buy more females than males and how to get more females or males in a spawn?
6. Would selling bettas on ebay or aqua bid be okay?
7. Shipping how can you ship bettas and the best ways to do so?

Thank You!!

 

If you really want on the betta show circuit, you need to join the IBC. If you aren't a member, you can't enter fish in their shows. I would suggest reading the betta breeding articles in the betta breeding section of this forum, and gathering as much info as possible from elsewhere. Several forums on the web are run by members of the IBC, who win multiple awards at the various shows. There are form and finnage standards available to you upon joining the IBC, I suggest you read them carefully to see what you should breed for.

 

Thanks for the reply and what is the IBC? Is it free to join?

 

No, the IBC is not free to join. You pay a yearly membership fee and get access to a vast array of information on betta breeding, and you can network with breeders all over the world.

  <-- that's where you need to be if you want to breed.

Please keep in mind that breeding bettas is very costly, as you need to separate all of the males as they mature, not to mention the cost of getting good breeding stock.

 

Thank You. I have researched about betta breeding for a while now and was unaware of genetics of tails and colors... Would keeping your males in a divided tank be okay along with a hospital tank for male and female recovery? Are there any other ways of getting information on good form and so on with out having to pay?

Also when it comes to breeding bettas can you use young healthy bettas from the petstore? (Showing them might not be best right now) I know petstore bettas can be mutts and produce unwanted fry, but what happens if you see the prettiest betta? And any info on importing bettas?

 

While I haven't bred bettas myself in a long time I do actively breed other fish and would recommend against using store-bought bettas as your breeding stock for a few reasons.

1. When breeding fish you want to start with the healthiest stock possible. Unfortunately a common store bought betta usually hasn't been kept in the best of conditions to say the least. While a fish purchased from a private breeder aren't guaranteed to be healthy the odds are better than one off the shelf from Petco, etc.

2. Store bought does not equal show quality. You'll have to spend WAY more time, energy, and money in order to breed out undesirable traits than if you started with high quality fish in the first place.

3. With the expense of breeding bettas and the low return on the common varieties, you'll almost certainly lose money with small scale breeding. There is also the difficulty in selling the resulting offspring. Pet stores usually don't pay much and/or won't take many which leaves you trying the sell the rest. There isn't much motivation for people to go through the trouble and expense of having a common betta shipped to them when they are available at almost all stores cheaply.


Just a few things to consider.

 

You can't get a young, healthy betta from a petstore. The only exception is if you happen to live in a town with other breeders who trade their bettas in at small, privately owned stores. Even then, you're not going to get good stock.

You really have a lot of research to do before you start breeding. Before you start buying up bettas, please consult google to see the best way for you to go about it. Be prepared to spend thousands of dollars. I'm not exaggerating. Be prepared to separately house several hundred male bettas in tanks with clean water and heat, of an appropriate size. Be prepared to find homes for hundreds of fry.

Of course you can ask all the questions you want on this and other sites, but nothing will substitute you actually doing the research for yourself.

 

Thank You! Just wondering about the petstore bettas as I have seen some nice ones there. I was more into good breeding stock from aqua bid and maybe ebay, but I'm also worried about getting a shipped betta. Especially imported ones... I was willing to pay up to around $35 for a nice breeding male or female. It is quiet warm here will the bettas be okay without a heater? (My tank is at +78oF without one, on a hot day maybe 80oF.)

 

If you're planning on showing bettas you will need to join IBC anyway, so I would join now so you have all the info you need up front. It will end up saving you money over investing in poor quality fish because you don't know what to look for and then having to start over later.

If the cost of the membership fee seems too expensive for you, then perhaps breeding bettas isn't really a good choice right now. Unfortunately it will end up being an expensive investment and isn't profitable (especially if you're breeding pet store bettas).

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

 

Thank You! I've been looking into IBC, but was wondering if it was worth it... I guess I'll have to join if I try. And does any one know about showing? I've heard that you just ship the bettas to the show...