Hmpk X Vt [spawn Log]

Hi,
This is my first time ever breeding bettas. I have been wanting to breed bettas for about 2 years or so but I never actually tried. After doing research almost every day for 2 months, I bred my first pair. The father is a HMPK Koi Cellophane and the female is a red VT. Since the VT gene is dominant I am expecting nearly all the fry to be VT's but carry the HMPK gene. Then I'll either breed 2 siblings together or breed a F1 female with the original male to get some HMPK's. I conditioned the pair for 2 weeks and added them in a breeding tank. I left the female in a breeder box in the breeding tank for about 2 days and then released her with the male. The male started chasing her at first and I knew it was normal but I got worried and placed her back for another day. I released her again and a few hours later when I came back there were eggs In the nest. I removed the female and left the male alone for 3 days. The eggs had hatched and the fry were swimming vertically. I removed the male as the fry started to swim better and were free swimming. Unfortunately the female passed out 4 days after breeding, I don't know why but she was healthy again and doing fine. The eggs were laid on the 15th of March at around 10-11am. I'll add pictures of the male soon. There are about 70 fry so it wasn't a large spawn but I just hope that some survive. Here is a picture of the bubble nest with the eggs.

 

Here's a photo of some of the fry. I have tried to feed them microworms but they don't seem to eat them. I will be getting brine shrimp in a few days but I hope they aren't taking the microworms because they haven't fully absorbed their yolk sac or something or I just can't see them eating the worms (I cannot see the fry from the side).

 

This is the father
He isn't flaring in the photo and is still a little bit depressed about me removing his fry

 

Just found this thread, can't wait to see what the fry look like!

 

Just found this thread, can't wait to see what the fry look like!

A few of them finally ate microworms today and I'm currently hatching BBS to try them out but I'm not sure if the fry are big enoug yet. I also did a 90% water change because ive lost about 40 fry overnight and some are were still dying today.

 

A few of them finally ate microworms today and I'm currently hatching BBS to try them out but I'm not sure if the fry are big enoug yet. I also did a 90% water change because ive lost about 40 fry overnight and some are were still dying today.

Dang, sorry about your fry. Check your params, I had a random, really bad nitrite spike after mine spawned. I've read some things that state that sperm from male fish can lead to ammonia spikes, but that's normally for larger fish, not bettas.
Hope they start doing better soon!! A 70% or so survival rate is normal for experienced breeders, so don't freak out about losing some!

 

Dang, sorry about your fry. Check your params, I had a random, really bad nitrite spike after mine spawned. I've read some things that state that sperm from male fish can lead to ammonia spikes, but that's normally for larger fish, not bettas.
Hope they start doing better soon!! A 70% or so survival rate is normal for experienced breeders, so don't freak out about losing some!

Yes, it's normal to lose a lot of fry but my spawn started with about 60-70 fry so I gey a little more annoyed when they die since its a very small spawn. But it's to be expected even since this is my first time breeding bettas, can't wait to be see how the fry do!

 

Here's an update on the fry.
They are finally eating and have grown a bit but there aren't even 20 fry left and a few don't look like they will make it.
There are 2 fry on the left and 3 on the bottom of the photo where there's a little bit of dirt (they're eating microworms right now

 

You actually have 6 in the photo if you look close enough you can see their TINY eyes! HOW CUTE! Lol

 

You actually have 6 in the photo if you look close enough you can see their TINY eyes! HOW CUTE! Lol

Yep! I realised after I posted it but didn't feel like editing it. I will be feeding brine shrimp in a few hours (tomorrow morning). I was supposed to give them brine shrimp likr 3 days ago but its my first time ever hatching BBS and I had some issues but now they've started to hatch already

 

If you breed again (or have a chance to) try smashing up betta pellets into a fine powder and sprinkle that into the breeder box they should take to it pretty quickly and it will be small enough for their tiny little mouths. That's just what I use when I don’t have bbs. Remember to smash the pellets into a FINE powder! Hope I could help!

 

If you breed again (or have a chance to) try smashing up betta pellets into a fine powder and sprinkle that into the breeder box they should take to it pretty quickly and it will be small enough for their tiny little mouths. That's just what I use when I don’t have bbs. Remember to smash the pellets into a FINE powder! Hope I could help!

I've tried with flakes and it didn't work out but I didn't even try with pellets. I will try it in a few days maybe

 

What’s your brine shrimp hatchery look like?

 

I've tried with flakes and it didn't work out but I didn't even try with pellets. I will try it in a few days maybe

Mine didn't take for over a month, but you've gotta crush it up into super fine powder. Do you have a mortar and pestle?

 

What’s your brine shrimp hatchery look like?

For now it's just a DIY one I've made simply by just using a soda bottle. But I've placed it in my tank which has my male betta and a few guppy fry so they have light and warm water (bottle is stuck to the side of the glass by a clip which is meant for papers)

Mine didn't take for over a month, but you've gotta crush it up into super fine powder. Do you have a mortar and pestle?

I do and I plan on getting a new female Koi HMPK soon to breed with my HMPK koi cellophane male because I think only 2 or 3 fry will survive from this current spawn

 

Do you have an air hose pumping into the hatchery?

 

Do you have an air hose pumping into the hatchery?

Yeah it does I just forgot to mention it and the water has salt too

 

Yeah it does I just forgot to mention it and the water has salt too

Wait, why salt? What's the gravity of the salinity?

 

Wait, why salt? What's the gravity of the salinity?

The water in the BBS hatchery not the fry tank

 

Needs a table spoon of salt and a small amount of baking soda in the hatchery.

 

The water in the BBS hatchery not the fry tank

Ohhhhh that makes so much more sense, lol, I got lost there for a bit.
Real sorry about your fry, losing that many is bizzare
It could be poor genetic background, or some other weird factor. I hope it works out for the rest though!

 

Only 6 fry left and with more fry dying every time I check on them. I think it might be poor genetics as Rtessy said because the female was just a store bought veilteil. I will be getting a HM Koi Female to breed with this male and I'll start another spawn log. Since this spawn was my first time breeding bettas I've made quite a few mistakes but now I'm hoping everything goes well with the new pair I will get.

 

On my way to go to some fish stores to look for a female. (Fish stores with good quality fish not like walmart or something. We don't even have walmart and petco here)

 

On my way to go to some fish stores to look for a female. (Fish stores with good quality fish not like walmart or something. We don't even have walmart and petco here)

Lucky! And good luck!

 

I've got my female! I will upload a photo soon because I've just started acclimating her now

 

I got my female!! I'll upload a photo soon after she's done acclimating and settled for a bit

 

I simply use an old goldfish bowl, and salt. It’s located under my aquarium in the dark, no heat no air pump... I have a very successful hatch rate. I use medicine dropper to clear out hatched eggs and add more tank water and salt and throw in more eggs. Works well for me, I use San Francisco Bay brine shrimp eggs. They’re great. When starting a new hatch it takes like 32 hours to hatch, but they keep hatching over a period of 3 days. To remove shrimp, I use a light, and attract them to it, use my medicine dropper... I use a coffee filter over a plastic cup, squeeze out the brine shrimp and water onto the coffee filter, let the water drain into the cup, use fresh non salted tank water to put in the filter then suck out the brine and squeeze into my fry tank. Simple and easy. Lol