I need some tips on betta breeding setup

Hello fellow fish lovers!
What we have here is a candy coi X samurai plakat male, and a koi plakat female. I will be breeding them soon. I have not had a spawn yet, it's just been the art of elimination; selecting the most cooperative pair. I landed on this male (George). He tries to wrap, builds nice nests, and isn't too aggressive at all. The female (Taffy) is plump, stimulated, and also not too aggressive all while eager to check out his next-door bubble nest. I am currently conditioning them side by side. I need advice on breeding setup. I have a large bucket, bubble wrap, plants, divider, almond leaves, heater, and high protein foods. I would love to hear anyones preferences, successful setups, and helpful tips. Try two with this male, try one with this female, and try 9 overall. The female is just slightly smaller than the male.

You can actually see his nest in the conditioning tank.

I will also be breeding these two.

 

Hey RSBettas
I just thought your thread deserved a reply?
While I don’t have hands on experience with betta breeding I have listed to presentation from local club members who have been successful about their attempts.
All I can say is be at home when you add the fish together and watch if you need to separate. Expect some damage on the fins. Expect the possibility of a dead adult. Be prepared with the live food cultures. Have the time in the next 3 months to do the frequent water changes necessary. Be prepared to cull out dozens of fry in order to raise a hundred or so juveniles. Then continue to cull out down to whatever number you have tanks and tank space for.

One of the gentleman who has done it a few times uses a 55 gallon tank as a water storage tank. The small containers and tanks float in the warm water of the 55 . Water changes are done using the water it the 55 . There by a stable temperature is maintained and consistent water parameters can be added to the tiny floating containers.

Let me say selling betta is very difficult in my country. Nobody wants them at auction.Nobody wants to buy two . In my city you do it for the experience not to make money. You may be able to sell in your town but you should find out first as this may limit how many fry and juveniles you try and raise?

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm more worried about Betta setup rather than the after math. I'm prepared for fry, and I sell all my Bettas to a local reptile store. They buy tons at a time.

 

Are you familiar with “ creative fish keeping “? Her channel is a reasonably mix of the reality of breeding a species that has many hundreds of fry per spawn and giving the impression she does not cull anything. Still a good channel. I am a long time subscriber. Some of her earlier spawns were in buckets.

 

Oh yes, I love her videos! I get a lot of advice from her videos. I just want to hear from multiple people and have a conversation with them.

 

Then I can recommend joining your local aquarium club ( aquarium society).

Given the difficulties in writing of culling in open channel I don’t think you will get many realistic answers about what goes on? Every sperm is sacred and all that to quote Monty Python.

Having seen water changes with betta in take away containers that the lid is not removed as water is squeezed out upside down and then the container is held under water as it’s filled again I can say it’s something I would never have thought of myself and have never seen a video of. Only one on one with other fish keepers will help you meet” like minded “ people. Having been the Sydney ( Australia ) club meeting I can tell you the hobby has people from all walks of live and all socio-economic backgrounds.

Currenty I am eating lunch as I have wet arms from messing around with a container of rice fish . I must sort these guys out now?

Edit to add.

My days work is done. The fish are sorted for today.
I write to say there are multiple threads on betta breeding on this site from over the years.
Step by Step guide to breeding Bettas | Betta Breeding Forum | 37434

This one looks like a dead end but checking out similar posts might help you link up with someone still active on fishlore that’s got hands on experience?

 

Here's my setup and conditioned pairs. What else? (Sorry about poor camera quality)

 

A heater maybe?
Having the container on the cold floor makes it impossible to vacuum with gravity. A turkey baster is hard work for frequent cleaning.Putting the containers up 8 inches or so on bricks will help with vacuuming.
An established breeding tank full of floating plants covering most of the surface that have had time to grow colonies of Infusorea?
I don’t know but to my eyes that looks like a very very sterile tank. If that’s what you are going for fine. It just seems like there will be zero natural foods.
I am not a betta breeder by any stretch . I would have a tank established enough to have dozens of juvenile cherry shrimp. To have seed shrimp or daphnia living in it. I would have cultures of mosquitoe larvae. I know betta don’t eat algae but a sterile container like that has none of the Infusorea ( bug ) that live on algae in it.

As an example the rice fish pairs I moved the other day got these first time with fish established containers.

 

The water is cycled and the plants are I guess fine...here's another picture of the full setup.

 

Oh dear RSBettas .
This conversation might get messy now you write of “ cycled water “ ? . Unless you just mean the water is conditioned and been out of the tap long enough for the gas used at the water treatment plant to gas off leaving a stable PH ?.
I don’t believe in cycled water .

As almost all bacteria live on hard surfaces not in the water column it’s possible to have cycled filters and cycled gravel. Even cycled ornaments but not cycled water.

Regardless of if the ” water is cycled “ or not you will need some kind of filter soon . That number of plants are not going to help with the toxic ammonia building up in the water.

Of course I am no one to point fingers and say ALL TANKS MUST HAVE a cycled electric/mechanical filter. Only a dozen rice fish swim in these 40 gallon plant only filter tanks. The issue is these are not betta tanks and I am not about to feed 250 fry 4 times a day.The few new born fry and adults in these tanks are lucky to get one small meal a day

 

Before you assume anything, I highly suggest you look up "how to breed Bettas in a bucket". Different people have different opinions, because I don't believe that green or foggy water is healthy for Betta fish. My tank water has been treated and cycled for 3 weeks. I added almond leaves to lower the pH. If you can find me a Betta breeding video where the breeder was using a filter, then mabey I will consider your words.
These tubs are only breeding buckets, not where I will be raising the fry. I have a variety of frozen foods and live BBS already. I'm am fully prepared for baby Bettas. I also don't want to risk a filter with a strong current. Bettas are very sensitive, so a planted, large, living tank is best for their species.

 

I did find this post on fishlore about breeding betta in a sterile tank.

Step by Step guide to breeding Bettas | Betta Breeding Forum | 37434

 

Everyone prefers different setups.

 

You seem happy with the 3 week old cycled water? I don’t wish to disagree that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
A link to an Australian gentleman that’s using a cycled filter in the betta spawning tank . No air is used to pull water through but the bacteria on the cycled filter may be helping avoid any rising ammonia ?

Sadly 59 people have read this thread but nobody feels like contributing an opinion.

 

I watched that already. I'm only breeding them in the tubs, then once the fry are free swimming, I will be moving them into my 40 gallon tank to grow out. Thanks for finding a video, but I already watched them all. (Yes. ALL.)Most all those videos don't use a filter. I have already stated my opinion so please don't try pushing any further. Some aren't swayable and are frustrated easily.
Also, just allow me to say that in that video, he does not use a filter. He places a sponge filter. I already do that. At the beginning, he literally proves my point by saying "Now I'm not saying this is the best or only way you can do this but it certainly works for me. Other breeders may have different methods".