New Betta/sparkling Gourami

Whatever she may be I moved her in with my boy Kamara. Hated taken some space from him but while he's done a little flaring, he now has got back to his old ways bubble nesting it up, while in 12 hours she has lost her stripes! I'd call it a good day. Next is getting a little sponge filter for her side and looking for black fiber glass or mesh screen to put on the divider. PS I know camera sucks

 

I'm pretty sure that's a female betta.

Do you intend to breed them? If not I'd get her out of there ASAP. Sharing a tank with a male betta (even with a divider) will make her fill with eggs. If they don't breed she could become egg bound which is very serious and can kill female bettas.

 

I'm pretty sure that's a female betta.

Do you intend to breed them? If not I'd get her out of there ASAP. Sharing a tank with a male betta (even with a divider) will make her fill with eggs. If they don't breed she could become egg bound which is very serious and can kill female bettas.

Well Thank You! I would like to try but not just yet. He was a baby in May and he is way bigger than she is now. I have another tank with a female, guess I'll move her there

 

So if I'm gonna divide, males with the males/ females with the females until if and when I would like to try and breed them?

 

Betta Breeding

At the moderators request I'm posting a guide to breeding Bettas...This is my personal opinion on how to breed Betta fish..Others may do things differently....

Karen~

Here is a guide to Breeding Betta Fish:

I'll start with letting you know that Betta breeding is extremely time consuming and very expensive....Even if you somehow ended up with 100 live fry and sold them all you would probably not end up even breaking even as far as profit goes....So before encountering this difficult task of breeding decide why it is you want to breed Bettas in the 1st place....

The 1st and probably most important step in a successful breeding is going to be your stock...I highly frown upon people who get this whI'm that they want to breed their pet store Bettas...The reason this doesn't usually work is because you know nothing about the age and the genetics behind these fish...It is risky and a waste of time and hard work....People do not want to pay for a Veiltail Betta and have it shipped at the tune of $31.00 for something they can find at a local pet store.....

OK, let's assume you have purchased some good stock from a reputable breeder and you are ready to go.....The most common mistake I've seen people make is their spawning set up...Somehow they think it is OK to breeder their new Bettas in a 10 gallon (or less) tank that Daddy has been living in.....It WON'T work! Trust me on this one! Betta fry are extremely fragile and need immaculate water conditions and they can not be raised in a tank with gravel......

Let's now move on to the set up.....If you really want your spawn to work you must follow these few simple steps....Breeding is not a freak show at a circus...They demand their privacy in order to spawn......Here are the list of things you'll need:

A 10 gallon clear plastic Sterilite tub or an empty 10 gallon tank with a lid and light...

A 25 watt heater

A sponge filter and air pump

LOT'S of Christmas moss

Indian almond leaf (only available online)

Plastic wrap

A light for above the tank

2 well conditioned Bettas (preferably sibblings)

You will start with filling your tank/tub up with treated water..I fill my spawn tanks up with 3-4 inches of water NO more than that! I place the heater at an angle and set it on 80 degrees....I place the Indian almond leaf at both corners of the tank....This softens the water and also provides a place foe the male to bubble nest as they float on top....If you can't get the Almond leaf use a Styrofoam cup cut in 1/2 taped to the side of the tank...Taping it to the front is the best place if you want to view the breeding....Add your moss and let the heater run all night before placing your pair in the tub......You want to make sure the heater is running steady at 80 degrees...

Now your heater is at a safe temp and you are ready to glass your pair....You are 1st going to place your female in a glass hurricane globe (open top) and set her into the tank....Make sure the water level in the tank is below the top of her globe.....Next, add the male and let him swim free in the tank....You will notice him circling around her and flaring...This is normal....He may even bite the glass...He should continue this behavior for an hour or so and then swim away and start building a nest under the cup or almond leaf....He'll dart back and forth between her and the nest for hours....I leave her in the globe that night with NO lights and go to bed....

What is Unethical Breeding?
There are so many bettas dying on pet store shelves all over the world, backyard betta breeders who are breeding for no other reason then just to give it a try, or who are just trying to making a quick buck are practicing unethical breeding, and are doing nothing but contributing to the problem of the over population of betta fish.

Before you decide you want to breed your bettas ask yourself the following questions:

-Are my bettas quality stock from a professional breeder, or genetic mutts purchased from a pet store? - The truth of the matter is pet store bettas are mass bred, they have unknown genetics and are just not as strong health wise as a carefully bred betta from a professional breeder.

-Have I carefully researched the breeding process and all of the proper equipment and cost associated with breeding bettas? - Breeding bettas takes careful research, lots of equipment, space and money, if you can not afford to do it properly, then you should not try to do it at all.

Am I willing to Cull? - Culling means to kill. All professional breeders are willing to cull fry that are weak, deformed, or have poor finnage, form or color. That is how they're lines stay so strong and healthy, they only keep the ones alive that are problem free.

What is my reason for breeding? - Why do you want to breed? Professional breeders breed with a goal in mind, they want to breed to help enhance a species, to make it stronger. Some betta breeders make focus on specific colorations, others may focus on perfect form, but none of them breed just to breed. If you want to breed just for fun, or if you're trying to make money on it, they breeding is probably not a good idea for you.



Should I Breed?

Look at the following questions carefully and answer them honestly to yourself

If you answer YES to most of the following then breeding might be a good idea for you:

-Have a thoroughly researched the breeding of bettas?

-Do I have all of the proper equipment needed to breed, including but not limited to the following:
- A Proper sized spawning tank
- A Proper sized grow out tank for the fry (10 gallon minimum)
- Heaters
- Live cultures of microworms, vinegar eels, and Baby brine shrimp
- A sponge filter for the growout tank

-Do I have enough room to potentially house 100+ betta fry when they are big enough and have to be seperated?

-Do I have a breeding goal in mind?

-Am I breeding quality stock from a professional breeder?

-Am I willing to cull if necessary?

-Do I have a plan for the fry once they are grown, that doesn't involve giving them to a petstore?

Now if you answer YES to one or more of the following questions then breeding might not be a good idea for you:

-Do I want to breed just for the fun of it?

-Do I want to breed to try and make money?

-Do I have limited space for tanks?

-Do I have limited funds?

-Am I breeding pet store bettas?

-Do I hate the thought of culling?

-Do I plan on just giving my fry to a local pet store once they have grown old enough?

Please breed responsibly!!!

 

Betta Breeding

Thank You, I actually read the first one awhile back but I did need to refresh and watched a few videos as well