betta fish breeding
betta fish breeding
I'm new to breeding betta fish, but I've done a ton of research and watched a lot of videos. I've got them both in my 10-gallon tank, with the female in a separate divider. I put them in together last night and he's already built a huge bubble nest. She seems really interested in him, swimming up to the divider and all that. I'm just waiting for her to get the vertical stripes, you know, to make sure she's ready. Has anyone else had to wait for this?
Re: betta fish breeding
You've got the male building a bubble nest already, fresha, so you're on the right track. Before the eggs hatch, though, have you thought about food for the babies? I was reading this thread on making live food for baby fish - might be worth a look.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back- ... sh.448304/
From what I've learned, betta fry are tiny and need green water or infusoria to eat. If you can't get those, you can actually use hard-boiled egg yolks as a substitute. Just boil an egg, remove the shell and white, and push the yolk through a handkerchief into dechlorinated water. Then use an eye dropper to add some of the solution to the tank with the babies. Do this a few times a day for the first couple of weeks, then start adding newly hatched brineshrimp.
Just a heads up - the egg yolk can raise ammonia levels, so make sure you're doing regular water changes or have a small filter in the tank to keep the water clean.
Also, don't forget to feed the adults well before breeding. I used to feed my breeding stock 3-5 times a day with a mix of dry, frozen, and live foods. Do big water changes every day or two to compensate for the extra food. Wait at least two weeks, preferably four, before breeding them.
When the male builds his bubble nest and starts displaying to the female, you can release her from the trap and monitor them. If he gets aggressive, get her out right away. Otherwise, let them be together for a day or so. If the tank is big enough and has plenty of plants, the female might even be able to stay with the male after breeding.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back- ... sh.448304/
From what I've learned, betta fry are tiny and need green water or infusoria to eat. If you can't get those, you can actually use hard-boiled egg yolks as a substitute. Just boil an egg, remove the shell and white, and push the yolk through a handkerchief into dechlorinated water. Then use an eye dropper to add some of the solution to the tank with the babies. Do this a few times a day for the first couple of weeks, then start adding newly hatched brineshrimp.
Just a heads up - the egg yolk can raise ammonia levels, so make sure you're doing regular water changes or have a small filter in the tank to keep the water clean.
Also, don't forget to feed the adults well before breeding. I used to feed my breeding stock 3-5 times a day with a mix of dry, frozen, and live foods. Do big water changes every day or two to compensate for the extra food. Wait at least two weeks, preferably four, before breeding them.
When the male builds his bubble nest and starts displaying to the female, you can release her from the trap and monitor them. If he gets aggressive, get her out right away. Otherwise, let them be together for a day or so. If the tank is big enough and has plenty of plants, the female might even be able to stay with the male after breeding.
Re: betta fish breeding
You're planning on breeding your betta, but do you have a plan in place for housing the fry in about 8 weeks, especially the males?
For the first three days after they become free-swimming, you'll need to feed them extremely small foods. I've found that infusoria and tiny free-living nematodes like vinegar eels, microworms, and banana worms work great as first foods. They're tiny, nutritious, and will help them get started.
After three days, they'll be big enough to start eating baby brine shrimp as well. For about a week, you can feed them both the nematodes and the brine shrimp. But after a week, the nematodes won't be as nutritious for them anymore, so you can stop feeding those.
At around three to four weeks, you can start introducing finely grated frozen foods like bloodworms and daphnia. I've heard good things about the Hikari brand - they add vitamins to their frozen foods and make sure they're parasite-free.
At four to five weeks, you can start feeding them live blackworms, which are great because they'll live in the tank until they're eaten. You can also introduce grindal worms at this time. And don't worry, all of these foods - brine shrimp, blackworms, and grindal worms - are safe to feed to adult betta as well.
By around eight or nine weeks, the fry will be maturing and you can start feeding them more adult foods like live brine shrimp and bloodworms, as well as frozen foods. You can also start introducing dry foods, and as they get bigger and start eating those, you can reduce the number of feedings. Once a day is okay, but twice a day is still best until they're fully grown.
For the first three days after they become free-swimming, you'll need to feed them extremely small foods. I've found that infusoria and tiny free-living nematodes like vinegar eels, microworms, and banana worms work great as first foods. They're tiny, nutritious, and will help them get started.
After three days, they'll be big enough to start eating baby brine shrimp as well. For about a week, you can feed them both the nematodes and the brine shrimp. But after a week, the nematodes won't be as nutritious for them anymore, so you can stop feeding those.
At around three to four weeks, you can start introducing finely grated frozen foods like bloodworms and daphnia. I've heard good things about the Hikari brand - they add vitamins to their frozen foods and make sure they're parasite-free.
At four to five weeks, you can start feeding them live blackworms, which are great because they'll live in the tank until they're eaten. You can also introduce grindal worms at this time. And don't worry, all of these foods - brine shrimp, blackworms, and grindal worms - are safe to feed to adult betta as well.
By around eight or nine weeks, the fry will be maturing and you can start feeding them more adult foods like live brine shrimp and bloodworms, as well as frozen foods. You can also start introducing dry foods, and as they get bigger and start eating those, you can reduce the number of feedings. Once a day is okay, but twice a day is still best until they're fully grown.
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