Betta breeding and sex determination in fry

[limber]

I've been reading online and there's a lot of info about how temperature and pH levels might influence the sex of baby fish.

I'm planning to breed my two betta fish - the male is a gorgeous long-finned pink and purple, while the female is mainly white with red accents on her fins. I'll take some photos when I get home and upload them for you to see.

I'm curious to know if there's a way to sway the odds of getting more female babies. I know most people prefer males, but personally, I love females and it's less pressure to sell them quickly since they can be kept together.

I've got adjustable heaters and a few water options: rain water with a pH of 6.6, tap water with a pH of 8.4, and aged tank water with a pH of 8.0. I can mix the rain water and tank water to get any pH in between.

Does anyone know if there's a way to increase the chances of getting female babies? Any other breeding tips would be great too.

[coltin]

I did a bit of research and it seems that pH levels can indeed affect the sex of the offspring for some species. For instance, a pH above 7.0 can lead to more males being born in certain species like African killifish and some types of dwarf cichlids. However, if the pH gets too high, breeding just won't happen.

I've also read that separating the male and female for a few days before breeding can be beneficial, so I'll make sure to do that - I'll keep them apart for 5 days or so.

In terms of preparing my betta pair for breeding, I'll start feeding them more frequently - 3-5 times a day - and make sure they have a varied diet that includes dry, frozen, and live foods. This should help them develop healthy eggs and sperm. I'll also be doing more frequent water changes to keep the tank clean, especially since they'll be eating more.

I've also set up some floating plants like Water Sprite in the tank, which should help the male build a nice bubblenest. Plus, these plants will help reduce the surface movement and turbulence in the water, which should help keep the nest intact.

One more thing - I've made sure the water level in the tank is between 6-10 inches high, which is apparently suitable for breeding betta splendens. And, I've got an air-operated sponge filter in the tank, which should provide a gentle flow that won't disturb the bubblenest.

Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get some lovely female babies out of this - I just love having female bettas, and it's so much easier to care for them without having to worry about separating them all the time.

[limber]

I did a bit of research and it seems that pH levels can indeed affect the sex of the offspring for some species. For instance, a pH above 7.0 can lead to more males being born in certain species like African killifish and some types of dwarf cichlids. However, if the pH gets too high, breeding just won't happen.

I've also read that separating the male and female for a few days before breeding can be beneficial, so I'll make sure to do that - I'll keep them apart for 5 days or so.

In terms of preparing my betta pair for breeding, I'll start feeding them more frequently - 3-5 times a day - and make sure they have a varied diet that includes dry, frozen, and live foods. This should help them develop healthy eggs and sperm. I'll also be doing more frequent water changes to keep the tank clean, especially since they'll be eating more.

I've also set up some floating plants like Water Sprite in the tank, which should help the male build a nice bubblenest. Plus, these plants will help reduce the surface movement and turbulence in the water, which should help keep the nest intact.

One more thing - I've made sure the water level in the tank is between 6-10 inches high, which is apparently suitable for breeding betta splendens. And, I've got an air-operated sponge filter in the tank, which should provide a gentle flow that won't disturb the bubblenest.

Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get some lovely female babies out of this - I just love having female bettas, and it's so much easier to care for them without having to worry about separating them all the time.

That helps a lot, thanks for the tips. If I want fewer males, I should aim for a lower pH, right. The rain water I've collected has a pH of 6.6, so that's a good starting point.

My male and female have been separated for a month now, so that's taken care of. I've been feeding them a mix of frozen foods, live black worms, and insectivore pellets, so hopefully that's helping with their gametes. They're both in planted tanks with other fish, so I make sure to feed them well but not overfeed - the female's tank has Cory's and bristlenose, and the male's tank has Pygmy Cory's and shrimp.

[coltin]

I've been collecting rainwater for a while now, and I was thinking, maybe I should let it rain for a bit before collecting it, just to see if the pH improves. I mean, ideally rainwater should be around 7.0, unless it's contaminated or something.

Also, I was wondering, is it a good idea to keep shrimp in the tank when breeding? I've got Pygmy Cory's and shrimp in with my male betta, and Cory's and bristlenose in with my female. I've been reading that shrimp and snails might eat the eggs and young, so maybe I should separate them before breeding.

As for the pH, I've been thinking of keeping it around 6.6-7.2, just to see if I can get a roughly even split of males and females.

[coltin]

I've heard you can actually leave the male with the babies until they start swimming around on their own and he loses interest in trying to herd them back to the nest.