# I accidentally breed bettas woops



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

well i had intentions of breeding them but not how it went down. i have a 10 gallon breeding setup with a Betta security house suction cupped to the tank wall. so make a long story short she got out and they spawned when i wasn't home. And i didnt plan on releasing her untill i got back from vacation and i didnt have any fry food so i had to run out and get as much as i could get AND i am going on vacation in 2 weeks with out question everything has been booked so any suggestions on what i should do. the obvious being get someone to do it, but i don't know anyone who i think is capable to care for them. What a day!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I would destroy the nest. You shouldn't have even set up the tank until you had food ready and no prior engagements. It would take someone very familiar with raising fry to take care of them properly.


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

destroy the nest even with the eggs in them?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Yep.. it's better than subjecting them to bad care and subsequent death.


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

shouldnt i give them a fighting chance and try to get some1 to care for them untill i get back in four days and if i killed them id feel pretty bad


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

you said you are leaving in two weeks right? for how long?

maybe it will be better to destroy the nest then start over when you return so you are there for sure.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The eggs will be hatching in 24-48 hours. Do you have a way of getting vinegar eels, microworms, or baby brine shrimp ready by then? If not your fry are going to slowly starve to death. It is far better to scrap the spawn, get fully prepared, then start over. Yes it is harsh but in breeding sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the betterment of the fish.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

If you're going to destrtoy them do it before they hatch.


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

I think I'd rather be destroyed when I wasn't alive, rather than slowly starve to death...


----------



## carzz (Mar 8, 2011)

Harsh reality here. Yes, you'll feel bad, but to make some you've gotta break some.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

If you can find the proper foods and someone that knows how to care for fry by all means do that.

However I doubt your gonna know someone willing to hatch brine shrimp twice a day and do painstaking water changes that involve searching tirelessly for any tiny fry that have been sucked up.

Taking care of fry is NOT easy... Especially when they're still tiny.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

It's unfortunate but I have to agree with all other posters here... raising fry is NOT easy, it's the hardest thing in betta keeping, IMO.
They will eventually die anyway or have stunted grow from lack of food, making them weak and unhealthy.
They willl need many feedings a day with the right foods and daily water changes with aged water... it takes a LOT of time and if you're not 100% commited to dedicating an hour or two a day for the fry, then there's no reason to let them hatch.


----------



## reaper0325 (Nov 23, 2010)

If you live in a warm climate, you can just put the fry in a heavily planted basin outdoors and just leave them there. The next time you check on them, they'd be considerably bigger. 

But it seems that you have cold weather there. Still, you may just leave the fry in the tank and not destroy the eggs. Just put lots of plants and they might survive while you are away. They will grow really slow during that period while you are away and a large number will die off, but I'm sure the toughest ones will survive.


----------



## reaper0325 (Nov 23, 2010)

amp7594 said:


> shouldnt i give them a fighting chance and try to get some1 to care for them untill i get back in four days and if i killed them id feel pretty bad


Wait, are you leaving just for four days? Only the weakest will die off if its just four days. IMO, you can choose not to destroy the spawn. Just put LOTS of vinegar eels in the tank. They can survive in water for days. Cheer up, they'll be fine! ;-)


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The issue is the OP does not have foods already prepared. If he or she did have VE already I would agree with you.


----------



## reaper0325 (Nov 23, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> The issue is the OP does not have foods already prepared. If he or she did have VE already I would agree with you.


Then OP better find some VEs. He/she's very lucky to have a spawn. Some spend lots of time and money just to have a successful spawn, but still never end up having one (I experienced this before). I would be such a waste to destroy the little fishies!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The problem is VE are hard to come by in the US unless you have a culture all ready to go. You can sometimes find VE in wholefoods stores where they sell natural vinegar but there wouldn't be enough in there to feed the fry... even for a day or two.


----------



## nmaybyte (Mar 13, 2011)

1fish2fish said:


> The problem is VE are hard to come by in the US unless you have a culture all ready to go. You can sometimes find VE in wholefoods stores where they sell natural vinegar but there wouldn't be enough in there to feed the fry... even for a day or two.


Dangit 1fish2fish, I saw your location and I thought it was the breeder's and I was like, "*mickey mouse voice* haha! I can do it." I live close to the GA/AL line. So....scrap that. I have a friend that lives in NY but I don't think she'd be interested in doing it.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Why was the female even in there?


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

thanks


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

when i saw the eggs for the first time i went out to buy brine shrimp eggs and i found them so i began the hatching process and ill only be gone for 4 days so i dont think killing them is a good idea


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

But why were they together if you were going to go on a trip?


----------



## Emmalea (Jan 23, 2011)

I would also like to know the answer to Turtles question.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

That's why I don't believe in housing males and females together. Accidents will happen, then you end up with babies that you're not prepared to take care of.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I think she was in one of those suctiony plastic breeder things in the males tank….. but why?


----------



## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

i've heard so many stories about those things. they do NOT work. the males almost always get out, or jump to the neighbor's cube, or they fall, or.....

this is exactly why i will never use those things. when i decide to divide a tank, i'm siliconing the dividers down, and making sure they can NOT move. ._o


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

I think he was going to breed them thats why the female was in the tank in the first place, but i think it was foolish to just beginning conditioning then decide on taking a vacation while in the middle of it.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

BettaHeart said:


> I think he was going to breed them thats why the female was in the tank in the first place, but i think it was foolish to just beginning conditioning then decide on taking a vacation while in the middle of it.


That is what I don't understand, why would someone do that? Foolish indeed.


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

well what you guys are not understanding is she was in the betta security thing because they were being cultured and i figured by the time i got back (4 days) they would be ready to go. And im not really sure why everyone is giving me so much criticism when all i wanted was advice..did you guys do everything right the first time you tried to breed, im trying to learn.. you cant learn to walk before you learn to crawl right? and yes im aware that it isnt good that im going on vacation and there are fry to be looked after but it was out of my control so it would be nice if i got a little less discouragment. thanks


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

When you condition a betta you must feed them everyday. Leaving them without food for four days is not good if you were planning on breeding them. How could they be ready to go if they are fasted for four days? Plus you shouldn't condition the female and male together. They need to be separate. Those breeder things are tiny and keeping a female in there is just going to stress her, not condition her. Of course people sometimes make mistakes, but there is a difference is making a mistake and being a little bit irresponsible, like the set up you had. It is never advised to use those breeder things. And it wasn't out of your control, you were the one that put her in there. I am not trying to be rude in any way, but they are living beings and it is a serious matter. 

What is done is done, and you know not to do this in the future, so the only thing left to do is to care for the fry. BTW the bbs won't last four days.


----------



## Dragonlady (Nov 29, 2010)

Ultimately, it is your decision on what to do. The first 2 weeks of a betta's life are very critical in how healthy they will be as adult bettas. Look up infusoria cultures if you don't already have one. If you don't have one, destroy the nest.


----------



## amp7594 (Feb 26, 2011)

ok well i guess thanks for taking the time to help me and whats done is done ill just have to work to make the best of it and find someone to care for them and i just want to clear somthing up, i had no idea the security house was no good i will be using a large vlasic pickle jar in the future


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

amp7594 said:


> ok well i guess thanks for taking the time to help me and whats done is done ill just have to work to make the best of it and find someone to care for them and i just want to clear somthing up, i had no idea the security house was no good i will be using a large vlasic pickle jar in the future


You can't condition the female in the male's tank. You should condition her in her own tank. You move the female to the jar when you are ready to spawn them.


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

guys lets give amp7594 another chance although I am seeing this is gonna turn out to be a problem like bettafishbreeders123's so we should ignore and if amp ask a question we should help him out if he dosen't heed what we say just don't pay any atention.


amp7594- I understand that you are beginning sometimes people just get angry because of experience. To me it was great sense to condition them on your vacation but putting them in the same tank was a big no no but everyone learns from experience all new betta breeders make mistakes and sometimes get pushed around but we only do that kindly to make sure you don't end up with a bunch of dead bettas or are overwhelmed with fry and quit this great hobby. I understand you are starting just like me I made the same mistakes you just need to understand to be polite even if someones mean to you sometimes its not there intention to hurt anyones feelings they just don't want you to make the same mistakes like some of us did like........over heating a tank= dead fishies....... so you still have to be polite even though other people aren't.
If you have any questions upon bettas pm. me if you do decide to have another spawn contact MrVamp. for cultures.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ethan said:


> guys lets give amp7594 another chance although I am seeing this is gonna turn out to be a problem like bettafishbreeders123's so we should ignore and if amp ask a question we should help him out if he dosen't heed what we say just don't pay any atention.
> 
> 
> amp7594- I understand that you are beginning sometimes people just get angry because of experience. To me it was great sense to condition them on your vacation but putting them in the same tank was a big no no but everyone learns from experience all new betta breeders make mistakes and sometimes get pushed around but we only do that kindly to make sure you don't end up with a bunch of dead bettas or are overwhelmed with fry and quit this great hobby. I understand you are starting just like me I made the same mistakes you just need to understand to be polite even if someones mean to you sometimes its not there intention to hurt anyones feelings they just don't want you to make the same mistakes like some of us did like........over heating a tank= dead fishies....... so you still have to be polite even though other people aren't.
> If you have any questions upon bettas pm. me if you do decide to have another spawn contact MrVamp. for cultures.


How would you condition them while on vacation? You have to feed them daily.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm not angry. I'm giving my opinion based on how the situation was presented and what I know about raising fry from my own experiences.

The fact of the matter is.. young fry must be fed daily, preferably multiple times a day, every. single. day. or they will die... period.. no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The OP stated in the first post that he or she did not have fry foods prepared. In another post it was mentioned that they have brine shrimp. That's fine but brine shrimp require someone to hatch and feed them and water changes are a must because the shrimp will foul the water very quickly. 

Unless they already knew someone who was familiar enough with fish to know how to do water changes and hatch brine shrimp it would have been more humane to destroy the eggs before they hatched. 

Its a moot point now though because most likely the fry have hatched by now and are almost to free swimming where they'll be searching for food.


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

Turtle10 bettas adults can go about a month without food although I haven't tried this I think 4 days is fine. I think you should tr to find a good friend to take care of them for you there's not much you can do.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ethan said:


> Turtle10 bettas adults can go about a month without food although I haven't tried this I think 4 days is fine. I think you should tr to find a good friend to take care of them for you there's not much you can do.


Yes that may be true, but they were trying to condition them for breeding which requires healthy food *every* day.


----------



## Duncan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

I personally think that it was unwise to condition the bettas right before a vacation. I agree with turtle, when conditioning bettas, they need to be fed QUALITY foods EVERYDAY. Its not really called contitioning if you don't feed them, right? Although, I must say, we are being a bit harsh. All people make mistakes.


----------



## PeggyJ (Oct 15, 2010)

Geeze....... there is a lot of negative vibes in here. I don't think there is anyone alive that has kept fish and not made mistakes. This is supposed to be a forum where we can learn what to do and what not to do without feeling like everyone is pouncing on you. We need to remember there are all ages, cultures and various levels of experience in these forums. That's what is supposed to make it fun and educational


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

true PeggyJ but had it not been for a certain someone i dont believe everyone would have become so ...whats the word..... hmmm ok well due to a troll's behaviour everyone would be alot nicer in recent weeks.


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

turtle10 said:


> Yes that may be true, but they were trying to condition them for breeding which requires healthy food *every* day.


Very true there is nothing we can do now though amp hasen't been very responsive to the answers the members have provided its everyones personal choice to finish what they've started if I were amp I would try to quarntine a part of a lake with a net and let the fry eat infusorians if that wouuld be possible at the location.


----------



## PeggyJ (Oct 15, 2010)

A Lake????? You want him to let them go in a lake? That is illegal in most states.... not to mention irresponsible. (sorry if that isnt what you meant)


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ethan said:


> Very true there is nothing we can do now though amp hasen't been very responsive to the answers the members have provided its everyones personal choice to finish what they've started if I were amp I would try to quarntine a part of a lake with a net and let the fry eat infusorians if that wouuld be possible at the location.


This introduces foreign bacteria to both the betta and the lake. This is illegal and have devastating effects to the environment. You should never ever do this. If you must keep bettas outside you can use your own personal pond or buy a large tub or something.


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

that's what I mean't in some states I'm sure this is ok thats why I said IF you can and while I was writing I was thinking of a pond or something like one right by a house


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

In most states its still way too cold for that... I'd still take culling over freezing and potential starvation.


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

I understand that you're all trying to be helpful, but he is not going to listen to you if you are rude. If you want to help the fish, then you should be more polite and less accusing. It doesn't take a lashing for the guy to learn his lesson.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm really not understanding why y'all keep saying everyone is being mean :? From where I'm standing no one has been mean or rude.


----------



## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

Yeah, I havent sees any "mean" comments either, there isnt any outright rudeness.


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

turtle10 said:


> That is what I don't understand, why would someone do that? Foolish indeed.


No offense intended, turtle, but this was rude. There was no need for it. That's what I'm taking about. Calling people foolish does not make them want to listen to you.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

FuulieQ said:


> No offense intended, turtle, but this was rude. There was no need for it. That's what I'm taking about. Calling people foolish does not make them want to listen to you.


How was it rude? I was simply stating a fact. I am not calling anyone stupid or anything, but I am not going to pretend that it wasn't a foolish thing to do. I really don't think I was being rude, just blunt.


----------



## nOOb iHACK (Nov 11, 2010)

I vote: DESTROY NEST

Seriously... Way better than watching them die or you coming home to tank full of dead fry.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Like I said before. Moot point. The eggs will have long since hatched.. I hope the OP found some food and is looking for someone to care for the fry.


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

poor little fish :-(


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

FuulieQ said:


> I understand that you're all trying to be helpful, but he is not going to listen to you if you are rude. If you want to help the fish, then you should be more polite and less accusing. It doesn't take a lashing for the guy to learn his lesson.


+1


----------



## PeggyJ (Oct 15, 2010)

Kindness and gentle words go a lot further than criticism - it works for animals and people. It all depends on weather your goal is simply to be correct, or to be productive.


----------



## Duncan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

I hope everything goes well and the fry survive.


----------



## freakumDRESS (Mar 16, 2011)

I didnt know one of my platies was female, and ended up with live fry. A few of them ended up eaten and i dont see the rest. I felt terrible for the babies, I know how you feel, op.


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

turtle10 said:


> How was it rude? I was simply stating a fact. I am not calling anyone stupid or anything, but I am not going to pretend that it wasn't a foolish thing to do. I really don't think I was being rude, just blunt.


Speaking that way to someone is just idiotic. 

Do you feel insulted right now? 
Even though I was referring to the way you were speaking to him, i.e. your actions and not necessarily your character, the general impression will still be that I just called you an idiot. 

It's the same way with what you said. The general impression when you say he was foolish is that you called him a fool.


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

oh my god just quit with trying to point out an issue you seem to have a problem with, its getting tiring to keep reading those responses.

relax and have a good day


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

She asked, I answered. You didn't have to read it, and if you're tired of the conversation in this thread I'm not sure why you'd keep coming back to it.


----------



## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

I kind of think everyone should settle down a bit, turtle said what turtle said, its over, done with now.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

What I want to know is why are we all in the BREEDING section and not talking about BREEDING??? 

If y'all have beef take it to PMs please. I think this thread should be closed... there's no point in dragging it up to the top and push down threads that actually are worth reading.


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

thats why i keep coming back because i think i might find useful information on breeding but instead .... 

1fish2fish you were right everyone really enjoyed the white worms


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

LOL.. I told you. It's like crack for fish hahaha. My culture almost crashed and I'm trying to bring it back so I can feed again because my fish loved it and it's great for conditioning.


----------



## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

YAY.

K then. I'm curious, to the OP, what happened to the fry? Did you cull them or did you try to raise them? IMO culling would be more responsible, but hey, if you found someone experienced in Betta fry keeping and they took (PROPER) care of the fry until you had the proper supplies then it's fine with me. I think it's fine with others, too. We aren't mean, just overly concerned for Bettas, please understand that in the breeding section we all tend to get more riled up than usual over mistakes. 

Good luck with your next spawn, hopefully by then everything is ready.


----------



## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

^ Don't crush up pellets as fry food. DON'T.

Because you might read that and assume it is a good food source for fry, which only eat live food for the first month of their lives. They don't eat non-living food. It's like if when you first feed a human baby, instead of feeding milk you try to give it a hamburger. Just not supposed to be eaten, and the fish don't recognize it as food.

Also, I don't think anyone would rather see a person die then a Betta... kind of in the Betta therapy stage at that point.

Hope I don't come off as rude /= Just trying to explain a point. No offence to anyone.


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

bettafish15 said:


> I kind of think everyone should settle down a bit, turtle said what turtle said, its over, done with now.


I'm sorry. I just think this is really important. People who come to this forum are often young and inexperienced, and even if nobody really means to come off as rude we have to be careful with what we say or people will just get angry and leave.


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Look I really wasn't being that rude, I'm sorry if you think that. If you were to say I said something idiotic, that actually does *not* make me feel like you called me an idiot. Please pm next time instead of going on and on about something I said that you didn't like, as bettafish15 said, it is over.

Let us please stay on topic now, lol.


OP, let us know how everything goes. I hope your fry are okay.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

The op has probably not coming back after everyone jumped down his throat. I've always said that this was a friendly forum and you guys are making me out to be a liar.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I really don't understand what people are talking about? I haven't seen anyone being rude or jumping down the OP's throat. Yes turtle's post should have been worded differently but besides that I honestly don't see what y'all mean.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Well,m I guess it isn't really so much that they're jumping down the op's throat, it's more of bickering among themselves.


----------



## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> I really don't understand what people are talking about? I haven't seen anyone being rude or jumping down the OP's throat. Yes turtle's post should have been worded differently but besides that I honestly don't see what y'all mean.


That's pretty much all I meant. I didn't want to single turtle out because there were more people doing similar things, but nobody seemed to understand what I was saying and so I needed to pick an example. Now I'm sorry that I said anything at all, because I'm not getting through to anyone and I feel as though I've made people angry when that wasn't my intent. 

I'm not going to PM you, turtle, because I don't have a problem with you specifically and the goal of my post wasn't to start anything with you personally. 

This will be my last post in this thread, if anyone has anything to say to me about it then I hope they would PM me.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Oh.. yeah I totally agree 100% with the bickering. It's quite annoying and I don't know why all the breeding threads have turned into it lately.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

It's always in the breeding threads.


----------



## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> It's always in the breeding threads.


Some breeding threads have been nice though


----------



## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

1fish2fish said:


> Oh.. yeah I totally agree 100% with the bickering. It's quite annoying and I don't know why all the breeding threads have turned into it lately.



i think maybe due to what happened to the dead female whose owner continuously tried and tried and tried .... and tried to breed her.:roll:.......
It is terrible that one rotten apple spoilt the whole batch ... ok well not the entire batch but you know what i mean ;-)


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yeah, I know. But all this bickering is going to turn new members off to this forum and give us a bad reputation.


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

FuulieQ said:


> That's pretty much all I meant. I didn't want to single turtle out because there were more people doing similar things, but nobody seemed to understand what I was saying and so I needed to pick an example. Now I'm sorry that I said anything at all, because I'm not getting through to anyone and I feel as though I've made people angry when that wasn't my intent.
> 
> I'm not going to PM you, turtle, because I don't have a problem with you specifically and the goal of my post wasn't to start anything with you personally.
> 
> This will be my last post in this thread, if anyone has anything to say to me about it then I hope they would PM me.


You, haven't made me mad I think your completly right


----------



## Ethan (Dec 3, 2010)

you shouldn't of said idiotic to turtle....... but there's to many new people coming in at once and that's turning a lot of threads to arguing and I think that nees to stop imediatenly or this forums going to be ruined.....


----------



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I really think people should to stop discussing who said what to whom, IMO it is irrelevant to the current thread. Whatever happened, happened. It is over now.

OP, when you get back let us know how everything went. Please don't be scared away!


----------

