# Effect of Age on Betta breeding?



## Dwarden3 (Apr 1, 2013)

So I have a few questions about breeding as my betta slowly creeps into it older years. This thread might also help others.

1. Is there an age that female bettas become infertile/unwilling to breed? 

2. Will younger females discriminate against older males? 

3. Is there an age that male bettas become infertile/ unwilling to breed? 

4. Will younger males discriminate against older females?

5. Is it better to breed bettas of a similar age? 
a. With the male older? How much older?
b. With the female older? How much older? 


Also, for each of these 5, are there any changes in spawn size from any of these conditions? If so, I'd love to have them listed, or even ranked. 
I am sorry if this seems kinda noobish, but I am completely new to betta breeding, and I want to know all outcomes before trying it out. 

Thanks a ton!


----------



## whatsupyall (Oct 17, 2012)

Hmm.. I've always managed to breed all bettas that were active. Usually they die or get sick by the time they stop breeding for me. Besides, unless you bred it or followed a spawn log, there is practically no way to know the age of the betta. Lastly, they do not discriminate against age. But you should keep in mind the size different. I believe most people prefer bigger male to female for embracing and better fertilization of the eggs, and other reasons. Anyway, good luck on your journey Dwarden3. Don't forget this forum is filled with vast information, so don't hesitate to use the search button lol.


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

NO - to all question.
From experience I believe bettas carry 2 egg sacks like most fish. Only one is used per spawn. They can be bred weekly if need be - as long as they are massed fed with nutritious foods. Eventually they will exhaust "egg production" and need to be rested for a longer period. Unfortunately I never took notice after how many times but I know each individual differs. IMO this is influenced by general health - how badly were they beaten during breeding. I've bred young to 1.5 yr old females with no issues (no deformed fry, normal number of eggs, etc). But if you asked their prime age - I'd say around 6-8 months.

Spawn size depends more on female's size. Full grown females will lay more eggs than smaller ones, regardless of age. I often deliberately stunt female's growth when I plan to breed her to a son. But I don't stunt males, because bigger males can easily breed with smaller females.

So the bottom line is knowing your betta and using breeding setups most appropriate for every individual (male).

One myth believes that if a young male is paired to an old female, they will produce more male fry. Therefore people prefer to use younger males if the pairing suits their goals.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Dwarden3 said:


> So I have a few questions about breeding as my betta slowly creeps into it older years. This thread might also help others.
> 
> 1. Is there an age that female bettas become infertile/unwilling to breed?
> Nope, they will want to breed anywhere from 3.5 months to a few years. As long as they are healthy they will be fine to breed. As they get older you may end up with more eggs.. just depends on the female in the end.
> ...


As for spawn size.. some say the younger they are the smaller the size of the spawn. I semi want to believe that, as my largest spawn of almost 600 was with an older, experienced female who has had a few spawns under her belt.. and my smallest spawn was with a pair I had raised (from that very large spawn lol) whom I bred at 3.5 months and ended up with just over 30 fry. 
All other spawns I never actually counted, but the pairings were of fish that were a bit older than the young pair, yet a bit younger than the old female. I haven't kept that close of an eye on the numbers until the fry are a bit older and not as fragile, and by then the numbers could have easily changed since spawning.

Edit: Woops, took me too long to type this up, indjo got here before me


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good questions and not noobish at all. You got good advice from Indjo and Myates. They won't steer you wrong.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks DQ


----------

