# Help with Betta Fish and breeding :)



## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

So I want to attempt to breed my two Betta's. I was just hoping that someone could say if they will be good for a first attempt? 
Also we know Castle (The male Betta) is more than likely a Crown tail, but we are not sure what Beckett (the female) is.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Castle is a Crowntail. Beckett is hard to be sure, does she flare? If so, try and get a photo. Looks like single-ray branching, so could be a PK, VT or DeT. Does her anal fin slope to a point? It looks as if she doesnt have it fully extended so hard to tell from the pic. IMHO she looks like she has Doubletail genes, from the base of that dorsal, its pretty chunky. 

Have you looked into all of the necessities for breeding yet? It can be quite the investment, especially if you get a big spawn.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Becket is Flaring in that photo, I will try and get another tomorrow and post that. My brother and I have looked into it, we have the tanks, and we are setting up the spawning tank tomorrow, as well as going to buy some plants and food for them. The very first time we showed Becket to Castle she showed vertical stripes straight away, not sure if that is good or bad...... Hoping it is good 
We are hoping for a smallish spawn, but we are prepared for a big spawn (we hope so anyway) 
Also roughly how often and for how many days do we need to let them see each other, and when do we let them into the spawning tank, and what is the best way?? 
Sorry for all the questions, my brother and I are excited, but also really nervous and don't want to risk the health of either fish....


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Also Beckets Anal fin dose got to more of a point, but I will post another picture tomorrow


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

If it has a slope to a point she is likely a DeT/VT.  PK females have a much straighter anal fin. 

Not all females will give it a full flare, dw.  Just handy if they do as everything spreads better.  Some give it a full on psuedo-male go. Mine get their little beards out and everything. 

Conditioning can take weeks (2-3 weeks of live foods is always good, if not freeze-thawed). You can have their conditioning tanks next to each other and show them to each other a few minutes a day before introducing them, but its not uncommon just to jar the female, and leave her (jarred) inside the spawning tank until behaviour of the pair indicates they are ready to breed. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of people introducing their pairs. The way I have learnt is to watch these and from that, learn the signals that both genders give as they are ready to breed. As they are dark, at least you have the benefit of stripes (yes, vertical stripes are a positive indicator).

The female will also flare back at the male, submit (dipping her head) and follow him around her jar as he dispalys. He will display and run back and forth from there to the nest. 

Don't forget; you will need to be establishing some fry food cultures up to three weeks in advance of their being needed.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

She's a PK with DT geno in her, that nice broad dorsal is indicative of it.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Awesome  thank you.

Also is it possible to feed the baby fry sea monkeys, because I know where to get them and I have had them before, or even mosquito larva??


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

"Sea Monkeys" are baby brine shrimp, and newly hatched baby brine shrimp (commonly called BBS) are one of the best things you can give to your fry. They MUST be newly hatched, older brine shrimp are too large and have less nutrition. Mosquito larva are also an excellent addition to their diet.

However, fry are going to be too small for mosquito larva right when the hatch, wait on that. As far as the BBS goes, usually that is best after they have been free-swimming for a week to two weeks, although many fry are large enough to eat them right away.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Awesome, so roughly in the time frame of everything do I need to start the sea monkeys so that they will be the right size??


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## Nimble (Aug 31, 2014)

You feed the baby brine shrimp (using the term sea monkeys makes you sound childish) to the Betta fry when the brine shrimp are newly hatched. It takes around 12-18 hours for brine shrimp to hatch, so it's good to have hatcheries going at 12-hour intervals of each other, as well as having things like vinegar eels to feed in case you have a slow batch of BBS.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I have been wondering this, as sea monkies are brine shrimp... are those eggs treated in any way (the sea monkey kits) that would make them unsuitable? I have to order BBS eggs, but sea monkies are available in twon...  Just paranoid I would be giving fry pants food. XD


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## Nimble (Aug 31, 2014)

They're the same thing, so it doesn't matter what you call them.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Awesome, so every 12 hours do a new batch is brine shrimp. Thank you. 
With the spawning tank, the tank I have is really long an narrow, is it suitable, or should I get another tank? And how long should the spawn tank be running before I put my Bettas in it??


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## Nimble (Aug 31, 2014)

Long is better than tall, when it comes to Bettas. They like a lot of floor/surface area.

As for how long? Well, it's best to have a cycled filter running the entire time, so you don't have to worry about the fry growing up in an uncycled aquarium and dying off.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Ok. Thank you I will use the tank that I have at the moment. I am buying the supplies tonight, hoping I can find everything that I need


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm sorry Rascal, I wouldn't suggest that pairing as a first attempt. If you plan to keep breeding them, that's another story though. That pair will produce uneven web reduction (messy), and no 180* caudal spread. I suggest you either pair 2 CT or 2 non CT. Don't cross them.

If my memory serves me right, sea monkeys are fresh water, while brine shrimps are salt water (I need to look it up). The former is bigger than the later thus should be used for bigger fry. 
It's best to use wormy foods for the first few days to a week, then alter to BBS or BSM


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

Oh, so I should buy another Betta then?? My brother is really excited about breeding them..... So we can never breed them?? 
Ok I am going to buy all the supplies today so I will defiantly grab some worms. 
Also mum was also wondering what's the deference between a sponge filter and a normal filter??


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

You CAN breed them, you just SHOULDN'T breed them. Better to match those tail types and get prettier offspring. So yes, buy another betta, one that matches one or the other of them.

As far as sponge vs regular filter - a sponge filter creates a current so tiny that even newborn fry will be comfortable. Basically, air is pumped into the sponge part, and as the air rises up through the sponge and bubbles into the tank, it sucks water through the sponge. Sponge filters are an excellent surface for beneficial bacteria.

A traditional filter pulls water through a filter pad at a fast pace, and the filter pad catches debris. Young fry will be pulled in and killed.

Also, sponge filters tend to be cheaper.


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## 123Rascal123 (Jan 28, 2015)

So if I was to get another female for the male what should I look for?? Or if I got another male for the female what should I look for so that way the babies will turn out ok??


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

You can go two ways - get a nice crowntail female for that male, ideally blue, or maybe even yellow (yellow will help fix his red), or you can get a double tail plakat or halfmoon male (PK would be more advantageous, but HM will be easier to get) to match that female.

Crowntail x Crowntail will get you all crowntails, which aren't that hard to rehome.

DT Geno + DT will get you around 75% double tails, which are also quite easy to rehome. If you pair her with a halfmoon the results will be "messier" than if you pair her with a plakat, if she's really a plakat female.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Nimble said:


> They're the same thing, so it doesn't matter what you call them.


I know that, just wondering if there are any freaky "additives" in the kids' sea monkies setups.


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