# Intimidated by Betta Breeding (as an extension of my hobby)



## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

Ever since my boyfriend got his king betta, I've been interested in breeding one of my females with his king. The problem is that the whole breeding business seems pretty intimidating. I'm not interested in breeding show bettas, I just want to do it for fun. But this presents another problem: what will I end up doing with the spawns? There are only so many friends I can give them to. Realistically, how successful would I be in giving away bettas to members of this forum? Has anyone ever tried it? But then shipping material would probably cost more than just buying a betta from the store...

Am I better off just not trying at all?


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

Dont be intimidated! Its really fun and I think you should try it 
I do it for fun not for shows too. If you end up with too many you can feed some to a bigger fish. That way you can keep as many as you choose. Im sure a petshop would like to take some free or cheap Bettas off you too


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## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

Using them as feeders is a decent option, however I have no fish large enough to eat them.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Breeding is a big responsibility. Just make sure you've done your research ; make sure you have the right equipment, setup etc. People here will probably get on you about breeding petstore bettas but as long as they're healthy then you're ok. Chances are you won't get a great big spawn but it's possible. Myates got over 500 in hers. Lol That's a lot of babies to have to rehome.


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## Alcemistnv (Jan 29, 2012)

I'm intimindated by breeding as well.

I really want to do it, but I have a feeling that I'd end up forgetting a water change, or that I won't know EXACTLY how to take care of the fry.

But if you're up to researching it and you have the resources, I'd do it


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## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

dramaqueen said:


> Breeding is a big responsibility. Just make sure you've done your research ; make sure you have the right equipment, setup etc. People here will probably get on you about breeding petstore bettas but as long as they're healthy then you're ok. Chances are you won't get a great big spawn but it's possible. Myates got over 500 in hers. Lol That's a lot of babies to have to rehome.


Have you re-homed any of them? If you have, how have you manged to do so?

*Whoops, I just realized Myates is another member, not a betta, ha!


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## GoodMorning (Jan 19, 2013)

myates is a girl? 

prettyfrank, to answer ur question, i think if you have time and money, then you can definitely handle it.


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## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

Alcemistnv said:


> I'm intimindated by breeding as well.
> 
> I really want to do it, but I have a feeling that I'd end up forgetting a water change, or that I won't know EXACTLY how to take care of the fry.
> 
> But if you're up to researching it and you have the resources, I'd do it


I feel that I'm capable of managing the spawning and breeding process, as I have a lot of free time. Perhaps too much free time...  I'm confident in my research skills, I just don't know what to do when I actually have betta behbehz, y'know? There aren't exactly any resources for that, which is why I'm curious as to how other people deal.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

If you have the responsibility, then go for it. 
Just make sure to know what you're getting into, it will require hours of work each day and over +1000 for the F1. But in the end, it's worth. 

DQ doesn't breed, and yea, Myates is a girl.


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## GoodMorning (Jan 19, 2013)

there are a lot of ways, even if you end up with 300 babies, some of them will die right away. Also, you need to cull the ones that are not up to par, especially the deformed ones. By then, you should have a manageable amount but shouldn't ship them out yet until they're 2-3 months. It's pretty easy to find members on here who will pay for the shipping and handling, you could probably fit 20-30 juveniles in a $5 flat rate box, then charge another $5 for a heat pack and packaging materials. Also, a lot of people in your local area will take them, try the local aquarium clubs or craigslist.

lebron, u must be a girl too huh


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## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

GoodMorning said:


> there are a lot of ways, even if you end up with 300 babies, some of them will die right away. Also, you need to cull the ones that are not up to par, especially the deformed ones. By then, you should have a manageable amount but shouldn't ship them out yet until they're 2-3 months. It's pretty easy to find members on here who will pay for the shipping and handling, you could probably fit 20-30 juveniles in a $5 flat rate box, then charge another $5 for a heat pack and packaging materials. Also, a lot of people in your local area will take them, try the local aquarium clubs or craigslist.
> 
> lebron, u must be a girl too huh


That eased my mind quite a bit, actually. Have you had personal experience doing this? 

Also, sorry for being so interrogative, guys. I hope no one takes offense.


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

My two cents that I am pretty sure runs across the grain here: breeding involves the purposeful creation of sentient beings, and then the purposeful destruction of a certain number of them. That destruction is largely not for humane reasons, but in order to conform to arbitrary standards and whims of humans. The animating motivation seems to be either "I want make money" (often couched as "I want to offset the cost of my hobby"), or "I just want to". It's never about the animals, it's always about human desires. 

This isn't to say that every breeder treats their fish badly, or cares nothing for them. There may even be Betta breeders out there that breed for health and hardiness, rather than aiming for one perfect picture on Aquabid. I have never seen or heard of any Betta breeder discussing breeding for anything other than "form", color, and finnage. My point is that in the best of all situations, you will be engaging in a practice that casually destroys the very fish we all like so much. 

I am sorry if this seems heavy handed, or judgmental. It is obviously just the way I feel (passionately), and I totally respect other points of view on this issue. It's just what I think. 

If you need a home for "culls", PM me and I will take as many as I can. I wish I could provide a home for the thousands of bettas that are killed every year to give the hobby what it wants.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

GoodMorning said:


> lebron, u must be a girl too huh


Yep. Most people here think I'm a boy, due to my user. It's just my fish's name! ^^"


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

No, I don't breed but I've been taking in culls or fish that can't be bred from some of the breeders I'm friends with on FB. My space will be limited after I move.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

VJM said:


> My two cents that I am pretty sure runs across the grain here: breeding involves the purposeful creation of sentient beings, and then the purposeful destruction of a certain number of them. That destruction is largely not for humane reasons, but in order to conform to arbitrary standards and whims of humans. The animating motivation seems to be either "I want make money" (often couched as "I want to offset the cost of my hobby"), or "I just want to". It's never about the animals, it's always about human desires.
> 
> This isn't to say that every breeder treats their fish badly, or cares nothing for them. There may even be Betta breeders out there that breed for health and hardiness, rather than aiming for one perfect picture on Aquabid. I have never seen or heard of any Betta breeder discussing breeding for anything other than "form", color, and finnage. My point is that in the best of all situations, you will be engaging in a practice that casually destroys the very fish we all like so much.
> 
> ...


Most hobbyists actually only usually cull deformed fish or runts that fail to thrive. It is generally only serious breeders who cull out a majority of fry leaving only the select individuals from each spawn.

If there were no breeders there would be no bettas. Only wild-caught specimens. Culling is an important part of breeding any domesticated animal, and has been for thousands of years. 

I am a breeder, and the only fry I cull are those that are physically deformed. Most of the time the weakest will cull themselves, and the older siblings predate those that haven't kept up with the rest of the group.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Any babies that are so deformed that they would not have a decent quality of life should be culled. I've got a cull on hold from a breeder, that has a crooked spine. He's got great fjnnage but can't be spawned or shown because of it.


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## PrettyFrank (Mar 6, 2013)

VJM said:


> My two cents that I am pretty sure runs across the grain here: breeding involves the purposeful creation of sentient beings, and then the purposeful destruction of a certain number of them. That destruction is largely not for humane reasons, but in order to conform to arbitrary standards and whims of humans. The animating motivation seems to be either "I want make money" (often couched as "I want to offset the cost of my hobby"), or "I just want to". It's never about the animals, it's always about human desires.
> 
> This isn't to say that every breeder treats their fish badly, or cares nothing for them. There may even be Betta breeders out there that breed for health and hardiness, rather than aiming for one perfect picture on Aquabid. I have never seen or heard of any Betta breeder discussing breeding for anything other than "form", color, and finnage. My point is that in the best of all situations, you will be engaging in a practice that casually destroys the very fish we all like so much.
> 
> ...


First and foremost, breeding "sub-par" bettas isn't going to ruin the whole population of bettas. Bettas were initially mud-colored--not at all appealing to the average aquarist. Spawns of show bettas are still going to produce "sub-par" bettas, that's why it takes so much work for pros to produce ones worthy of showing. And even with a perfect pair they can only produce a few at a time. If every betta turned out flawless, betta showing wouldn't even be a thing to take pride in.

I can understand why you feel the way you do, but it doesn't make sense considering the nature of genetics in general. 

Anyway, I don't want this thread turning into one about morality. These arguments tend to make hypocrites out of both parties.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Not to derail, but I was going to post something similar to VJM. I can understand and support culling bettas that have physical deformity, but I don't agree with the culling of bettas that are simply sub-par in terms of finnage or colour. After all, plenty of people who just want pet bettas will be willing to take those in too, so selling them on or giving them away is definitely the more ethical option.  I'm hopeful culling healthy but unnattractive bettas is not a wide-spread practice, but I'm sure it does happen. 

I would be careful about selling on to pet shops. Make sure it is one that treats their fish humanely, because the last thing you want is to be tempted to buy back your own bettas as rescued if they end up in dirty cups! 

Also be prepared for a huge financial outlay and a bit of creative engineering. That's a lot of new tanks to heat and filter.

I'm not saying this to put you off, and I'm sure these are considerations you've already had. I just want to remind you of some of the challenges of breeding.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

It is one heck of a lot of work start to finish. Hundreds of hours for my last spawn. It also costs money. It is also pretty awesome. Research it to death, know what your in for and if you still have an interest give it a go.


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