# HELP!!!! my bettas are laying eggs!!



## Mackynzie12 (Dec 30, 2015)

My daughter got a 10 galloon fish tank for Christmas and a male blue/red crowntail betta and a blue/red female betta. the two have been in the tank for about 3 days now and today I noticed them under the bubble nest together, about 2 hours ago(6pm) I noticed the fish embracing and placing the eggs in the nest. I have no clue what to do. I've never raised bettas, there is probably about 100-150 eggs so far. the tank has a heater for a 20-30 galloon tank set at 80 degrees F and a filter which is currently removed cause of previous posts I've read. I don't have anything to feed the fry and I don't know anything about what's to happen next. do I take the female out now? they are still embracing and laying eggs.


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Firstly, never, ever keep a male/male, male/female together. You are not prepared and the kindest thing to do would be to destroy the eggs.

Take the female or male out and keep them separated. It is very likely that one can kill the other, or injure the other badly.


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## Mackynzie12 (Dec 30, 2015)

I took the female out of the tank and put her in a 5.5 galloon tank with a filter and heater, I also added melafix to her tank and gave her bloodworms. do I feed the male now or do I wait until I remove him from the eggs? I don't want to kill them, I cant do that. I want to try and raise them can anybody help me?!?!?


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Not at all a breeding expert but I feel bad reading this without leaving at least some comments. Based on what I read here, young fries only eat live feed. I see baby brine shrimp is a very popular feed. I suppose there's a hatchery kit sold by frozen food brands such as San Fransisco Bay but you will not see these in Petco/Petsmart. There's also such thing as microworm, although I'm not sure if they'd work for a hatchling. I think daphnia works too, but again these are all not easy to find. TBH by the time you managed to get these food shipped to you the fries would probs die of hunger already. I understand you meant well but being as unprepared as you are I'd also suggest destroying the nest.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

You are not prepared to raise them. I am very sorry, but raising fry requires live food (many types of worms), sponge filters, hundreds of jars, live cultures, large grow out tanks, and so much more. It can cost up to $500.00 dollars.


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

It's a hard thing to do, but can you really spare the time to scramble live foods for them, care for the food, monitor the tank parameters, clean it everyday?


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## Mackynzie12 (Dec 30, 2015)

a local breeder has banana worms, are those okay to give the fry? I'm not too worried about cost, I just really don't want them to die. I've contacted an aquarium who said they would take the surviving fry if I cannot find them homes when they're older(around 8-10 weeks)


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Banana worms are okay, they are pretty small, so good for fry. You have to be VERY careful feeding them. I had no problems, but many believe rotting microworms on the tank floor contribute to missing ventral fins. (The skinny fins below their chins). In the meantime I would order fry powder to feed with the worms, or baby brine shrimp, which is more expensive and laborious. BBS, if overfed, contribute to swim bladder disease.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

The problem is getting the fries to actually reach 8-10 weeks. I have never heard of banana worms TBH but you're gonna need more than just one kind of food. I hate to sound so stark, but I still think you should just abort the nest. So many things can go wrong raising a creature so fragile. Changed the water too fast? Dead fries. Changed it too often? Dead fries. Temp raising or dropping too quickly? Dead fries. Dad with bad parenting skills? Dead fries. Most people dedicated hundreds of hours of research before even attempting to breed. Although I wouldn't say people here can't guide you step by step along the way it's a very risky move to attempt raising fries while trying to catch up on the research on the go. Both of us are thinking about the fries' future here. I don't want you to think I'm just saying this because you're inexperienced. I am too. But in this situation it's more like a wild gamble whether or not your fries would survive. I personally wouldn't place bets in this kinda gamble. So yeah. Do give that a thought, and I wish you the best of luck


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

What is the water temp at?

Leave the male in until the fry can swim on their own. Leave a light on for him to tend to the eggs over night. Don't feed him while he is in there. He might the eggs. They could be infertile, mouldy, or he could be a bad father. Don't try to do anything in the tank too much, it will stress him out and he might be more inclined to eat them. If you are okay with price, get a good, adjustable heater if you do not have one yet. Turn any filters off that might suck fry in. Get a sponge filter. It won't suck up fry and it has a gentler output. Don't use a filter until they can swim on their own.

Here is my list of supplies when I bred:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...P1JMR2B9E689&ref_=pd_ys_c_rfy_rp_2619533011_1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VAFGKI?refRID=KS16Q2K9ZK7H5M5CWHNC&ref_=pd_ys_c_rfy_rp_2619533011_2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQITK?refRID=RJKFK0VW9QKNF6P3S003&ref_=pd_ys_c_rfy_rp_2619533011_5

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255MZG?refRID=GRXZDJPKDDB3J8BB38VX&ref_=pd_ys_c_rfy_rp_2619533011_15

http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77851-W...=UTF8&qid=1451441382&sr=1-1&keywords=air+pump

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038JTNFS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage


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## Mackynzie12 (Dec 30, 2015)

I appreciate all the opinions and advice, I know none of you may agree with this but I am going to try and raise the fry. ive been researching for hours and think I can manage this. ill keep you all updated. thanks again!!(


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Seren27 said:


> The problem is getting the fries to actually reach 8-10 weeks. I have never heard of banana worms TBH but you're gonna need more than just one kind of food. I hate to sound so stark, but I still think you should just abort the nest. So many things can go wrong raising a creature so fragile. Changed the water too fast? Dead fries. Changed it too often? Dead fries. Temp raising or dropping too quickly? Dead fries. Dad with bad parenting skills? Dead fries. Most people dedicated hundreds of hours of research before even attempting to breed. Although I wouldn't say people here can't guide you step by step along the way it's a very risky move to attempt raising fries while trying to catch up on the research on the go. Both of us are thinking about the fries' future here. I don't want you to think I'm just saying this because you're inexperienced. I am too. But in this situation it's more like a wild gamble whether or not your fries would survive. I personally wouldn't place bets in this kinda gamble. So yeah. Do give that a thought, and I wish you the best of luck


I raised my fry on microworms. Bananas are super tiny microworms. But yeah, still agree with you. I spent months researching, asking questions, and following other people's journals on breeding their fish and I still was pretty unsuccessful (I have one surviving, barely, out of fifty that hatched.)


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## Mackynzie12 (Dec 30, 2015)

thank you kitkat67, I just ordered this stuf called instant brine shrimp and I also ordered a sponge filter. im having it overnighted so it should be here tomorrow by 5pm. im soo excited to give this a try!(


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Mackynzie12 said:


> I appreciate all the opinions and advice, I know none of you may agree with this but I am going to try and raise the fry. ive been researching for hours and think I can manage this. ill keep you all updated. thanks again!!(



Well, I guess you better start buying everything. I would also recommend starting a Spawn Log where you can update us and ask all your questions in one place. (We LOVE spawn logs! Especially with pictures.)


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Mackynzie12 said:


> thank you kitkat67, I just ordered this stuf called instant brine shrimp and I also ordered a sponge filter. im having it overnighted so it should be here tomorrow by 5pm. im soo excited to give this a try!(


Did you also get an air pump for the filter?


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## liamthen (Dec 18, 2015)

I suggest liquifry on first week ,its a product that start organic infusorian small enough for the fry just hatched, it wont cost much about 5 bucks a bottle in my country, i dont know how much will it cost you in your country, feed them to 12 days age maybe then you can start with bbs or daphnia


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

Mackynzie12 said:


> thank you kitkat67, I just ordered this stuf called instant brine shrimp and I also ordered a sponge filter. im having it overnighted so it should be here tomorrow by 5pm. im soo excited to give this a try!(


Is it this stuff?









If so they might not work very well since the shrimp are already dead. You could play the if you dont eat you die game with them, some might catch on to the rules and accept the dead shrimp idea. It will probably decrease the number of babies you will have to separate and get rid of when they are old enough too

But if you want to have the highest survival rate then the best way to feed them is to get hatching brine shrimp eggs (not decapsulated ones) and hatch them yourself. That way the fry are getting fresh live food and you dont have to worry about them starving off. 

Good luck on your betta raising journey!


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## liamthen (Dec 18, 2015)

I agree to what seren27 saying, i too untill now failed too many times to get my spawned fry to pass critical 2 weeks age, if it got to two weeks age its a cakewalk, since i got no temp problem,and its easy to get daphnia and moina at place, which i rely sorely on both until the fry able to eat mosquito larvae.

Only one thing you need to do after your fries able to pass 2 first critical week, do not over feed, i got this trouble alot of time ,afraid of them them starving, so i put too many foods in and they ruin the water fast then any sort of disease come out.too much love sometimes kill ,how i cant agree more with the saying lol


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## kevinap2 (Apr 3, 2014)

Bettas are natural hunters, and the instinct for young fry is to only eat food that is wiggling. The instant brine shrimp probably won't work too well, but you can try it. If you're going to go this route, you may also want to order some Golden Pearls in the smallest size. They are very nutritious and your fry may go for them. Best to provide a mix to get the best survival rate.

That said, I would highly recommend you search your local fish/pet stores for brine shrimp eggs and make a hatchery. San Francisco Bay also sells a DIY hatchery in their store which is probably more than you need to spend, but easy to use for a first timer. If you can get them on live food, that is your best bet to avoid fatalities. Some just won't eat anything but live food, and they will die unless you give it to them.


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## Kisiel (Jul 30, 2014)

The kindest thing to do would be to destroy the nest while the fry haven't yet developed and hatched. As others have said it takes months of research and preparation to raise a spawn, and even with your best intentions most of the fry will probably die as your weren't prepared _before_ your fish spawned. Pet store bettas generally are poor breeding material and even if you do, somehow, manage to raise a couple of the fry to adulthood you will struggle to find them homes. 

If you'd like to try your hand at breeding bettas, that's perfectly fine - just do the research first, have steady food cultures (grindal worms, microworms, white worms, daphnia, mosquito larvae etc) prepared beforehand, have all your grow out tanks and jars set up. Look through aquabid or find local breeders who can provide you with quality fish to spawn. Raising baby bettas is a lot of work too, daily water changes and feeding 4+ times per day gets pretty exhausting after the first two months.


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## kevinap2 (Apr 3, 2014)

Kisiel said:


> The kindest thing to do would be to destroy the nest while the fry haven't yet developed and hatched. As others have said it takes months of research and preparation to raise a spawn, and even with your best intentions most of the fry will probably die as your weren't prepared _before_ your fish spawned. Pet store bettas generally are poor breeding material and even if you do, somehow, manage to raise a couple of the fry to adulthood you will struggle to find them homes.
> 
> If you'd like to try your hand at breeding bettas, that's perfectly fine - just do the research first, have steady food cultures (grindal worms, microworms, white worms, daphnia, mosquito larvae etc) prepared beforehand, have all your grow out tanks and jars set up. Look through aquabid or find local breeders who can provide you with quality fish to spawn. Raising baby bettas is a lot of work too, daily water changes and feeding 4+ times per day gets pretty exhausting after the first two months.


Given that this thread was created on the 29th, the eggs have likely hatched by now.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I would not keep them either it is really big job to raise them. Think daily water changes. How will you provide heat for over 100 fish? Room temperature is not suitable unless you live in a really warm climat. 

It seems odd that an aquarium would be interested in them unless they plan to use them as feeder fish (which means they will be eaten). Have you asked what is going to happen to the fish?

However, if you are determined to raise them. Go to the breeding section on this forum and there are instructions and videos on how to raise fry. You will need to hurry up the eggs will hatch very quickly maybe even in two days.


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## kevinap2 (Apr 3, 2014)

jadaBlu said:


> I would not keep them either it is really big job to raise them. Think daily water changes. How will you provide heat for over 100 fish? Room temperature is not suitable unless you live in a really warm climat.
> 
> It seems odd that an aquarium would be interested in them unless they plan to use them as feeder fish (which means they will be eaten). Have you asked what is going to happen to the fish?
> 
> However, if you are determined to raise them. Go to the breeding section on this forum and there are instructions and videos on how to raise fry. You will need to hurry up the eggs will hatch very quickly maybe even in two days.


Again, this thread was created on the 29th. The eggs have most likely hatched by now.


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## FishMemory (Jul 7, 2015)

Seren27 said:


> The problem is getting the fries to actually reach 8-10 weeks. I have never heard of banana worms TBH but you're gonna need more than just one kind of food. I hate to sound so stark, but I still think you should just abort the nest. So many things can go wrong raising a creature so fragile. Changed the water too fast? Dead fries. Changed it too often? Dead fries. Temp raising or dropping too quickly? Dead fries. Dad with bad parenting skills? Dead fries. Most people dedicated hundreds of hours of research before even attempting to breed. Although I wouldn't say people here can't guide you step by step along the way it's a very risky move to attempt raising fries while trying to catch up on the research on the go. Both of us are thinking about the fries' future here. I don't want you to think I'm just saying this because you're inexperienced. I am too. But in this situation it's more like a wild gamble whether or not your fries would survive. I personally wouldn't place bets in this kinda gamble. So yeah. Do give that a thought, and I wish you the best of luck


I used microworms for my betta fry and it worked out wonderfully. You can purchase some through me directly at [email protected] or through my Amazon seller's page http://www.amazon.com/Microworm/dp/...TF8&qid=1451768120&sr=8-2&keywords=microworms

It also comes with instructions on how to cultivate the worms for an endless supply!


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## Kisiel (Jul 30, 2014)

Not necessarily, if the tank isn't at the proper temperature they'll take longer to hatch. Even if they did the fry won't be free swimming yet.


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