# Ready to spawn!?



## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

Ok, so after a few not-so-great tries both of my bettas are getting flirty! The male has finally made a bubble nest in his home and i am currently setting up the breeding tank! He is a multi colored veil-tale and she is a multi colored crown tale! Good fish for a first breed before i move on to the expensive fish! I have homes for all of the future spawns! My tank is a 5 gallon clear tub, with water at 80. Lots of plants and good spots for the nest. Tomorrow i introduce the female to the tank. Then on friday the male! A good weekend project! Can't wait.....

any suggestions and would love to see your working spawns to!


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

bettafish333 said:


> Ok, so after a few not-so-great tries both of my bettas are getting flirty! The male has finally made a bubble nest in his home and i am currently setting up the breeding tank! He is a multi colored veil-tale and she is a multi colored crown tale! Good fish for a first breed before i move on to the expensive fish! I have homes for all of the future spawns! My tank is a 5 gallon clear tub, with water at 80. Lots of plants and good spots for the nest. Tomorrow i introduce the female to the tank. Then on friday the male! A good weekend project! Can't wait.....
> 
> any suggestions and would love to see your working spawns to!



Congratulations on your first spawn! I learned on pet store fish as well, then after I needed to make room for my breeding stock, I gave them away on craigslist. I have heard people say that trying to give fish away wont work but my phone rang off the hook, so I would at least try it before anything drastic. I don't know about other breeders here, but from what I believe the male should be introduced first. In then wild it's the male who sets up his territory and nesting site, then the females swim around and choose which male they want to spawn with. 
I would put the male inside the tank and then find a glass or vase that is clear and will fit in the tank. Take the female and put her into the glass, and then put the glass into the tank. Seeing the female will encourage him to build his nest. He should alternate between flaring at her and showing off his fins with blowing a bubble nest. Once he has the built nest, then release her. He will chase her around and he may tear up her fins a bit, but chances are it won't be that bad. Spawning usually happens within an hour or so. Keep an eye on them when they are spawning too because when they are done you MUST take the female out very quickly. Especially in a small tank. 
I hope this helps :-D

Good luck with the spawn and feel free to ask any questions !!


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Did you get your grow out tank going? That 5 gallon won't be nearly enough.. honestly you should never use anything less then a 10 gal as the spawn tank. As well as all the jars, heaters, etc? I'm not trying to be rude, but from your other thread it sounded like you weren't completely ready for 100+ fry. Did you get the fry food started? 

We gave you the links on how to do it properly and what you need... should really read up on that since it will give you all the basics such as how to introduce them properly, etc. I still don't think you realize how much money, time and space this is going to cost you.

I wish you luck for the sake of those hundreds of babies that may be brought into the world. You had some sound advice there, hope you took it all to heart. But it seems you missed some of it as you still haven't conditioned your fish =( I'd honestly do some more research first.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Here is the basics of what is needed to try to breed them. You can use it as a check off sheet to help:
Thank you MrVampire181! 

· Frozen foods
· Atison Betta Pro (will be needed for juvenile fry as well).
Now let’s move on to the supplies needed to breed your pair:
· One spawning tank. Your spawning tank should be no less than 10 gallons. Personally I have used several sizes of spawn tanks but 10 gallons seem to work the best. Now to save a little cash you can purchase a 66 quart (65L) tub from your local WalMart with a snap on lid. They’re bigger than a 10 gallon and won’t break as easily. It’s your choice. 
· One submersible, adjustable aquarium heater.Bettas are more likely to spawn in warmer water. You will need an adjustable and submersible heater (you’ll find out why) to keep the temperature about 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 
· A tight fitting lid or tank hood.If you’re using a plastic tub the snap lid will work just fine. With a 10 gallon you’ll need a tank hood with a light. 
· One sponge filter.You NEED to have a filter in your tank. With hundreds of little babies emptying their stomachs every 20 minuets a lot of waste will build up and you need a filter to keep the water clean. 
· Live plants.Live plants create infusoria which is an important food source for the fry’s first week of life. Also they help keep your water clean. I personally recommend Amazon Sword, Java Fern, Marimo Moss, Duckweed, and Horwort. Be sure to add plenty of them to your spawning tank.
· Snails.Snails keep your tank clean by eating left over food and potentially dead fry. 
· A nest anchor.Your male will need a place to build his nest. You can use bubble wrap, Styrofoam, or various lids.
· A glass chimney.So for anyone who doesn’t know…gas powered lanterns use a glass chimney around the flame. Often you can get these at a second hand store for next to nothing. This will be used to separate the female and the male. 
· A cave or hiding place.There’s a lot of fighting, chasing, and nipping during betta courtship. Your female will need a place to retreat to during the courtship process.
· A light source.Whether it’s a designated tank hood or just a room light you will need a light source that can stay on for at least three days. 
· Air pump, tubing, control valves for sponge filter.
· Thermometer 
· Indian Almond Leaves. Ever wonder how we breeders get spawns quickly and easily? It’s these leaves. They are found in Thailand and are a natural spawning inducer.
Fry related purchases:
· Food. Microworms, vinegar eels, and baby brine shrimp are the most common. I highly recommend using all three.
· A growout tank.You will need a tank or container of at LEAST 20 gallons to grow your fry. Once they reach about one month old the spawn tank is no longer a sufficient size container for the fry. Be sure the tank has a heater and hiding places.
· Powdered fry food.When they start getting bigger the fry will need to start switching over from live food to pellet food. Powdered fry food like Atison’s Betta Starter is a great food to feed in addition to live food to slowly adjust them to pellet food.
· Jars to separate the males.
· Medications for Ick and Velvet.

And some considerations:
· Are my fish breeding quality? Unless you can get a nice halfmoon pair from your local pet shop you should never breed your pet shop fish. Although now many chain stores such as PetCo and PetsMart offer nice males that can be bred in halfmoon, doubletail, halfmoon plakat, and delta forms. If you choose to breed a pet shop fish be sure they are not of the veil tail variety. Veil tails are not sanctioned in IBC shows and therefore are not breeding material. To save yourself the trouble it’s best to buy a nice sibling pair on an aquatic auction site such as www.aquabid.com. 
· Bettas can produce up to one thousand eggs in a single spawn. That means you will have hundreds of little babies swimming around and eventually will grow into adults. This means you will need space for a growout (minimum of 20 gallons), and potentially hundreds of jars to keep all the males. Now another reason to avoid pet shop fish is to be able to find homes for these fish. No one will want to buy a veil tail from you for $5 plus shipping when they can get one for $3 at their local pet shop. 
· Breeding bettas takes a lot of time and commitment. Tanks need cleaning everyday, young ones need feeding several times a day, and you need to watch them for outbreaks of disease. If you do not have time for this do not attempt to breed your bettas.
· Breeding bettas is not cheap. The materials needed to breed a single spawn can cost up to $500. Be sure you have the funds to support your breeding. 
· Breeding bettas requires space. Trust me breeding them in your bedroom isn’t easy. Although it can be done you should try to dedicate a room specifically for your fish. You will need space for spawn tank/s, growout/s, jars, food, and supplies. Be sure you have enough space for this.

And this: Also what needs to be done prior to breeding, with videos


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Start listening to the great advice you are being given. You are no where near ready to think about breeding, let alone attempting it. 

This sort of child's play really shouldn't be encouraged. It's one thing if the OP is learning but when they are totally ignoring the advice given? I won't support that.

Do your research please! You have not answered one question Myates has asked you. Do you have fry foods? 30g+ grow out tank? Medication? Jars? 100+ homes? A means to heat Jars to right temps? I am interested in the replies to this. You're also not supposed to use the males home for breeding. What have you conditioned your pair with and for how long?


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## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

yes.yes.yes and yes haha. I have all the things (jars,meds,food ect.) I will start the the grow tank. thank you for all of the advice and help!


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

Myates said:


> Did you get your grow out tank going? That 5 gallon won't be nearly enough.. honestly you should never use anything less then a 10 gal as the spawn tank. As well as all the jars, heaters, etc? I'm not trying to be rude, but from your other thread it sounded like you weren't completely ready for 100+ fry. Did you get the fry food started?
> 
> We gave you the links on how to do it properly and what you need... should really read up on that since it will give you all the basics such as how to introduce them properly, etc. I still don't think you realize how much money, time and space this is going to cost you.
> 
> I wish you luck for the sake of those hundreds of babies that may be brought into the world. You had some sound advice there, hope you took it all to heart. But it seems you missed some of it as you still haven't conditioned your fish =( I'd honestly do some more research first.


Yes you do sound rude and I am glad you noticed it before you even wrote your post. (it shows the emotional state that you were in when you wrote this post) Can you try to be more supportive? Breeding bettas does not cost a lot and it's not that hard to do.:shock: This is a myth. Sure if you wanna go by name brand everything and go big then yea it's gonna cost you. You can however scour craigslist like I did and find everything you need cheep and easy! Betty splendens.com has over 3 different ways to spawn and they are not all in a 10 gallon. Please try not to judge others and tell them how to live. I had enough of that at that UB forum. 
I love this site specifically because it does NOT have this kind of posting. I understand if you are frustrated so maybe if you can't say anything nice you shouldn't have said anything at all.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

^^^ Speaking of being rude. 

There are people on here who believe that when you purposely bring a new life into this world, you do it properly. $500 per spawn is generous compared to what some knowledgable breeders on here suggest spawning costs. I haven't even embarked on my planned spawning, why? Because I don't feel I have the knowledge to do so properly. I have the equipment sure, but breeding bettas should be done to better the species not to satisfy someone curiosity about tossing two fish together. People complain about horrible care at a pet store but yet condone someone breeding that still needs time to polish their education about Bettas? Do you even care what happens when a person can't care for their spawn, or are those fish less worthy to you? I don't mean to sound rude myself, but look at the bigger picture here. Someone may get their feelings hurt (which the OP doesn't seem to mind the advice) but they will walk away more educated and their spawn will be thankful for that. I can't see where what you're doing helps anyone.


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

bettafish333 said:


> yes.yes.yes and yes haha. I have all the things (jars,meds,food ect.) I will start the the grow tank. thank you for all of the advice and help!


Please don't let those posts upset you. There are many many ways to spawn betta's and people do it all the time successfully with all types of setup's. If you need some advice just PM me and I would be happy to help.


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

Pitluvs said:


> ^^^ Speaking of being rude.
> 
> There are people on here who believe that when you purposely bring a new life into this world, you do it properly. $500 per spawn is generous compared to what some knowledgable breeders on here suggest spawning costs. I haven't even embarked on my planned spawning, why? Because I don't feel I have the knowledge to do so properly. I have the equipment sure, but breeding bettas should be done to better the species not to satisfy someone curiosity about tossing two fish together. People complain about horrible care at a pet store but yet condone someone breeding that still needs time to polish their education about Bettas? Do you even care what happens when a person can't care for their spawn, or are those fish less worthy to you? I don't mean to sound rude myself, but look at the bigger picture here. Someone may get their feelings hurt (which the OP doesn't seem to mind the advice) but they will walk away more educated and their spawn will be thankful for that. I can't see where what you're doing helps anyone.


I apologize if you think I am being rude as I am not. I am only trying to protect a member on this site, and I would have done the same for you if it was you being picked on.
This is a spawn log not anyone's personal, soap box. If you want to make a thread about breeding pet store stock, or placing betta fry or what to do with unwanted fry, feel free to create a new thread. UB is FULL of exactly this kind of preaching and thread hijacking and I don't want to see it happen to this site. There are many people on this site who came here to get away from that kind of forum experience.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I have no idea why you think you have right to tell me what to do, since you just told Myates not to do the same thing? I am defending someone as well from being picked on. Someone with just reasons to be concerned. She is concerned for the well being of a helpless animal, you are concerned for the well being of a human that can Google and controls the fate of said helpless animal. Do you see where we differ on this? There would be no issue here if the OP asked questions and took advice. Instead they choose to breed their fish in a manner that spells disaster. They avoided questions, and continued to pretend everything was okie dory. 

And for the record, I was not saying anything about others breeding pet store bettas, I said breeding for the sake of tossing two fish together. Many reputable breeders on here use pet store specimens, for a reason or a trait that compliments their breedings. If I want ct with a certain trait and a pet store has one, I'd use it in my program. Please don't put words in my mouth. I know the internet is full of tricky business when it comes to reading someone else's words but no where did I say anything about not using pet store fish.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

advice is being asked for and some has been given. if the op had asked for a public bashing i am sure they would have asked for one. however after reading this a few times just to be sure i can safely say that they are asking for guidance. with this in mind i would ask that this thread get back on topic and leave all of the external things to other places.....

now as for suggestions that the OP requested what specifically are you asking for.. keep in mind that as another member pointed out there are many methods to breeding and not all of them have the fishes best interest at heart.. also keep in mind that a lot of members here are very passionate about there fishy friends and while they come on strong at times they are just attempting to get a point across in text and that often comes with out the proper affliction to words that may sound different in person.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

bettafish333 said:


> Ok, so after a few not-so-great tries both of my bettas are getting flirty! The male has finally made a bubble nest in his home and i am currently setting up the breeding tank! He is a multi colored veil-tale and she is a multi colored crown tale! Good fish for a first breed before i move on to the expensive fish! I have homes for all of the future spawns! My tank is a 5 gallon clear tub, with water at 80. Lots of plants and good spots for the nest. Tomorrow i introduce the female to the tank. Then on friday the male! A good weekend project! Can't wait.....
> 
> any suggestions and would love to see your working spawns to!


I would put the male in first then introduce the female after he starts on a bubble nest. Is your pair conditioned?


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

+1 bearwithfish


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## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

Ummm are you talking about me? who do you think you are? Your not the ruler of all betta fish! If you disagree with the way I want to breed, fine. But take it some where else so i can actually get some information without being attacked with comments such as "Instead they choose to breed their fish in a manner that spells disaster. They avoided questions, and continued to pretend everything was okie dory." You obviosly have a problem with me and i would hope you do not post here again. 

Thank you bearwithfish and bettas rule and myates for actual advice! I am going to use a grow out tank and will postpone the breeding because apperantly i'm incompitent.


Now does anyone have pictures of there fry....? Im really interested in seeing some of yours!








Pitluvs said:


> I have no idea why you think you have right to tell me what to do, since you just told Myates not to do the same thing? I am defending someone as well from being picked on. Someone with just reasons to be concerned. She is concerned for the well being of a helpless animal, you are concerned for the well being of a human that can Google and controls the fate of said helpless animal. Do you see where we differ on this? There would be no issue here if the OP asked questions and took advice. Instead they choose to breed their fish in a manner that spells disaster. They avoided questions, and continued to pretend everything was okie dory.
> 
> And for the record, I was not saying anything about others breeding pet store bettas, I said breeding for the sake of tossing two fish together. Many reputable breeders on here use pet store specimens, for a reason or a trait that compliments their breedings. If I want ct with a certain trait and a pet store has one, I'd use it in my program. Please don't put words in my mouth. I know the internet is full of tricky business when it comes to reading someone else's words but no where did I say anything about not using pet store fish.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

while i agree in postponing your breeding attempt based on wanting more informtaion i am not sure you will gain the responses you desire by taking the same tone as those who have offended you..

trust me when i tell you that in time if negative comments are ignored they will go away.. 

that being said if this topic can get back on pace with questions and answers and move along great!! if not perhaps a new one should be started fresh..


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Bettas Rule said:


> Yes you do sound rude and I am glad you noticed it before you even wrote your post. (it shows the emotional state that you were in when you wrote this post) Can you try to be more supportive? Breeding bettas does not cost a lot and it's not that hard to do.:shock: This is a myth. Sure if you wanna go by name brand everything and go big then yea it's gonna cost you. You can however scour craigslist like I did and find everything you need cheep and easy! Betty splendens.com has over 3 different ways to spawn and they are not all in a 10 gallon. Please try not to judge others and tell them how to live. I had enough of that at that UB forum.
> I love this site specifically because it does NOT have this kind of posting. I understand if you are frustrated so maybe if you can't say anything nice you shouldn't have said anything at all.


What is funny, is everything I posted in that list, including prices and the type of betta is from the sticky on top of this section. By a very successful breeder of these forums. There are a few stickies up there, and from what little the OP has said on what he is doing, he has done the opposite of which was recommended to breed. If he asked "Hey, do I do this or this?" Then he would of been answered accordingly and helped. I'm ALL for helping someone learn and experience these wonderful creatures. But when he says he is using a 5 gal, or that he didn't condition them, or didn't introduce them properly (a number of times, not just the once) and continues to not listen to the advice, you would expect some to get exasperated because instead of reading and learning and trying to do things properly, they ignore and expect not to get people to tell them to do a little more research? If he spent 10 minutes reading through the stickies, the problems he has been having (and still having after he was linked them) would not of been happening. Something as simple as how to introduce them. I want to help, why I spend time here daily to help people. To help their sick fish, or set up the proper tank, or whatever. 
I can only ask/recommend something so many times before I throw up my hands. But in this case, I pushed further because I rather not have a few hundred little babies brought into the world, only to find he isn't prepared and they all perish. I would feel bad that I didn't speak up and tell him to do some more research since what little he has told us so far shows he still is lacking in knowledge.



bettafish333 said:


> Ummm are you talking about me? who do you think you are? Your not the ruler of all betta fish! If you disagree with the way I want to breed, fine. But take it some where else so i can actually get some information without being attacked with comments such as "Instead they choose to breed their fish in a manner that spells disaster. They avoided questions, and continued to pretend everything was okie dory." You obviosly have a problem with me and i would hope you do not post here again.
> 
> Thank you bearwithfish and bettas rule and myates for actual advice! I am going to use a grow out tank and will postpone the breeding because apperantly i'm incompitent.
> 
> ...



Don't blame Pitluvs, she is like me and when it comes to the protection of animals we love, we will fight for them. You aren't incompetent, just need to do some more research. Read the stickies, look on other sites. Write down everything and make it into a check list of sorts to make sure you have everything prepared. Once you have everything set.. then by all means I wish you the best! You may have everything put together, you may have all the hundred jars with the ability to heat each one, great! But it's how you've said what you are doing that makes it look as if you aren't doing certain things the recommended way.

Thank you Pitluvs, you know where I am coming from and the fact that I'm trying to help and to get his attention to be able to help, and not attack. 

Even if it seems like it.. if I was, trust me, you'd know. And I would not do anything such as that here in these forums as I am very fond of this site and many people who post here.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Back on topic (semi)
Can't blame you for wanting babies.. the fry are so cute!


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Bettafish, I don't have a problem with you! I don't know you from Adam, so please don't take anything I say as a personal attack on you as an individual. I am mearly frustrated with how you plan to go about breeding when you were given good solid advice that you seem to ignore. I work with rescues, I foster, I adopt. I see what experiment in homes do to animals. I would have no issues if you came on here to learn, but it becomes frustrating when it seems you were not listening. For the record, I offered advice long before I spoke with Bettas Rule, but you have over looked that. Either way, I wish you good luck and hope you stick around and learn some great things here. My issues were with Bettas Rule, not you entirely.


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## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

and i dont blame you i respect you. You seem to know what your talking about. But when i dont respond, it doesn't mean i'm ignoring you! And i'm sorry if i over reacted but i do know alot about bettas! I have been researching for the last month or so and like i said i have found homes for all of them and yes myates they are so cute!


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## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

and yes they are conditioned (last 4 weeks)


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## bettafish333 (Oct 7, 2011)

Ok when i said last month or so thats what i've been researching on breeding. Not the betta intirely. sorry about the spelling! I've had bettas since i was 3 and aquariums my entire life! thanks everyone for the advice!


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

Good luck and like I said before if you have any questions feel free to PM me


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

Here are three of my oldest fry. 

Specter








Misha








Roger








Dad: Smirnoff








Mom: Princess


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## Bettas Rule (Aug 18, 2011)

youlovegnats said:


> Here are three of my oldest fry.
> 
> Specter
> View attachment 40045
> ...


Nice marbles!


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks! They started out as all BF pattern, I was so excited- well that went away within a couple weeks, lol.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Misha's my favorite. What tail type are Mom and Dad?


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

Misha's my fav. too! xD I'm thinking of keeping him. 
Dad's an HMPK, mom's a marble VT. So all three have this Round tail VT thing goin' on. But I really think it's pretty.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

They're so cute!!


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Lots of different ways to spawn and rear this species successfully........sadly a lot of folks still follow some of the myths that out on the internet......and sadly some are told so many times that they soon are viewed as fact when they are still only a myth and often by people that have never even spawned before....kinda funny in a way....


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