# First time breeder please help



## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

Alright.... I'm wanting to breed For the first time and I'm not quiet sure what to do. I have 3 questions just about getting started. 1. How should I prepare my fish for the breeding process? 2. What should my setup look like 3. How can I control how many fry my fish will have. Also is it possible to get a pure red female?? Thanks a bunch for your help!! I hope I don't sound like too much if a noob! :shock:


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

First off, I cannot stress the importance of knowing what your doing. This forum is great for help, but cannot teach you everything you need to know, so head off to google and start reading! bettatalk.com and bettysplendens.com are a good place to start. 

Preparing your fish is called Conditioning. Basiclly getting your fish in tip top condition before breeding. 

Just make SURE you are READY for the huge responsibility that comes with it. Ask you self these questions:

Am I financially able to raise the fry? 
Am I committed to finding them all PROPER homes?
Are my parents OK with this and willing to shuttle you to the pet store if you need something?
Are you willing to do daily water changes and feed the fry 3+ times a day?

Hope this doesn't come across as saying "DON'T do it!" but these are just things you need to take into consideration.


----------



## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

Alright thank you very much... I knew I had to research so I decided why not start here. Everyone on here knolotslot about fish, and I figured I would get excelent help .


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

We have several members who have bred their bettas and can tell you about their experiences.


----------



## rubyfire (Dec 10, 2009)

I've researched breeding bettas for 1 and a third years now and still havent got it totally right yet. (I got fry but they didnt make it for unknown reasons) 

1 Preparing Your Fish : 
Many people suggest feeding the selected male and female frozen or live foods 2 or 3 times a day for 2 weeks total or if you decide they are ready (female has big stomach and showing vertical bars / male is blowing bubble nests) You also need to seperate them from seeing eachother or any other betta. (this is so when you put them together they are more likely to readily accept one another)

2 The Set Up:
You will need either a 5 or 10 gal but since this will be you first time go with a 10. Some say to only fill the water 4 in and others will say all the way. (the lower the water the less the male has to work getting the eggs but then you will gradually have to refill it / the fuller it is the more the male has to work but you wont have to add so much water back in) You will need a heater that will keep the tank at 80-82 degrees and either an air stone or sponge filter for after the fry hatch. You also need lots of hiding places for the female to hide during corting time. And some use a hurricane glass globe while others float a cup in the tank for when introducing the female. You could use a cut in half styrofoam cup, bubble wrap, or if you wanna, get an almond leaf, for the male to build his bubblenest under but some just let the male build his nest werever he wants.

3 fry: 
I wouldnt try to controle how many fry you get,because how many you actually get to survive may be 1 out of 100 or all out of 100.(100 being an imaginary estimate of what you could get out of a spawn) But if you get too many that you think you cant handle you will have to cull them.
The red female is possible I would think. You may have to look around alot though to find her 

I hope that helps a little (or a lot lol) Just remember to have fun and never give up if you think you are really ready and really want to do this. (take me as an example, I havent given up yet ;D ) 
AND KEEP RESEARCHING UNTILL YOU THINK YOU KNOW IT ALL....THEN RESEACH SOME MORE!!


----------



## SweetnSpicy (Sep 3, 2009)

@ rubyfire - You got it to a T, in my personal opinion 

I currently have a spawn, that just turned 2 weeks old today, and are growing great! They are about the size of a 3 or 4 week old 

Also, I just wanted to add this, not trying to make it seem like you -can not- breed, but you need to ask yourself a few more questions...

*What do I hope to breed for? - ex. good finned red fish. I am striving to breed blue marbled HM's with good finnage, and nice bodies, and Copper HMPK without red wash, as another example.
*Are the fish I am going to breed mesh well together conformation wise? -It takes quite a few generations to get decent fish from fish that are not up to par..
*What do I plan on feeding them? - I have 3 cultures(Microworm, Bananaworm, Walterworm), that have gotten so big, I was thinking of making subcultures and selling some starters.

I had a few more, but I forgot them 
Doggyhog pretty much summed up most of the questions though.


----------



## rubyfire (Dec 10, 2009)

lol thanks  gotta do that research


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Here is a sticky about breeding. This is just a general guideline. . Everyone has different ways of doing things. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/breeding-betta-fish/breeding-bettas-30005/


----------



## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

Thanks that seemed to help a little.... i just have a couple more questions.... 1. how much does the average setup and breeding process cost??...... 2. where can i possibley find all the special food for the fry??


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

From Bettatalk.com

The breeding pair:
1)- One pair of younger bettas from a good breeder. Pick a strain easy to work with and not too expensive to start with. $20 to $30 for the bettas and $20 for Express mail shipping costs. Please do not try to save a few bucks by having your pair priority mailed. Priority mail is not guarantied to not go in the unpressurized cargo area of the planes. Many bettas shipped priority mail have EXPLODED while on the planes!!! Please don’t jeopardize your bettas lives and spend the extra $10 to get them there safely.

2)- Two one gallon glass jars to house each of your bettas. $15

3)- Water conditioners and additives as follow: Amquel ($9) Novaqua ($9) Aquarisol ($3) PH down—in most cases—($4) aquarium salt ($5)

4)- First aid must have medications: Maroxy ($3), Methylene Blue ($5), Tetracycline and a few other antibiotics ($5 each)

5)- Food to feed the little critters: freeze dried brine shrimp ($10), or frozen foods or live brown worms ($1 a portion—you will need many portions over the next months)

6)- Two fish nets ($2 each)

Subtotal = $130

The spawning tank:
1)- 10 gal or 5 gal spawning tank (same price $20 with cover and light)

2)- Mini penplax corner filter ($5)

3)- Small airpump to run the above filter ($10)

4)- Tubing and valve for above ($4)

5)- SUBMERSIBLE (and submersible only) heater 25W to 50W no more or you will cook you fish! ($15)

6)- One stirofoam cup (free… Woaw that’s a new concept!)

7)- One piece of scotch tape

8)- One chimney glass (from your local hardware store) ($4)

9)- One or two very thick bushy plastic plants ($6 each)

10)- a pack of small plant weights ($3)

11)- a mini tank cleaner (vacuum) ($7)

Subtotal = $74

The fry related purchases:
1)- One microworm cultureto be purchased about 3 weeks before attempting the spawning. ($10)

2)- Brine shrimp eggs ($6) extra valve and T connector to send some of your air pump’s air to the brine shrimp’s hatchery. ($1). Also a 1/2 gal jar with lid to hatch the shrimp in ($1.50)

3)- About 50 to 100 jars for the males to be jarred when they grow and start fighting ($1 each)

4)- preferably another larger tank (40 gal) to move them to when they grow, with cover, light, filter, plants and heater (used $100)

Subtotal = $171.00


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Oh, and I get my BBS eggs at my LFS, but most pet store do not have them. 

You can order them online, that seems to be the best place to get them.

You can feed Microworms, but I personally don't like them mostly because they stink!!!!! They also can cause a fry's ventral fins not to develop.


----------

