# im new and could use advice



## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

recently i discovered a 99cent store selling betas in about one inch cups and very very dirty water:evil:. i have now rescued 9. i personally own 6 males and one female. i have fall in love and now want to breed them. i would love any tips. i have little knowledge. i know the basics. any tips advice about breeding and in general about keeping the fry alive and my adults happy. BTW this website is the most amazing thing i have ever come across.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to FishForum. The best advice I can give you is to tell you to research and read as much as you can about breeding bettas. The breeding pair has to be conditioned first. Then you need a 10 or 20 gallon breeding tank. You need to know how to set it up,what to do when you actually put them together and what to feed the fry. Fry need live food. Then you'll need a LOT of jars to put each individual baby fish in once they're big enough, then you'll need to find homes for all of them. Hope this helps.


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

question how many fry do they generally produce. and what is this "conditioning" every one speaks of. i know about the bubble nest the females eggs how long till the eggs hatch, you know the basics. i have been reading ALOT im tying to collect all the info. here are some different questions do betas NEED the air bubbles?


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## IonBaller07 (Mar 29, 2009)

They can produce from 50-200 normally but can have MANY more if you really know what your doing. Conditioning is feeding them extra healthy protein filled foods for the two weeks up till breeding time. Foods such as brine shrimp(frozen or live) and bloodworms should be fed for those two weeks. Then you put a femalein a clear container in the a ten gallon or bigger tank with the male outside the clear container. Thats when the male shouldbuild thenest ifhe hasnt already. If he doesand the female gets her vertical stripes you can release her into the tank. They will then wrap soon and release the eggs, watch them though because they can still fight. The eggs should hatch in a day or two then the babies will feed on their egg sacs for 3-4 days. After than you need to feed them tiny live food which is one of the hardest parts. And are bubbles arent necessary because they breate air from the surface.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

They can lay from 100 to around 1000 eggs but not all of them will survive. Conditioning is feeding the breeding pair foods like live blackworms,frozen bloodworms or live brine shrimp for 2 weeks. The eggs hatch within 2-3 days. If you are talking about an airstone, no, they don't need one. They breathe air so they aren't as dependent on getting oxygen from the water.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Ionballer, you beat me this time! lol


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

fantastic information. the more the better. anyone know were i can get a good deal on the containers for when i need to seperate the fry?


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

also one of my males has built a huge bubble nest in his small tank way to small to breed in. is it possible to breed them in there then move the fry once they hatch? im guessing no, but just wondering.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

How big is the tank? Fry can't be moved until they are about 2-3 weeks old, I think.


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## IonBaller07 (Mar 29, 2009)

For tanks for containers for the fry I would check your local dollar store they might have little containers around a gallon or so. If not Aquabid has these AquaBid.com - Your Aquatic Auction Website They look kinda small, which they are its a quart, but if they use them I guess its ok.

And they fry must stay in the same tank for 2-3 weeks, they are too fragile too move and any changes in water chemistry could kill them. You could either move the betta into a bigger tank to let him build another, try to move the nest into the big tank, or try spawning them into the smaller tank. I remember dmhalfmoon on here said hes bred in a 2g tank so its possible but there is going to be MANY more fatalities especially if its your first time. I would just move him into a the bigger tank and try to move his nest in, even if most of it falls apart he might see some of the remaining bubbles and build on to it.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I think quart containers would be fine as temporary housing for babies as long as water changes are kept up with. Water quality is very important.


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

ok cool thanks soo much i think ill just move him. and try to move his nest. hes beautiful all white and my girl (omega red) her body is pearl with deep red fins. i think they'll make a great pair.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

They sound beautiful! Good luck.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Well, BREEDER RIGHT HERE!!! Ok so, for beginners I reccomend these items.

You'll need:

*spawning tank*
10-20 gallon tank
SUBMERSIBLE heater (25-50 watt)
Corner or sponge filter
gang valve
airline tubing 
airpump
plenty of plastic or live plants
styrofoam cup

*Breeding pair*
two, one gallon jars
frozen foods
methylene blue
two one quart jars (for introducing the pair)

*fry*
microworm or infusoria culture (to be prepared weeks before spawning)
baby brine shrimp eggs (for a hatchery idea use this link: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_brineshrimp_hatchery.php )
50-100 jars (at least 1 quart in size)
a larger tank (I use 30 gallons)


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

MrVampire181 said:


> Well, BREEDER RIGHT HERE!!! Ok so, for beginners I reccomend these items.
> 
> You'll need:
> 
> ...


 
Very good advice and list of supplies.


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

thank you soooo much. my pair is already intoduced they are in a divided tank, and he keeps flaring at her and she is trying sooooo hard to get to him.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Ilovemyshiny said:


> thank you soooo much. my pair is already intoduced they are in a divided tank, and he keeps flaring at her and she is trying sooooo hard to get to him.


 
My current spawn is like that (balck butterfly male and red canmbodian female). Except everytime she wants to get out and I release her she changes her mind


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

dramaqueen said:


> Very good advice and list of supplies.


 
Thanks


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

any help needed for the setup, spawning, or fry care?


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

i need as much help as i can get..and i realize i need to get a lot more together before i jump into this. however my jack(the main one i wanted to breed) went crazy building a nest today  ive learned so much off this website already i can see a huge change in my fishys happiness. and their colors are sooo intense now


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Well here is the info for knowing when they're ready and during spawning.

*Male:* If he's ready he'll build a nest. Between building a nest and flaring at the female he is easier to judge when he is ready.

*Female:* The female shouldn't flare back at him, but she should try to break through the glass to get to the male. If she is dark colored then she should show verticle bars and swim with her head down.

*Spawning:* If the male has a head start on the bubble nest you should release the female. Don't leave them unnatended for any amount of time during this period. But keep a distance since they like their privacy, lol.

He will bite and chase and pretty much drive her crazy, but it's betta love .

She will go hide from time to time (actually yesterday I had my female jump on to the corner filter and out of the water. lol.). He will go back to nest making and when he's done he'll go and look for her. Once he finds her he'll try to gently get her under the bubble nest. If she likes the nest she will start showin him she's ready. They will start nosing each others sides and then he will flip her upside down and squeeze the eggs out of her. This is known as 'the embrace'. Usually the first few embraces have no eggs but they soon start producing 1-50 eggs per embrace. They will do this for 2-10 hours. When she's out of eggs he figures he's done with her and chases her away (men, geeze we suck ). Remove the female and place her in a clean jar with one drop of methylene blue.

*Daddy Duties:* Now the male has control. He mouths the eggs and pushes them and catches any that fall. About 24 hours after spawning the eggs hatch and the fry's little tails hang down from the nest. About 36 hours of hanging in the nest the fry become free swimming. Remove the male and put him in a clean jar with 1 drop of methylene blue.


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## IonBaller07 (Mar 29, 2009)

MrVampire181 said:


> My current spawn is like that (balck butterfly male and red canmbodian female). Except everytime she wants to get out and I release her she changes her mind


Hah doesnt that seem to always be the story, when I was trying to spawn mine they did the same thing. When she was in her vase he would flare build his nest, flare in circles around her. She would try to get through the glass, head down. Soon as I released them they both go to seperate corners and sit there :roll:


Very good info though.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

crazy fish!!!!


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