# HMPK Marble Koi x HMPK Orange



## shannonpwns

I have finally added my pair to the spawning tank! Hopefully all goes well, as this is my first time. I believe the male is a virgin, but the female is not. 

All seems to be going good so far. Water temp is at 82F and has been steady at that temp for about a week. I have 4-5 strands of hornwort and a couple water lettuce and duckweed in there, as well as an IAL leaf and a styrofoam cup for the bubble nest. As of now, they have been in there for about thirty minutes and the male has already begun on his bubble nest.

He is constantly circling the female in the jar, and darting around the tank, and adding bubbles. He's flaring a lot, but she just seems like "meh, hurry up" and is just pacing her jar calmly.


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## MattsBettas

Looks great! I'm excited to see what you get .


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## shannonpwns

Me too! Hopefully I do this right! I've been researching and reading reading reading for the past two months non stop, so I think I can!

Here's the tank setup right now, about to add the plastic wrap lid after I post this to keep the air nice and humid.


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## MattsBettas

Lots of water changes and frequent feedings of live food (mostly bbs) and you'll be fine. :-D


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## logisticsguy

Your set up looks really good. I set mine up exactly the same way. Your pair is very nice too wish you the best.


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## shannonpwns

Thank you!


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## bambijarvis

Looks great, gorgeous pair. Good luck with the spawn. ^^


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## shannonpwns

Thanks! 

So, it seems like last night Achilles decided he didn't want his nest under the cup anymore....because there's an even bigger bubble nest NEXT to the cup...silly boy. :roll: 

There are bubbles up against the jar, but they are not connected to the bubbles against the glass, there's maybe a 1/4 inch gap. I'm worried that he'll connect them, and then when I go to release the female, it may mess up his nest. Should I move the jar over a little? Should i remove the styrofoam cup? Should I wait longer to release the female? I'm not really sure exactly how big the nest should be.


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## shannonpwns

Well he is definitely adding to the bubble nest under the cup now, so I'm not going to remove it for sure. Maybe he just couldn't see it at night and had bad aim? Haha.


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## shannonpwns

Working on his bubble nest(s). Jewel looks bored, she wants out!


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## shannonpwns

Still nothing...she's been released into the tank, and keeps destroying his bubble nest. Which I think is really pissing him off. Now his bubble nest is pitiful, it barely covers half of the styrofoam cup. The few times I've checked on him today, he's blowing bubbles, and goes and invites her to the nest, sometimes she follows him, but just ends up going back to her hiding spot. /sigh


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## LittleBettaFish

She may not be quite ready for spawning. Based on the video on the previous page she looks fairly disinterested in the male, unless her behaviour has drastically changed since the video was taken. 

Most of my females when they are ready to spawn after being kept separate from the male, are climbing the walls trying to get out. All their attention is focused on getting to the male. 

She might need a little longer in the jar just to get her really worked up.


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## shannonpwns

Okay my thoughts exactly, she seems uninterested. She was looking at the nest a lot, but then she'd jump up into it or hit it with her tail and take off. 

I just sat and watched them for about ten minutes and she's hiding under the IAL, hes working on the nest. About every 60 seconds, he stops and approaches her, wagging his body. She just ignored him about 5 times and continued to just hang out in the corner. Then he came and got her and she followed him to the nest, looked up into it and then swam away really fast and he chased her and was trying to bite her, this chase lasted about 7 seconds, then reset...he's back at the nest and she's back under the leaf, and he continues to lure her back over every 30-60 seconds. 

I got a 4 minute long boring video of it, but I missed the action sequence since my iPads memory is full so I had to stop..figures. Need to go delete my music so I can take videos of my fish lol.

Anyways, should I rejar her?


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## LittleBettaFish

I personally would. Sometimes I find it's counterproductive if the female is clearly not ready and the male continues to harass her and chase her around. 

Of all the spawnings I have witnessed between my bettas, when she is ready to spawn, the female becomes a lot more assertive and will hold her ground against the male while he is flaring and displaying. 

If she is giving way and being chased it says to me that she may need a little longer. 

Some people are happy to leave their splendens in together, but having read a lot of threads where fish have been seriously maimed or even killed due to a lack of supervision I would not be able to do it.


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## shannonpwns

That's definitely the last thing that I want. In the past two hours she has some tears on her fins, and yesterday she had some scales ripped off. Is it okay to feed them? I've read yes and no, so I just want to be sure what's best for them.


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## LittleBettaFish

Feeding them should be okay. I have fed pairs while they had taken a break during wrapping and they weren't disturbed by it at all. 

Just feed a small amount and if neither party is interested in eating, there's no harm done.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks, I fed them both and the female was hungry, so maybe this will give her what she needs to get in the mood lol. The male ate maybe 2 pellets, but he was more interested in circling her jar than food. Tonight ill give them a few blood worms for dinner if they're interested.


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## snowflake311

How long has it been?


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## LittleBettaFish

No worries. It's rare for a spawn to go like clockwork, and there is no one way of doing things. 

You have to sort of figure out what works for your fish and what you are comfortable with. 

Some of my fish are like gladiators when they are courting/spawning, while with others it is more of a slow and deliberate seduction.


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## shannonpwns

It has only been 24 hours. I re-jarred the female, ill try adding her again when she starts acting like the fierce female I know she is lol. I guess I released her too soon. She was VERY interested all day yesterday, and then she just...stopped caring. She has bred before, so I figured she'd be easy for him to mate with, since she knows what to do....but no...she's playing hard to get.


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## LittleBettaFish

Who knows what goes on in the heads of these fish. I had a male recently spawn, who worked on his bubblenest for days and days and got very angry when the female got in the film canister and wouldn't let him in there to work on it some more. 

I really couldn't see what improvements he had made to his nest but then again I am not a male betta.


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## snowflake311

I think putting her in a jar would be a sep backwards. 

You really do not need to keep the female in a jar and wait that's not what the Thai breeders do. They just condition the fish and then throw them in a blow. 

I now have tried both ways and I don't think I will go back to the keeping a female in a glass cup. 

It often takes longer then 24hr often for a new pair to spawn. 

Don't worry about the nest my males nest got messed up right before they spawned. It's how the fish are acting that matters. As long as there is a little nest it's ok.

If the female is not stressed I would leave them alone. They will get it. My male had to beat up my female first before they spawned. Just leave them alone. If they are not killing each other don't separate.


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## shannonpwns

Back and forth, back and forth lol. Now I feel like it will mess it up even MORE if I un-jar her lol. Ill post the video I took of what was happening once it uploads. It says its gonna take an hour...sheesh. 

So should I just unjar her now or leave her jarred for a day and try again tomorrow? These poor fish....lol.


Once the video is done...this will be the link.


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## snowflake311

If you really don't think it will happen take them both out and recondition them. Don't let them see another betta fish. Just keep the water extra clean and make sure they are well fed. 

I would just leave them don't mess with them I know it's hard. My female was getting her butt kicked and I thought maybe I should remove her. But I just let them work things out. With me leaving them alone they got to work. 

I say take them both out start over. Or just leave them alone. It can take up to 4 days for a first time pair to spawn.


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## shannonpwns

The video should be working now if anyone wants to see what was happening


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## snowflake311

I have only seen 3 different spawns of my own. i hope that the 2 I have going now will give me fry. But have seen other fish like different cichlids spawn too. 

Looks like things are going well honestly. Is the male beating the female up at all? I feel like the chase where the male very aggressively chasses the female is something that has to happen a few time before the female gets the hint. 

Just leave them alone it looks fine. She will give in soon enough.


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## shannonpwns

Okay I will release her again and leave them. After she ate the pellets, she's now acting more lively in the jar, swimming towards him at the glass, rather than just sitting there. 

She has a tear in her dorsal fin, and her anal fin is a tiny bit shredded at the back tip and there's a few of her scales on the bottom of the tank, but nothing serious at all.


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## snowflake311

All normal booboos my poor girl has some fryed fins more then just nips. My male was rough . She is doing fine acting like nothing happened. 

My female sat and hid a lot too. She would just sit and do nothing. Then the male would find her and remind her of the job at hand. When the female comes around I find she submits closes up her fins and looks small. The male then stops picking on her and she will do the head down.

She is not ready. It takes time .


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## shannonpwns

This may be a failed attempt. He doesn't even have a bubble nest anymore. Even though he's under the cup constantly still, and blows bubbles, but no nest. The female is invited to the nest constantly still, and she always follows him every time I've seen today, but there's no nest so she just wanders off.


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## snowflake311

Do you had a good cover on the tank? The bubble nest needs humidity. If you are openin and closing the top or don't have a top on at all the nest will pop pop pop till all the bubbles are gone. I saw this happen with my boys nest. So I don't touch the top at all. I live in a very dry climate. You being in so cal are also in a dry climate. Plastic wrap can work well for the top. 


It migh best to recondition them and try again another time. They now have a little bit of experiences .


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## shannonpwns

I'm using plastic wrap on the top, and I wasn't opening it too much I don't think. But it had been shut all night, and that's when all the bubbles disappeared. So I dunno, it's probably my fault though. The side I open is the opposite side of the nest area btw. 

I think I am going to recondition and try again in a few weeks. I can tell she's been fighting back now, because the male has some tears on his dorsal. Can I condition the male in the spawning tank, in hopes that he makes a nest under the cup, then I can add the female if he does? He ALWAYS had a nest in his tank every day, so I thought he'd do well, but I guess not.


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## shannonpwns

Well I removed them to separate tanks. The male is back in his tank and I'm going to go buy Jewel a new 2.5 gallon in a few mins. I don't like keeping her in a 1 gal, she's my special girl!


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## LittleBettaFish

Shame to hear your spawn wasn't a success. I had a male eat his eggs yesterday so can commiserate. Sometimes these fish just want to make you pull your hair out. 

Hopefully they will be more receptive next time around as they are a nice looking pair.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks, sorry to hear about your eggs! I think that would have been even MORE frustrating than them just not doing it altogether. 

I will try again in a few weeks. My mistake was probably not conditioning the female on her own, I left her in the sorority and fed them all the special diet. Unfortunately I don't have any mosquito larvae anymore. And don't really WANT to grow any again, it was a pain to keep up with for me. So they'll have to go without this time lol.


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## shannonpwns

Today is the day....I plan on adding them back to the spawning tank. I think I am going to skip the jar this time and just add them. Any suggestions/ advice?


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## shannonpwns

Here's my setup this time. Since I was releasing them together, I gave her a hide. And I have java moss now. They were released appx 10 mins ago. 
Wish me (them) luck!


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## shannonpwns

He already has a 2 inch x 1/2 inch bubble nest going! He is furiously working on it, and it's only been 30 mins at the most! I think it might happen this time! "Fingers crossed xx"


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## Ilikebutterflies

Fingers crossed! If it doesn't work out with that male I have a OHM yellow HMPK with black speckles you can have. Just cover the shipping. He's a great dad and a good breeder but my goal is clean yellow so it's time to re-home him. Little bit spoon headed but I don't see it on the fry.


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## shannonpwns

Oh wow he is beautiful! I like his little speckles! If you really want to rehome him, I would be happy to take him! My next step in my breeding goals with this female was to spawn her with a yellow male. I really want to compare the color outcome in the fry between her and orange and her and yellow. Since she really doesn't have any yellow on her at all.


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## Ilikebutterflies

Well, yellow and orange are both non-red so probably interchangeable. Not sure. I know i bred him to a very clean lemon yellow(like him) and I got about 60% lemon yellows and 40% classic cambodians. Some yellows are already showing black specs so I was kinda bummed. Oh well. My fry are growing out nicely. I still have 90 or so out of 120. I did have to cull out about 10 for severe humpbacks but the rest look good. Seems to be in line with other spawns I've had with other parents.
I'll pm ya with the shipping details whenever you decide you want him.

Here's some of the kids:


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## shannonpwns

His nest is looking good!


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## shannonpwns

I have butterflies in my stomach right now! I'm so excited! I went and checked on them at 8:30 PM (an hour ago) and I caught them attempting to embrace! I'm not going to be able to sleep now! 

It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen... The female slowly approached the nest, following the male. Once under, he immediately started waggling his body up against hers and she reciprocated and tilted her head down. He wrapped his body around her in a U shape as she went limp and he slowly circled his body around her and then he went limp and they drifted to the bottom of the tank together, wrapped in the embrace. And then the female just sat there at the bottom, looking flabbergasted like she just had her first kiss. It was beautiful! 

I've been peeking every now and then and have seen them do this 6 times now. But then he chases her off and she darts away. Is that normal? Or should they be embracing constantly? Is this just practice?


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## LittleBettaFish

Virgins can take _ages_ to get it right. So don't be too worried if it looks really awkward or they stun each other or they kind of look like they don't have the foggiest idea what they are doing. 

A lot of times they will break up after wrapping to display and occasionally chase. As long as the female remains submissive and returns to the nest to wrap it should be okay.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks, she definitely is coming back to the nest every few mins, but they don't wrap every time, sometimes she gets chased off. But she comes right back when he goes to get her.


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## LittleBettaFish

Yeah that sounds normal. Some of my pairs take hours and hours to spawn while others are very 'Wham, bam, thank you ma'am'. 

Good luck with your spawn. They are a ripper of a pair.


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## snowflake311

Mine did the same thing. Sounds like its going well.


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## shannonpwns

When I checked on them this morning, I was a little disheartened to see that, like last time, he has no nest after 24 hours! The cup is completely empty of bubbles. urgh!

So I left them, hoping he would rebuild his nest...

And an hour ago, I caught them doing this!!!

(Im really not sure why it looks so yellow....youtube had an option for auto color correct...maybe that was it. Odd..) 




 

And heres some pictures.











































Checking out their eggs. So cute!


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## bambijarvis

Congrats on the eggs.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks! Now I just hope they hatch!


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## Janan

What a fun clip to watch! Lots and lots of eggs! Can't wait to see them hatch.


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## shannonpwns

Looks like the eggs have little tails developing! They are wrapped around the eggs, and I can see the eggs moving!!! They're bouncing around! They're alive! Omg I am soooooooo happy!!


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## Janan

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!


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## tilli94

Yay!!!!!!! That's so exciting. Can't wait to see babies


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## shannonpwns

I'm so in love!!! I saw one swim! It fell out if the "nest" and swam straight back up! Omg it was so freaking cute! The ones that don't have their tails free yet, I can see them squirming around in their egg sack thingy. Its so cute! And they are 56376367356276 times smaller than I thought they'd be! 

I really don't know how I am going to do WCs without sucking these tiny specks up! Their heads are literally the size of a grain of sand!


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## snowflake311

You have fry! Good job.


They stay at the top so wc are easy as this stage. It's when they start swimming all other the place it's hard. I use a clean white bucket that way I can see the fry so they don't get dumped.


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## tilli94

:O that's so exciting!


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## Weaver

Ooo! Congratulations and oh my gosh the Dad looks really grumpy. Like wow. He looks like well, an over-protective Dad. Aww!


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## JayM

Awesome. :-D Job well done Daddy.


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## shannonpwns

Yes, I have fry! They finally spawned yesterday!

Yea I have two white 5 gal buckets for WCs. Should I be doing WCs already? I thought it was not until after they are free swimming and eating? I'll have to go read some stuff again, my mind is going blank from excitement!

And yea, dad totally gave me the stink eye hahah!


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## JayM

I didn't start until they were a few days old. Just do it carefully.


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## bambijarvis

Alot of people start with a half empty tank and add half gallon or so every day until full, then they do waterchanges.


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## snowflake311

I did a little tank cleaning as soon as dad was out. My tank looked dirty and I wanted the fry to have a fresh start.


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## shannonpwns

My tank looks dirty too, but it's all just debris from the plants shedding. I'm gonna test the ammonia in a min when I get done feeding my pond fish, and see if there's anything to worry about.


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## snowflake311

shannonpwns said:


> My tank looks dirty too, but it's all just debris from the plants shedding. I'm gonna test the ammonia in a min when I get done feeding my pond fish, and see if there's anything to worry about.


I had lots of snail poop in my tank that's why I did a wc and only like one gal water change . You don't have to do a wc till you start feeding .


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## shannonpwns

Some new pics:


















I guess they are 1 day old? When do you start counting their age....when the eggs are laid or when they begin to hatch or when they have full tails (like they do right now)?


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## MattsBettas

Usually their birthday is the day they hatch.


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## Weaver

Lookit all those little tails! What bunch of cuties!


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## JayM

Love the tails. :-D


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## shannonpwns

They are free swimming today! Just got home from the zoo to see all my little babies swimming around! They're only 2 days old.


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## shannonpwns

Night time baby shots! A lot of them are hanging out right above the MWs. Such good little babies! I don't think ill ever get sick of this!


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## bambijarvis

So many little ones.
I find myself kinda hoping you get an orange butterfly with the fathers intense orange color.


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## shannonpwns

Oh that'd be pretty! I live pretty close to LA, so...I wouldn't even have to ship to you! Lol


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## shannonpwns

They had their first feeding of BBS today! And they love it! I can't say this enough...I LOVE my fry!










I love this pic, the little fry on the right was staring at me like saying "thanks mommy!"


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## shannonpwns




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## snowflake311

You have so many babies good job.


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## Aluka

frys are sooooo cute!!


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## shannonpwns

There are quite a bit of fry, I have no idea how many! They're always hiding in the plants, I wish I could count them but it'd be impossible right now!


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## shannonpwns

There's a lot more fry than I thought there was...not sure where they all came from hahaha. And this isn't even all of them...these are just the ones crowded around the BBS right now! All the big white specks are fry, the tiny specks are BBS. And that's BBS on the ground too.


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## shannonpwns

Fry at 8 days old! Can't believe they're 8 already! 

Fat little tummies, ready for bed!


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## shannonpwns

Day 9- I added a nerite snail to the fry tank today. Hopefully it's a male so I don't end up with eggs all over the fry tank! Lol. 

The fry are getting so big! I'm noticing little pectoral fins on them now, and their caudal fins are definitely developing! They are the cutest things ever!

Today I have noticed two seemingly undeveloped fry...they look like they just hatched. They are on the bottom of the tank, near the BBS, trying to eat but can't quite catch any, and then they just lay back down. How they've survived 9 days like that, I don't know,...but I think they will need to be pts.


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## Chachi

Adorable babies!!


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## Weaver

So many babies! Congratulations! I cannot wait to see how their colors develop. <3


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## shannonpwns

So, I made my bf come over with his good camera last night, and he managed to get this pic for me!


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## snowflake311

Nice shot. That little fish looks good. Look at the tiny tail. Can't wait to see what colors your get.


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## shannonpwns

My fry are 3 weeks old today! I've ordered a double stand for two ten gallons, it should be here in a few days, and then my fry will be separated between the two. I want to get the smaller ones away from the bigger ones. There's one that looks like it just hatched, it's really stunted, so hopefully being separated from the big ones will allow that one and the other smaller ones a chance to develop and grow more.


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## shannonpwns

New pic today, you can see they are starting to get some color on their fins, some look whiter than others. Not sure if they will stay white, but theres a clear difference between some! At least in person there is.

They were all huddled in the corner together, eating.


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## shannonpwns

Oh and, they have ventrals coming in!


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## LittleBettaFish

Wow they are looking good Shannon. Can't wait to see what this group looks like when they mature.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks!
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I've noticed that they've been eating any unhatched BBS eggs that get in there by accident, I guess it's not hurting them, but starting tonight they're going to try instant BBS in a jar. Since they like foraging the bottom anyways, I think they'll take to it well. I just finished a full cleaning of their tank, and replaced their IAL, and am now watching them play as the tank fills back up. 

I swear, they love it when I add water! I have an adjuster on the airline and have it at a slow stream going in against the glass, and at least half of them are playing in the water stream.


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## snowflake311

Looks like they are all consistent in size ? That is nice. I have some. Huge fry and some runes. Mine are a month old.


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## shannonpwns

They are mostly all the same size, I have maybe a dozen who are noticeably smaller, and 4 or 5 that look like they just hatched.


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## fishgeek

so these are the babies who didn't have a bubble nest? there are so many! they are so cute!!


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## shannonpwns

Yup! If you look back on page 5/6, you can see the 'nest' lol.


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## shannonpwns




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## fishgeek

so cute!!! How old are they now?


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## shannonpwns

Thanks! They'll be a month old on Wednesday.


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## shannonpwns

Got their new tanks all set up today










And some happy fry after the move!


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## shannonpwns

Today I decided to crush up some nls grow pellets to a powder and offered a tiny bit to the fry, and most of them are gobbling it up! Wow, I thought it would be harder to get them to even look at something that is not alive. I'm still going to feed BBS and the occasional MW, but I will slowly incorporate the pellets into their diet. Since most of my fry range from 1/4-1/2 inch, I figured it would be okay to try them on some dry foods. 

Also, one of my fry was attacked by a mystery snail today! He was poking around on the snail, and the snail snapped his trap door shut and had the frys head inside his shell! Poor little guy, he was trapped for about 20 seconds.


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## dramaqueen

That snail needs to keep his trap shut. lol Poor little fishie! Your fry look great, Shannon.


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## shannonpwns

Thanks! They're getting more and more color, it's so neat to watch. Ive seen what looks like it's going to be all orange, there was one neat one that had a white body and black fins, some that I suspect may be cello because they have no color at all, some that look like Cambodian with red fins and some with orange, some have a different color dorsal than their other fins, some are the grayish color, some are looking all white with black spots on the fins, some that have a black outline to their fins, like their dad. So freaking cute. I wish they'd hurry up and color up all the way, I'm so impatient! Haha.


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## dramaqueen

How cool!! What a color combo! I hope you can post pics when they get big enough. I like the black and white ones.


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## shannonpwns

I went out and bought them frozen daphnia and frozen brine shrimp today. I just gave them some frozen daphnia and they absolutely LOVED it! They were so cute like puppies following the eye dropper around. I'm happy to almost being done hatching BBS, that's a hassle lol.

I've been slacking a tiny bit on my WCs while I've been sick, I skipped a WC twice (not in a row) in the past week. I've been coughing non stop to the point of throwing up and almost having asthma attacks, so it's been rough.

I'm going to do a thorough cleaning of the tanks today in a bit. Going to vac up all the crap on the bottom completely, and clean off the hornwort, some of it looks dirty, like it's caked in something. Also I got some painting sponge brushes to use just for the fry tanks, their glass needs a good scrub at the bottom. 

I'll get some new pics in the next few days, maybe tonight if I remember.


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## dramaqueen

You take care of yourself. I hope you feel better.


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## shannonpwns

I've been slowly working on getting them separated by size. The ones I thought were only 1/2 inch, are actually 3/4+ inches. Shows how good of an estimator I am haha. And the smaller ones that I thought were 1/4 inch, are actually 1/2 inch. That is not including the caudal fin. 

So the big guys are going in the top tank and anything 1/2 inch and under is going in the bottom tank. It's a slow process because they're hard to catch, I'm only catching the ones that come to the surface and make it easy on me and them. 

The top tank got fed this morning frozen brine shrimp and frozen daphnia for the smaller ones that I haven't caught yet. And the bottom tank got fed frozen daphnia. Both also got powdered nls grow that I crushed up. They've taken really well to it, I haven't noticed any that aren't eating it. They all swarm to the part of the tank that I'm eyedroppering the frozen food in.

I found a couple (3) dead/eaten tiny fry in the top tank, which shows that I definitely need to get the smaller ones moved out, because the big ones are picking on them. 

I gotta add some more plants into the top tank, I took most of the hornwort out because it looked fluffy and dirty.


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## shannonpwns

I don't know how to attach more than one pic from my iPad, it won't let me.. So I'll double post lol.


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## shannonpwns

These are some of the bigger babies (in both pics).


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## dramaqueen

They're cute!! I love baby fish.


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## shannonpwns

Yea they are cute! Thanks! Hopefully I get at least one marble out of these lol!


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## dramaqueen

Is marble what you're working towards?


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## shannonpwns

Yes, Marble kois, like my avatar.


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## dramaqueen

Cool! They're beautiful.


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## shannonpwns

7 weeks old now


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## shannonpwns

Can't attach two pics from my phone... So here's the second tank. 
They are between 1/2 and 1 inch now.


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## Shiverdam

Yayyy! They all look great! Are you seeing any definitive color change yet, aside from light and dark?


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## shannonpwns

Not really yet. In the second picture, the big red looking one on the right, I've seen that one go from a deep maroon to a light grey body within a matter of minutes, so I think hes practicing marbling haha. They are all pretty consistent with these colors so far, for weeks now. I'm hoping they start coloring up soon. Some have fins just like their mom with the white body so hopefully that's a sign that they will look like her! 

Haven't had any deaths either, aside from a couple who over ate right after I got them on frozen food and crushed nls pellets. They just didn't know when to stop...but I've solved that issue thanks to a suggestion from someone on Facebook. They are very interactive now too, anytime they see me they swarm in one spot together. They don't do that for anyone else, just me! Cause I feed them lol. I also haven't seen any deformities either thankfully. They're doing great!


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## Champion Betta

Good job! I might breed bettas later on..


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## SunshineSulie

I wanna see more pictures! They looks so cute!!!


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## dramaqueen

They're beautiful. They know that you're the food lady. lol


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## Champion Betta

You have so many babies!! They all look great


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## Paolo Osorio

If you have any females turn out jus like mommy I want one!


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## whatsupyall

Looks great Shannon! 
Keep up the good work.


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## Champion Betta

I call dibs on the marble one! Maybe I could get a female too? Hopefully you will have some left in December! If not, save me a pair.. I will be forever grateful! :blueyay:


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## shannonpwns

Paolo Osorio said:


> If you have any females turn out jus like mommy I want one!


I hope there is some too! Only time will tell!



whatsupyall said:


> Looks great Shannon!
> Keep up the good work.


Thanks! & Thank you so much for this girl, she is a great fish! I love her so much! Even though she killed another female in my sorority, she's still my favorite LOL. 



Champion Betta said:


> I call dibs on the marble one! Maybe I could get a female too? Hopefully you will have some left in December! If not, save me a pair.. I will be forever grateful! :blueyay:


 I will have plenty in December, they are all available still. 


----


I've noticed some of the "cello" looking ones, are turning out to have yellow fins! That's exciting! The yellow is very faint, so it's hard to capture in a picture, but they are definitely turning yellow! My favorite betta baby, who had spotted orange on its anal fin, and looked like it was wearing lipstick, now has solid orange fins and is starting to get orange spotting coming in on his/her face! It's really exciting to watch them change!

Some of the larger ones are showing iridescence as well.

I am doing 50% water changes mostly every day, sometimes I have skipped a day or two due to life. I siphon the poop up every other day though, I've been lazy about that for the past month. They are being fed a cube of frozen brine shrimp morning and night, and I also give them NLS grow for lunch and frozen daphnia is occasionally substituted for breakfast. I'm going to try them on some chopped frozen blood worms some time this week. I've considered feeding them beefheart, but have decided against it because of some things I have read about digestion and beefheart. 

Otherwise, they are doing great! I love them so much, and this has been such a great experience. Now I can only hope that I am able to package them properly when they are old enough to be shipped out to new homes.


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## sushiisaboss75

omg! i want to breed so bad but im only 12 years old. and its expensive. i guess i have to wait 10 yrs.


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## Champion Betta

You can try! I am going to attempt this spring! :redyay:


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## shannonpwns

It does get really expensive.


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## DatBetta

Post some pics! I want to breed too I'm only 14 haha. I want to see your favorite he/she sounds gorgeous. Also how do you upload on mobile I have a device and would like to know


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## whatsupyall

Lol, I was attempting to breed bettas at the age of 10 or so. Didn't succeed, but it was quite the excitement.


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## shannonpwns

The momma has started changing her markings around. I've been slowly watching it for the past month or so. Her dorsal fin, which was all orange when I got her, has a ton of black spots on it now. Same with her anal fin. She has more orange on her body too, it seems to be spreading from her dorsal fin down into her body. And she has a lot of black on her body now too. It'll be interesting to watch just how much she changes. 

She had an injury to her bottom lip after attacking and killing another female, but that's healed completely since she lives alone in a 2.5 now. 

Ill get some pics of the babies in a few. They're hard to capture since they go crazy when they see me cause they're pigs lol.


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## shannonpwns

http://imgur.com/xj0JFWW

The pic on the right, you can see two of the yellow ones, and the one in the very bottom right corner is my favorite baby, the one with the lipstick.


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## DatBetta

Awesome so adorable!


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## zackcrack00

If you can get a pair like Daddy, I will take them. Hiw much are you asking? ai live in Maryland.


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## shannonpwns

Im thinking $5-10 for females and $10-20 for males. Those aren't set in stone. I may ask a little more for any (if there are any) that are koi like the mamma, it'll be hard for me to part with those ones anyways, it's my favorite marking! But I'm only talking a few bucks more, nothing crazy. Bulk sales will be discounted. Shipping will be probably around $15, That will be for a flat rate medium box and heat packs if needed. 

I'm also really excited to breed two of these offspring, to see what they produce! Im so intrigued by the marble gene. 

I have seen some that are looking all orange also, its hard to tell in my pictures though, because they are taken from my iphone. I'm going to see if my boyfriend will be willing to take some pics with his good camera for me sometime this weekend, I don't know how to use that thing myself.


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## fishgeek

I love seeing the photos! you have some good looking babies so far!


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## Bettalover89139

hello, very beautiful babies!!


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## TruongLN

The parents are an amazing pair! I can't wait until they're colors really develop.


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## PetMania

I am actually interested in buying a breeding pair from you. The marble and the koi seem to produce beautiful babies. Great job!


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## shannonpwns

Thanks! They are gorgeous and I can't wait for their true colors to shine! 

I'm getting ready to move them all into a 20 gal long tank in the next few days. Just got it set back up earlier today. I'll post pics once they are all settled in! 

I've been having issues with the mystery snail in one of the fry tanks.... It has snapped its shell shut onto the head of two babies in the past three days, and then the other babies attacked the flailing baby to death both times! I'm going to remove the mystery snail from each tank tomorrow when I get them a tank set up. Snails can be dangerous I guess lol. 

Where are you at in Southern California, PetMania?


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## PetMania

I'll PM you ;-)


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## Seaman2012

If you ever want to ship to a different state I would love to buy a betta from your spawn!


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## shannonpwns

I will be willing to ship them once they are big enough. I've never shipped fish before, so hopefully I can do it right! 

I'm in the process of getting them all moved to their new tank. I've got 75% of the babies moved and pretty much all the plants. Gonna be a pain catching the last few babies, I'll have to lure them with food I think lol. Taking a break right now cause they're starting to stress me haha.


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## PetMania

Lol. You did a great job :-D


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## shannonpwns

Geez, the sponge filter sounds louder than it actually is. I can barely hear it in person. Must have a good mic on my phone hahaha.


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## TruongLN

They're too cute!!!


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## EvaJupiterSkies

Slightly OT, but what floating plant do you have in your tank in the video? I love the way it looks and am looking for floating plants to add to both my boys tanks, they need a little more stimulation.


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## PetMania

I'm not able to buy a breeding pair, but I will definetly have to buy a koi female.


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## shannonpwns

The fluffy looking stuff on the right is hornwort, and the other floater you can see in there on the left side is anacharis.


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## zackcrack00

How old now? Any solid daddy's orange colored males and/or females?


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## Mahsfish

subscribed


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## TruongLN

I wonder how much koi the babies will get.


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## shannonpwns

They are 3 months old now, and their colors still haven't developed very much more than they were when I last posted pics. There looks to definitely be some that are going to be orange, but it's hard to say at this point if they will stay solid, due to the marble gene. They are pigs though, I feed them 3-4 times a day now, two small meals for lunch of nls grow pellets. Every time the see me, they freak out and I can't help but give them a snack lol. Still not even sure if ANY of them will be kois, I'm really hoping so, but we will see in time!


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## TruongLN

Too cute! I love when my females do that, I like to sit them and watch and they come up to the top of the tank thinking I'm going to feed them.


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## Reagan

They sound like little darlings! I can not wait to see what they look like when their colour is developed.


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## shannonpwns

The cutest thing I have EVER seen is a tank full of baby Bettas sleeping together at night. It's so adorable!!!!!


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## shannonpwns

Took a couple pics tonight while doing a wc. They were all bunched in one spot cause they always think I'm gonna feed them lol


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## shannonpwns

And another...


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## dramaqueen

They look great!!


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## trilobite

They are so big now! Cant wait to see how they turn out!


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## TruongLN

What wonderful colours!


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## shannonpwns

I got some pics of some of them tonight, theyre a little blurry, my iphone doesn't take the best pics of moving fishies.

These ones are so neat! They don't look like they have any color, and they have ice blue eyes. They look like they may have iridescence on their fins, because right under the light you can see a light blue shine almost. They were REALLY hard to get pics of lol.

















Heres a good example of the different fin colors. Orange, Yellow and Red.









And some general shots of a few cute babies.


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## ynahanson

I wish I could get some from you.  so sad I'm in Canada. lol


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## TruongLN

Agreed! Wish I could get my hands on some of these beauties too.


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## iKuroni

What an interesting colour they became.


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## Ashthemutt

have you sold all the babies yet?


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## shannonpwns

No, they are still growing. They are growing sorta slow I think, well some of them are.


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## Ashthemutt

shannonpwns said:


> No, they are still growing. They are growing sorta slow I think, well some of them are.


ohh Have any pictures??  They are such a gorgeous spawn! I was showing them to everyone! lol :lol:


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## shannonpwns

These pics were about 2 weeks ago. 

http://imgur.com/a/bZCHv#0

I've since moved them around into new tanks. The reds are in the 20 gal and the all white ones, yellows and oranges are in a ten gal together. There's about 30 of those colors. And this week I will be working on moving the smaller ones into their own 10 gallon so they can start growing faster. I've already seen a big improvement in the ones I moved last week. 

I'll get some new pics in a few days. My sister is out visiting from Nebraska right now, so I haven't had time to get on the forum much or take pics and stuff.


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## carbonxxkidd

You have so many babies! This thread makes me want to try my hand at breeding bettas...don't have the space though. Subscribed, just because I want to see how they all turn out  Very handsome parents, too!


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## shannonpwns

Yeah I do have a LOT of babies. I haven't had to cull any for deformities...none have had missing ventrals or anything like that. I may be forced to sell some in bulk "as is" cause I really don't want to jar this many haha. 

But there still hasn't been really any aggression so far. There's a few nipped fins here and there, but nothing to worry me. I never even see any flaring....it's weird. They're four months old and get along great still. And I've heard of fry becoming extremely aggressive as young as 6 weeks! So I guess I've been lucky.


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## Ashthemutt

Ahh. I've heard of some makes being so friendly that they can be kept with their brothers and sisters. There's a picture of it on the forums ithink, maybe you have some special boys  I'm very interested in a koi or one with spits if they turn out that way


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## shannonpwns

I've been a tad bit disappointed with the coloring of the majority of my fry. There are a ton of dingy reds and Cambodians. Still waiting it out, and hoping they become interesting eventually lol. I'm intrigued to see what happens with the white ones though, because they seem to be the closest to their mamas base color, if they just start getting some other color on them.


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## TruongLN

If you breed your fry (when their able to of course) wouldn't they carry the genes to be more like the marble mom?


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## shannonpwns

Yes! That is my plan. My next spawn will be the one I'm looking forward to. Im not sure which out of my babies that I want to breed though. I was thinking maybe the white ones, just because I like them so much haha. One of the white ones has begun to show reddish orange markings popping up on its face. So we will see what happens....


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## Ashthemutt

Ohh Im excited! I would love to have a white one if none of them marble out. or one with some spots :3


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## TruongLN

shannonpwns said:


> Yes! That is my plan. My next spawn will be the one I'm looking forward to. Im not sure which out of my babies that I want to breed though. I was thinking maybe the white ones, just because I like them so much haha. One of the white ones has begun to show reddish orange markings popping up on its face. So we will see what happens....


That'll be awesome! I hope the marble up a lot, and your next spawn is even more marbled!
Would you breed siblings?


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## shannonpwns

http://imgur.com/a/TfOP3#0

Here's some pics of the whites (cellos I guess ?), yellows and oranges, and one random red Cambodian that my sister wants so I separated it too lol.

Yes I would breed siblings. Just not sure which ones yet. I need to study the genetics of marbles some more and ask around to find out which would be best to breed to get my desired outcome. 

There's a black and white baby in this album that I just posted, it's one of my faves too. It was one of the smaller ones, but now that it's been in the 10 gal, with less fish, it has definitely started growing now. That's why I wanna get the small ones moved to their own tank ASAP.


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## Ashthemutt

The first one defiantly looks like it's going to marble up or do something with black. Just let me know which babies your keeping and which ones you want to sell? Please!


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## TruongLN

shannonpwns said:


> http://imgur.com/a/TfOP3#0
> 
> Here's some pics of the whites (cellos I guess ?), yellows and oranges, and one random red Cambodian that my sister wants so I separated it too lol.
> 
> Yes I would breed siblings. Just not sure which ones yet. I need to study the genetics of marbles some more and ask around to find out which would be best to breed to get my desired outcome.
> 
> There's a black and white baby in this album that I just posted, it's one of my faves too. It was one of the smaller ones, but now that it's been in the 10 gal, with less fish, it has definitely started growing now. That's why I wanna get the small ones moved to their own tank ASAP.


Well they're looking really great! Im sure the next spawn will look magnificent as well.


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## snowflake311

Don't worry they will marble. Just when you think you found one that might not the next day its different That happen to me. They change almost overnight when they do start to change. I too was thinking I only have blue solids and greens then I got all different kinds and they are still changing. 

Someone bought one of my fish and that was a few days ago I have to ship they today and he already looks tottaly different from the photo I sold him as. SO I emailed the buyer telling him.


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## shannonpwns

That's what I'm hoping, either I have all females or mine are just behind in growth compared to yours. 

But, both of mines parents were not marble. The male was an orange pineapple. That's why it's making me nervous. I've got hundreds of fry that are "ugly" lol. I'm not a fan of red or Cambodian, that's why I use the term ugly when referring to them lol.


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## snowflake311

shannonpwns said:


> That's what I'm hoping, either I have all females or mine are just behind in growth compared to yours.
> 
> But, both of mines parents were not marble. The male was an orange pineapple. That's why it's making me nervous. I've got hundreds of fry that are "ugly" lol. I'm not a fan of red or Cambodian, that's why I use the term ugly when referring to them lol.


Oh well you will still get some marbles. 

As for sex I only have 6 males I still have some runts that are way behind I hope maybe I will have a male pop up later. But out of all the fish I can sex I only had 6 males it happens.


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## snowflake311

Oh and I am sure you have some males don't sell any unless you are sure. I posted this one as a female a week ago but a few days later I started to wonder. Then it sold and today is ship out day and I am not 90% sure its a male and a VERY Nice one. I am kind of pissed I wish I knew it was a boy because this is going to be one really nice fish. They guy I am selling to is going to breed and I am giving him a free female. 

Some times you will not see them turn into males till you have them in jars. I jar my favorite fish and watch them grow then sell when I can tell the sex. Because mine also all get along great in the big tank.


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## shannonpwns

I had such a euphoric moment tonight sexing some of my Bettas! I'm 90% positive that I have at least one male and female of the white babies. Some of the girls are full of eggs and it was so neat to see that! It's so cute! I can't wait to get some of them jarred.


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## shannonpwns

I've found my first Koi! This guy came out of nowhere! So I'm hoping more pop up. He is showing orange, black and white colors, just like his mom. And his big orange spot on his back is right where his moms was! This is the best pic I could get for now on my phone. His other side is more interesting color wise, but he wouldn't slow down and I gave up for now lol.


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## Ashthemutt

wow! Maybe the white ones will start to get koi markings?


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## shannonpwns

This one wasn't one of the white ones though! It was a Cambodian, and all of a sudden over night, it changed. But yeah, that's what I'm hoping for the white ones, we will see! One of the white ones has orange coming in on her face.

I got my flex watt in the mail today, thermostat should be here tomorrow, and then once I get the temp settings right, I can start jarring my babies and really see them develop. Then it will be time to sell them. I've never shipped fish before, so that'll be scary for me. O.O


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## TruongLN

Congratulations on the koi's! I know how you were worrying so I'm glad you're not at ease :3


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## snowflake311

shannonpwns said:


> This one wasn't one of the white ones though! It was a Cambodian, and all of a sudden over night, it changed. But yeah, that's what I'm hoping for the white ones, we will see! One of the white ones has orange coming in on her face.
> 
> I got my flex watt in the mail today, thermostat should be here tomorrow, and then once I get the temp settings right, I can start jarring my babies and really see them develop. Then it will be time to sell them. I've never shipped fish before, so that'll be scary for me. O.O


The scary part of shipping is winter! If fish are left on a cold truck and the temp get bellow freezing the heat packs do no good. You have to pray that someone cares enought to read labels and does not leave them in cold. 

This is the fun part you are going to start seeing lots of changing happen and over night it's fun.


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## shannonpwns

Weird thing....in the 20g tank I have found more all white ones, when I know I took them all out. So they are starting to change their colors on me! And the "koi" I posted a pic of a few days ago, is now all white...I know it's him because he has a little bite mark in his bottom fin, and he is whiter than the "white" (cello?) ones I had found before.


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## dramaqueen

A lot of good breeders won't ship in winter.


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## shannonpwns

Yeah, I don't plan on selling for another month or so, and especially not to northeast area. It's warm here though, unfortunately it's not like this everywhere lol.


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## Ashthemutt

aww poo Im right in the north east lol


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## Superach

Really exciting  Can't wait to have my first spawn! The koi bettas are beautiful, hope they change and you get a bunch! Let me know if you need to home any


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## PetMania

They are very beautiful, I would definetly be interested in a breeding pair


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## shannonpwns

Lol Ash, I just mean while it's still winter!


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## Ashthemutt

shannonpwns said:


> Lol Ash, I just mean while it's still winter!


haha I know, but it's still a while to wait


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## shannonpwns

So, I've got some fish jarred now. I think 25 males and 7 females. A few are small though and may turn out to be females. But I am 90% sure the 25 are males. 

I also gave 70 of my fish to my LFS. The all red ones pretty much. So that cleared up a lot of room in my tanks. Not including the jarred ones, I still have around 100+ more fish. They're hard to count when they all move.


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## PetMania

Congrats on so many bettas! I can't wait until they are ready for new homes  
Did you find another koi?


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## shannonpwns

There is one more that I had found in the big tank that turned white, when it used to be colored. A lot of them are somewhat marbling, but none are looking like kois, except that one that I posted a pic of, but he lost all his color now and is pure white except his lips are orange. So hopefully he colors back up again. These fish and all their colors are confusing me lol. 

For instance, what color are these ones? They are weird. They're a yellowish brownish puke color lmao. And there is also a splotchy black one that I found, that has red spots on its fins.


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## shannonpwns

This is that little koi that I found the other week.


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## PetMania

Hmm...what comes to mind first is pineapple or salamander coloring.


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## shannonpwns

This cello looking female is one of my favorites.


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## PetMania

She's really pretty!

You know, even though you may not see the mothers coloring this time, the genes may show up in the next few lines


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## shannonpwns

Yeah that's what I've heard, so next spawn is what I'm really looking forward to. Picking the pair will be the hard part. I'm leaning more towards the cello or white ones. If none have koi markings, cause that white body is what I need more of. Or maybe an orange marble x white (the koi that turned white). I dunno. These marbles have Confusing genes....


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## PetMania

From what I know of marbles and kois, the white ones are what you want to go for. They are more likely to marble, right?


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## shannonpwns

I'm pretty sure that's what I've read as well. They're so unpredictable though...it almost gives me a headache just thinking about how frustrating it is going to be trying to breed kois lol.


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## DBanana

shannonpwns said:


> So, I've got some fish jarred now. I think 25 males and 7 females. A few are small though and may turn out to be females. But I am 90% sure the 25 are males.
> 
> I also gave 70 of my fish to my LFS. The all red ones pretty much. So that cleared up a lot of room in my tanks. Not including the jarred ones, I still have around 100+ more fish. They're hard to count when they all move.


Can I ask what those jars are sitting on? I suspect heating pads? If so, OMG where do I pick them up. Lol.


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## shannonpwns

It's flex watt heat tape. It's amazing. I have the thermostat set to 85 on it and it keeps their water at 80F. You have to wire it yourself though, my bf happens to be an electrician, so I didn't have to worry about doing it wrong and starting an electrical fire lol.

I bought it from beanfarm.com. They have horrible customer service, but they have the cheapest prices I could find.


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## DBanana

shannonpwns said:


> It's flex watt heat tape. It's amazing. I have the thermostat set to 85 on it and it keeps their water at 80F. You have to wire it yourself though, my bf happens to be an electrician, so I didn't have to worry about doing it wrong and starting an electrical fire lol.
> 
> I bought it from beanfarm.com. They have horrible customer service, but they have the cheapest prices I could find.


You are a hero! This will make taking care of my (potential, impending, maybe) future fry much much easier. I send you internets of win!


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## shannonpwns

All of my jarred babies have been upgraded to 84oz jars now. So they have almost three times as much water. It's funny because now that I jarred some, there's some really interesting ones popping up in the grow out...figures haha

Here's one that used to be red


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## shannonpwns

And another. This one looks to be maybe getting black on it's back.


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## shannonpwns

And this is the one my niece is getting for her three year old. It's (90% sure it's male) eyes are amazing! A lot of them have this turquoise blue eye color.


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## TruongLN

They look GREAT! Loving the blue eyes, and a lot of them seem to be marbling up!


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## shannonpwns

Yeah some seem to maybe be marbling, but who knows, because any of the others that have looked to be marbling, ended up just going cello. Frustrating fish haha.


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## TruongLN

I once had a navy blue BF HM female and she lost all of her colours and turned cello/black koi! Hopefully they change and surprise you :3


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## shannonpwns

Heres some new pics of some females that I have in a separate tank now.


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## TruongLN

How old are they? Have you got any definite males?


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## shannonpwns

They are 5 months old. I have 32 "males" jarred for a few weeks now (minus the 13 I just jarred last night after putting the females into this tank) I haven't really looked at them to see if any of their fins have grown in. I was late jarring, and my fish are growing slow because I don't over feed or maybe I don't feed enough times a day. 

But now that I can definitely tell females due to their eggs, I am starting to pick out the girls and boys. It's hard for me since they are HMPK and this is my first spawn. Plus, I had to figure out how I wanted to heat the jars...and I went with flex watt. And now I've also gotten bigger containers so I can do less wcs on the jars by using someone's method I heard about from a Facebook group. 

I really need to clean the growout tank today, it's been two days...ugh. Getting tiresome.


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## Ashthemutt

Lol is it to much to ask for Pictures of the jarred ones? I would like a male or female  Im planning to make a sorority, and have males.. So either would be great


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## shannonpwns

I can work on getting some pics of them. But they aren't really looking like males yet...my babies are growing slow.


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## DBanana

You need to come take some pics for me. I can't get a decent shot to save my life.


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## shannonpwns

Neither can I...lol. I take all mine with my phone and it's annoying haha.


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## JDragon

I love the chocolate looking female. Very unique. I would love to get a few females for my sorority if I could.


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## FishWhisperer

Gasp! It's a chocolate betta! :-D


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## Ashthemutt

Are you selling these babies yet?


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## appleandpebble

awwwww Im very interested in you babies but im from Belgium  They all look amazing! even the 'weird yellow brawn puke' colored ones ;D !!
Let us know how they are doing!


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