# Outdoor set up......FINALLY!!



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Just set up yesterday.....currently one 4 gallon spawning tub, one 16 gallon growout tub, one 22 gallon water holding tub (for water changes) and of course the jars. I will be moving my two 30 gallons and a 20 gallon long out there too within a couple of weeks.

Pics:


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## crowntail lover (Apr 25, 2009)

AWESOME x100!!!!


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## GienahClarette (Jan 28, 2011)

That looks fantastic!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

My mother would have a fit if I had jars all over our porch. lol


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## crowntail lover (Apr 25, 2009)

dramaqueen said:


> My mother would have a fit if I had jars all over our porch. lol


hahahahahahha!!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Good thing my mom has strep and I asked her when she was half asleep hehe.

The temps at night are down to just under 60F and about 90F during the day. My super red pair is gettin conditioned and will be my first outdoor spawn. I have to get my metallics outside too and then guppies.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

That;s cool.

Birds won't try and eat them?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Very nice and good luck......I have already had 5 spawns outside this year...but it gets warmer earlier in my area than yours...lol.....I just wish it would rain again....I need rain water....lol......and more mosquito larva.......lol.....

Good luck and keep us up-dated on your progress......


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

It needs to rain......I'm not gonna use rain water (worried about pollution) but I want some mosquitos.

As for birds...I doubt they'll see them...they're under the leaves of my maple tree....I'm more concerned about squirrels...but I'm putting up some mesh over them to keep em out. 

Oh and these guys are interesting at night...it was 53F last night and I was makin sure they were ok (4 am too...love my fish xD) and they are ACTIVE! I heard they stop moving at 60F but these guys haven't been this active for months. The males are building nests and my sick fish are getting better fast. Oh and did I mention how much EASIER it is to clean jars with a hose and a 20 gallon tub a fresh treated water? I'm gonna change their water 100% every other day. 

And I just set up a spawn....easier to....no worrying about adjusting them to breeding tank water...just dump their jars into the tub, clap the lid on top and walk away. I should have eggs by tomorrow  

And just to let you know the temps are fluctuating from over 90F down to just over 50F.


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## cajunamy (Apr 28, 2011)

so you have them under shade .. i wonder how they would fare w/o a porch/tree 100% of the time? both my decks get shade half of the day - the front in the early morning till about 3 and the back from 3 till night


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## PitGurl (Feb 22, 2011)

Your bettas do ok in those low temps? 

Do you have to have rainwater for mosquitos? Cuz I've had a 5 gallon bucket outside for a couple months and nothing. I've even tried moving it around the yard. I'm in the south so they should be everywhere!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Ok need help quick! It's gonna be 48F tonight...will they be ok? 

Anyway...nice big nest in the spawn tub...the female looks good and ready. And it's raining! Should spawn soon hopefully. I just hope the temps aren't too extreme.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Mine have not had any problems with short term low temp...not to say yours will not.....mine adapted slowly to these temp changes and I used deeper water in the 12-15+ inch range and usually start with over 80F before the slow temp drop and I had it drop in the mid 40'sF range without any problems with the adults/fry/eggs........to be on the safe side....you may want to bring them in...especially since you are getting rain and they haven't been outside for that long-the slow change in air temp that lowers the water temp is one thing- but the faster water temp change with the rain is another....and not to sound cruel.....but...... you might think about leaving a Betta outside to experiment and see how much they can tolerate but cover the container to limit the amount of cooler rain and remember rain is usually pretty soft with a much lower pH (unless its polluted) so you will also have hardness and pH changes with the rainwater...some don't tolerate this change well especially of it is too fast....I start mine in rain water outside so I can do a slow acclimation to it from my harder well water in the house......

Might be safer to bring them in......collect that rainwater and get them acclimated to it so later in the summer it won't be a problem for them.....


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Rain wasn't too bad. It wasn't really much of a rain at all. I think they'll be ok. I'll moniter them tonight to be sure. I have some young bettas and guppies in the growout tub that did fine last night.

I'm not sure about rain water...I live in the largest suburb of Denver so I don't know if my water will be polluted.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

So... you just allow it to get that cold at night without any supplemental heating?
(No judgment, just curious)


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Yup they did fine too. Even the guppy fry did great. Temps should be back to normal by tomorrow.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Why are there cups floating in larger containers?


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

That was just acclimation from indoors to outdoors. They live in the larger jars.


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## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

So cool! I can't wait to see the progress. =)


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Squirrel control: mothballs. They hate mothballs. Just keep the moth balls away for the tanks, because they are poison.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Actually no problems with squirrels (maybe because they're all dead squished on the roads all over town....yikes I mean seriously people do you just go out of your way to hit a squirrel??).

I just bought a yellow guppy trio yesterday that are living with a black female in a gallon jar for QT and until I can get them their own tank...everybody is doin good.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Mr. V,

Okay... I gotta ask...

I know in Thailand outdoor betta farms are 'how its done"... but the 
temperatures are warm and consistant.

It sounds as though you bettas are enduring 40F temperatures swings on a constant basis. So please explain to me... and I know this sounds terrible...
how your fish are not getting ill/dying from all the stress? :|


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Bettas are a lot tougher than they are given credit for.........as long as the Betta is healthy to start....in my outdoor setups the temps can be extreme-both high and low....when the temp changes are gradual the Betta will adjust....and even when I have sudden changes in temp like when it rains.....mine don't have any problems...adults, fry or eggs.....and I am sure MrV is finding this out as well with his outdoor setup....you still have to monitor and watch the fish that doesn't change.....


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy said:


> Mr. V,
> 
> Okay... I gotta ask...
> 
> ...


I double OFL, Temp swings are tolerable as long as it's fairly gradual. Bettas usually adjust by submerging deeper. It's long term low temp that usually kills them. And locally bred betta in such environment will be more adaptive compared to newly bought from different environment.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Thank you for the information. 

I had read somewhere that if betta fry are exposed to temperture changes, they are more tolerant of temperture changes in the future... and the opposite is true if they are kept at constant tempertures.

Now this is starting to make sense to me...

If you are breeding indoors, is it then adviseable to simulate temperture changes to make the fry hardier?


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I wouldn't say advisable because unnatural temp fluctuations may kill young fry. But you can try altering room temp or turning off the heater on 4 week olds. 

The only time I tampered with temp was to find out if it affected sex outcomes of fry. You see, it's believed that female bettas will produce less males as you spawn her more. Many local breeders only spawn one female 3 times before retiring her. And my experiments proved that high temp (29-30C) tends to produce more males. So now I would spawn my females as often as I need to - hoping to get 50% of each sex.


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## Dragonlady (Nov 29, 2010)

I wish you the best of luck with your outdoor setup. This is something I have never tried, and I hope it works out very well for you!  Please share the results of this after it is time to bring them back inside.


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## cajunamy (Apr 28, 2011)

MrV you are inspiring me to take mine outside. I've been looking into building an enclosure on my back deck, pretty much a closed in porch. Will cost me about $150 in supplies, which I don't think is too bad. I plan on having some tarps on the sides that I can roll up or down, so if there is rain I can pull them down if it gets too hard.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

They do fine and actually are doing better than I thought....I've actually noticed a growth spurt in the guppy fry. 

On a sad note a sudden bacterial infection killed my new guppies....it's good they weren't with anyone else. But everyone else is doin good =)


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yes, unfortunately some people do seem to go out of their way to hit squirrels, cats, dogs or whatever.


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