# Breeding Questions



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Okay I think my Mom has finally decided to let me breed, I have 9 days left of school, and then summer when I will have all the time in the world to give to breeding. But, I still have alot of questions about the fry.

1. Do I need to feed the fry as soon as they hatch?

2. Do dried blood worms work for fry? (and do I need to cut them up)

3. How do you make sure every fry gets the food it needs?

4. Ive heard if you take tank water and put it into a jar, then put straw in and set in the sunlight, that it will develop microorganisms the fry can eat, is this true?

5. At what point do I remove the male?

6. How do you change the water with the fry in it?

7. How often should the fry be fed, and how much?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I know everthing before I try and breed.;-)


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I wouldn't feed dried foods to fry until they're 1.5-2months old. Its probably best to try to stay away from freeze dried foods as long as possible.

Changing water with fry in it is just like changing any other tank. Since you don't have gravel you don't need a gravel vac. Just dip the water out with a cup or bowl, making sure not to accidentally scoop out any fry. You'll want to avoid doing water changes while the fry are still really small. Having a sponge filter and cycling it prior to spawning would help.

Fry should be fed 2-3 times a day. Remove any uneaten food after feeding.


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

tumtum said:


> Okay I think my Mom has finally decided to let me breed, I have 9 days left of school, and then summer when I will have all the time in the world to give to breeding. But, I still have alot of questions about the fry.
> 
> 1.* Do I need to feed the fry as soon as they hatch?*
> Usually people feed them 2-3 days after they hatch, after their egg sack is used up.
> ...


Start at these websites:

bettatalk.com
bettysplendens.com


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Thanks and where could I find the shrimp? Also the first site talked about how you should never breed VTs, but that is exactly what I plan too do, as not only do I like VTs, but I am not planning on selling them, Im giving them away to family, friends, and keeping some for myself.


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Usually you have to order them online, but my LFS carries them. Just ask for brine shrimp eggs.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The only reason that many people do not like to breed VT is because there is such an abundance of them in pet stores. There is no category for VT in the IBC so its not like you can really show them. VT are asymmetrical fish so it is hard to make a standard for them. As long as you can provide good homes for all your fish and know that they will never end up in a vase or a pet store there is no reason not to breed VT. Just don't expect a lot of praise for "serious breeders" (in other words IBC affiliated breeders) because in show circles VT are considered "mutts".


IMO as long as you are responsible for your stock and where your fry are homed I see no problem breeding VT. I just hope you have that many friends and family that you would be able to home 50+ fish.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Ok, in the breeding tank should there be any gravel? and should the tank have plants or not?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

most people don't use gravel. The bare bottom helps the male to see fallen eggs and it helps you to keep the tank really clean.

Plants are a must, whether you use live or silk you should have lots of plants in the tank for the female to hide in during spawning and the fry to hide in while they're growing.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Thanks and would it be a good idea to put the plants in the corner opposite the bubble nest? Also does the depth of the water need to be changed in any way?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I think most breeders keep the water level at 6 inches.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Ok I got some freezedried bloodworms and started conditioning, do they need more then 1 worm a day? Also during the carride home from getting my female she had horizontal bars which i assume meant shes scared, beacue they went away once she was set up in her tank, but I read on a page that that meant they were too young/submissive to mate, is that true? Again sorry for all the questions!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Horizontal bars are called "stress stripes." Many females get them and even some males. They have nothing to do with the female's ability to breed. When the female is ready to mate you will see vertical bars on her which indicate she's ready to breed.

I would feed 2 blood worms per meal and I would also try some other foods such as brine shrimp or daphnia.. just to mix it up well.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Thanks, as recommended on betta talk, im going to get a microworm culture started sometime in the next few days to feed the fry. I think Ive got about everything I need besides a weaker filter.


----------



## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

tumtum said:


> Ok, in the breeding tank should there be any gravel? and should the tank have plants or not?


i would not use gravel and also (live plants are the best):-D:-D


----------



## kingbetta (May 14, 2010)

tumtum said:


> Thanks, as recommended on betta talk, im going to get a microworm culture started sometime in the next few days to feed the fry. *I think Ive got about everything I need besides a weaker filter*.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Sponge-Filter-D...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3357a21a05


also for fry food, i'm looking at giving this stuff a try...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ocean-Nutrition...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a054428ff


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Thanks! just ordered my culture of microworms off ebay, theyyl be here in 3-6 days. Does anyone else use microworms that could give me some tips?

and before i buy a filter, is a filter absolutely necessary?


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Ahhh! the male, Mario wont eat blood worms, only pellets! Is that going to be a problem since he wont be conditioned? Luckily I've been conditioning my other male Mickey as a backup and hes doing fine. Thing is Mario is red, and Mickey, the one in my avatar, is blue, while the female, Abigill is blue/turqoise, so if I breed Mickey, I wont get as much variety of colors, not to mention he is big compared to the Abigil ( Mario and her are closer in size), which is also a negative. So do i need to breed Mickey instead?


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

IME-it is just as important if not more to have the female conditioned, she has the eggs and you want them healthy and strong and this can also decrease the number of fallers.
I conditions my breeders with live foods, guppy fry, mosquito larva, white worms, daphnia, seed shrimp, chopped red worms and my homemade food.
I don't feed or like microworms due to the bacteria that they sometimes can cause and then in turn the fry can be missing pectoral fins.

It is good to try and have the breeders as close to the same size as you can
IME-I have had success with breeders of either sex being larger or smaller than the other
I don't use filtration in my spawning tank but I sometimes will use a small sponge filter in the fry tank, but I also have heavy planted tanks


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Thanks, Ill try Mario, but if he shows no interest, how long should I wait before i put Mickey in?


----------



## Zenandra (Nov 14, 2009)

It's not wise to condition with freezedried foods! Freezedried foods can cause severe constipation and bloating and should only be fed as a snack! Condition with thawed frozen bloodworms and/or brineshrimp!


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Zenandra said:


> It's not wise to condition with freezedried foods! Freezedried foods can cause severe constipation and bloating and should only be fed as a snack! Condition with thawed frozen bloodworms and/or brineshrimp!


Really??? it says for conditioning on the bottle


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Freezedried foods are fine as long as they are rehydrated before feeding to prevent digestive problems.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

As long as you rehydrate them is fine but I still would recommend feeding a high quality pellet and frozen and/or live foods. The problem with freeze dried foods is during the freeze drying process a lot of the nutritional value of the food is lost.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

By rehyrdating to do you mean letting the food soak in water before feeding them?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yes.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Does it matter how long?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'd say about 5 minutes.


----------



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Ok ok I'm bakc!! haha ok. Lemme see what I can do here:

*1. Do I need to feed the fry as soon as they hatch?
*No, they have their yolk sac and will be fine until free swimming,

*2. Do dried blood worms work for fry? (and do I need to cut them up)*
No, fry only eat live food, I prefer BBS.

*3. How do you make sure every fry gets the food it needs?*
Every fry will get a chance to eat BBS if given the chance so hatch enough.


*4. Ive heard if you take tank water and put it into a jar, then put straw in and set in the sunlight, that it will develop microorganisms the fry can eat, is this true?*
To be honest...just put live plants in the tank...it works a LOT better.
*5. At what point do I remove the male?*
When fry begin swimming away from the nest...you can remove him after hatching since the fry survive on the bottom.

*6. How do you change the water with the fry in it?*
After you remove the male get about 5 plastic party cups filled with clean treated water (the same composition as the frys water) and float them for about an hour then slowly pour the water out. Do this until the tank is full.

*7. How often should the fry be fed, and how much?*
I feed mine once a day and I usually put in enough for them to last up to 2 days. But feed everyday...also add some First Bites fry food to your live food...it really brings out coloring!!

Tips: Don't use salt but use Nutrafin Betta Max as an addition to induce spawning (it works!!!!!!!!!).


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yay! MrV is back!! lol


----------



## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

MrV!!!!! *worship*


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Microworms arrived today! Just got a few cultures started, and im all ready for Thursday! I thought the microworms would be kind of nasty, but I actually think there kind of cool, how they need almsot no care and they reproduce so fast, there kind of like pets on their own!or pets that i feed too my other pets......:shock: hmmmm............. maybe I shouldnt think of them as pets......


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

Will adult bettas eat microworms? sorry Im just eager to try them out.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have no idea if they'll eat them or not.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

I guess I could try it, but theres gravel in their tanks and Im afraid the microworms would get down there and start reproducing , which I dont want, or would they just drown after awhile?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have no idea. I wouldn't try it because if they didn't eat them it would just foul up your water and waste the food.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

My two new cultures arnt doing near as well as the original culture i recieved. There are a few worms crawling up but not near as many as the original. Any ideas why? I Made the mixture out of instant oatmeal, warm water, and I fed them yeast. ps: my little brothers betta Goofy was fouund dead this mornng, he was a orange veiltale and my brothers sad.


----------



## angelus2402004 (Jan 5, 2010)

In about 2 weeks your cultures will grow really fast.


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Give your cultures some time..

I had a few adults that liked microworms.. I don't have my worms anymore. Didn't like them and after a little more research I found out that they can contribute to ventral finless fry.... Not a good thing.


----------



## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

I thought you were supposed to throw them out when they started smelling foul, which is in 3 - 7 days, or so it says on the instructions


----------

