# Much awaited: Marble Spawn Log



## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

I have not bred since last year and I was itching to get a new one going with a great pair.

This pair was bred by Karen Mac Auley (martinsmommy).
Male won 2 shows this year and photo of the month on our forum. 
He's my only male and I plan to keep it that way :-D
Female is a spawn sister.

Pair was introduced yesterday and I came home 2 hours ago to find them embracing under the nest. My female was FULL of eggs it seems and there's a good amount of eggs in the nest.
They were very gentle with eachother and the female helped placing eggs in the nest. No nips or torns fins... which is always a plus in any spawn!

Here's a couple of videos:
http://youtu.be/gERmVc5vCRQ
http://youtu.be/mBbtV44l2Yg


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

Very pretty fish! I hope everything goes ok... I hope I can convince my parents to let me get another fish by the time that they are ready to go.


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## EvilVOG (Nov 23, 2011)

good luck! i can't wait to breed my own, but i have to wait till after new years cause i'll be out of town for a couple weeks.


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## nochoramet (Oct 2, 2009)

Wow, they are stunning!! Good luck! I can't wait to see how things go


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Gorgeous!!! Congrats on the spawn!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks every1. I just remembered last time I posted about a spawn here before the eggs hatced my male ate the eggs... hopefully it won't happen this time.


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Fingers crossed!


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

vilmarisv said:


> Thanks every1. I just remembered last time I posted about a spawn here before the eggs hatced my male ate the eggs... hopefully it won't happen this time.


Lol same thing happened to me! Hopefully he's being a good daddy  I'm sure you'll see stunning fry in no time!


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

Aw I just love your male so much  His sister is amazing too! Good luck <33


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your fish are just beautiful! Best of luck with your spawn. Can't wait to see pics of fry.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Subscribing ;-)


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> Subscribing ;-)


LOL!

Well, male has belly full of eggs but there's still a good amount in the nest. 
I expected this because the female released a surprising amount of eggs. He has spread out the nest and it's monitoring the eggs regularly. 
He's a little protective of his nest as you can see...


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Aww.. good daddy!! Is he out of her little marble female who had the same pinkish/red head? I LOVE her.


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

Haha. Maybe he thought he had a little too many kids. . Glad to hear everything is going good.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> Aww.. good daddy!! Is he out of her little marble female who had the same pinkish/red head? I LOVE her.



I would think so because of their coloring but I honestly don't know. I was so excited to get one of Karen's show fish, I never asked her. 
I do love that they both have more coloring in the body than the head and hope I get that pattern in a few of the fry.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Definitely going to follow this thread! Karen's fish are beautiful and I love the new pair that she's working on. (HMPK Marbles)

Anyway, from the videos and the pictures, they are amazing! I love the colors on the female. And the male's head is too cute. And that nest is pretty big as well. ("ittle Red Head") (carrot top) (cherry bomb) ...I can go on and on. It looks like this is going to be a fun spawn.


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## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

I just LOVE those two fish. c: I can't wait to see how the spawn turns out!!!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

We've got wigglers!!
Was able to get a picture but not a very good one. I don't want to disturb daddy too much with the camera because he doesnt like it.


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

AHH YAAAAAY!! <3 Congrats


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

holy cow... that's a whole lot of tails.. Congratulations.. Can't wait for more pictures 
Hope dad is doing well


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

I don't know what you're talking about, that's a great pic! Karen's fish are da bomb at breeding!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow I can't wait for them to get some fry of my own.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

WOW!!! So many tails! I'm very happy for you.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

As am I!

Do you have a video camera that can catch them?


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Oh wow! That's a lot of little ones. Best of luck with them.


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## Enbarr (Dec 7, 2011)

Those pictures are amazing! That pair is gorgeous! Hopefully you'll get some really neat babies out of them


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks everyone!
I had to remove some bad eggs this morning because fungus was growing on them. I had never dealt with fungus in a spawn tank but I think I did the right thing by removing the eggs. I was afraid it would hurt the fry because there were a few hanging from the bad eggs.
The dad and the kids seem to be doing ok. 
They are, what? 1.5 days old? Their egg sacks are almost gone and I can't wait until they are free-swimming. 
They are a quiet bunch and don't give daddy a lot of grief.
Uploaded a video for your entertainment but you really have to look to see the fry. 
http://youtu.be/0TocGoEzw3I


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

Bummer to hear that. Glad the rest are doing ok, though.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

That video is amazing! The fry all look great! I may have to come up and grab some when they get bigger!


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I had issue with fungus on the eggs once and someone told me (or I read it somewhere) to put like 1 drop per gallon of Maryoxy (sp?) in the tank to prevent fungus. I haven't had a problem since I started using it.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow your camera is pretty good! Love the male's colors and it looks like he is doing a great job. The fry seem to be very calm and sweet. I'd love to see this spawns colors and variations. Why do they keep you on a constant cliff hanger?!

Great job so far!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Never had issues with fungus but the male had a huge thick nest and there were a lot of eggs. Some of them weren't in the water so they never hatched and went bad. 
I removed the male this morning right before work and I was a little worried because I couldn't supervise him to make sure he was alright. 
He's doing great and enjoying his quiet time and hearty meals. 

Fry are all over the place and sooo cute. I haven't started them on BBS but will tomorrow or Wednesday. They are currently eating infusoria and microworms. 
I uploaded another video for you! Please ignore the TV in the background... was catching up with my Once Upon a Time episodes :-D
http://youtu.be/4F6Y9GfUG04

And here's a couple of pictures.


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

WOW awesome photos!! They're so dark, and they look...bigger than mine, LOL. How big are they?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

They are super small... pictures make them look bigger
Here's a couple of pictures using dime so you can get a good idea of their size.


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## EvilVOG (Nov 23, 2011)

going to be a long time to see how they turn out. can't wait.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I am sooooo jealous! I have bettas from the same spawn, and I haven't had much luck yet. I've been conditioning them again, and hope to try again either this weekend or next.
Great pictures by the way.


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

Wow they are so tiny! I LOVE Once Upon A Time. It is one of my faves.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thank you! 
I'm hoping this spawn survives... I've been quite nervous about their wellbeing for some reason. Maybe because it's been a while and I really want to raise this spawn... idk.
I'll do my best and see how things turn out... hopefully I'll have lots of beautiful fish in a few months.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I hope so as well! I can't wait for them either.

So how has the dad been doing?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks!
Dad's all good... I think he's really enjoying his return to normalcy.
So is the mom... she's eating up like crazy and getting fatter every day.
I'm going to keep them in a conditioning food/water schedule in case I end up having to repeat the spawn.

I was rushing this morning when I set up my brine shrimp hatchery and forgot to place it in the heated tank... duh! So my bbs aren't ready. If they aren't hatched tonight my poor fishies are going to have to eat worms and NLS again.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I'm glad he's doing well! I think when they are done breeding, they get a bit tired and sometimes rebound, but rarely get super stressed and lethargic!

I'm sure that the fry will be okay!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Kids had their first meal of BBS... didn't see anyone actually eating but it's very hard to see them when they are so small. Still their bellies look full so it makes me a happy keeper. 
Tomorrow will be their first water change... the bottom of the tank is driving me crazy but I just prepared the water yesterday and I want it to age for another day. 
Here's a few pictures... I was having a dumb moment and spent 20 minutes finding my settings.


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

So cute! I can't wait till they're a bit bigger and you can see super full orange tummies! I want a pic of that, but my camera is no where near good enough to capture it... So I stalk your thread for cute baby pics


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Me either! I'd never fed BBS at such a young age so I'm hoping they will all start eating them very soon and that it will greatly influece their growth.
I did see a few fry with super big orange bellies but they were at the very back of the tank and the camera wont focus on them... will definitely post once I can get a good one.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

The fry look great! Wish I could take such clear pictures. Jealous again...


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow cute fry! In the second picture, what is that cream colored "thing" (for lack of a better word) on the right? Is that the BBS? If you have a camera that can get BBS like that then WOW. I can almost bow down to you lol.

Okay, to be serious, fry look so funny, even when that tiny, their eye's are just so blank.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thank you! I'm so smitten by them :tongue:

Yes, those little light orange creatures on the last 2 pics are BBS, it's amazing that such small fry will eat something so big, right?

Takes great patience to take the pictures... my camera doesn't always focus where I want it. Today's pictures aren't too great because of that.

They are eating the BBS!!! They have big orange bellies now and it makes me very happy! :greenyay:


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

Amazing, ive never fed live brine shrimp. I've used frozen and decap bse though.

they're so cute and tiny. >< Wish i had a camera so i could i take pictures of my babies when i have them, i always miss them when they grow and get rehomed.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Today I was going to syphon the bottom of the tank and change the water... well I got too nervous about sucking them up with the air tubbing because they are so small they are very hard to see. 
Soooo I just adding 2.5 galons of clean water to their tank.
Of course, took more pictures LOL... I just love watching them.


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

The pics are awesome! I love watching the fry too lol. I actually got some decent shots of BBS belly today too  I gotta move them to my computer first... Your fry seem to be growing faster than mine! Great job surrogate momma, they're so healthy!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

YAY! That makes me so happy to see fry with huge orange bellies! That is the #1 reason why I hold my life in the hands of BBS. A little exaggeration there...

Though that really is pretty weird to think that their little mouths can hold a creature fairly medium sized compared to them. But what else are they gonna eat besides Infusoria?


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

They are getting so big!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

They are wonderful! Since I have a spawn mate of your male, I'm extra excited to see your fry grow.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

*Pic Spam Update*

Fry are doing very well... wish they will hurry up and grow :lol:
They took the water change very well and are hanging out at the surface of the water... first time I see this in a spawn of mine but maybe it's because of the type of food I'm feeding. 
Here's the daily pic spam...


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Aww they look so great! I hear ya on the hurry up and grow thing!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

When raising fry, IMO the best part is when their dorsal fin grows because if you notice, the females usually make it "curl" sideways like the old fashioned ships do when sailing. It almost looks like their dorsal is a flickering candle fire.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

A little late but here are their daily pics...


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow Look at those adorable bellies! Is that a little shine I see?


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your fry are doing great! Little orange bbs bellies.


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## mernincrazy8525 (Feb 28, 2011)

they are so cute with their orange tummies!!!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

THANKS!

Unfortunately, the weaker fry are starting to die off. Most of them stay at the surface so I think they have just not figured out where to find the food yet. I'm keeping the lights on at all times so the mayority of the bbs stay in the surface but I'm not sure if they will survive at this point. 

There's some very strong and larger fry who have their bellies full at all times so I'm hoping more join that group. If too many die off, I'll try to spawn the parents again and if I get another succesful spawn, cull the first... hopefully it will not come down to that.

It's getting harder to take pictures because they are becoming more active. I'm also starting to see color on them, some are getting an amber color while most still are that clear fry color. 
Here's today'd pics!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I really hope you don't have to cull this spawn. Some fry just never make it no matter what you do. Sending healthy thoughts to the fry.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

What are your guesses for color variation in this spawn?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

@tpocicat: We'll see. I just got vacation approval for the last week of January and will be leaving the fish unattended for 9 days. Last time I left fry that young by themselves it really didn't go that well. They were alive but their growth was affected. 

@bettalover2033: The pair come from a strong true HM line and the male is a marble class winner so I'm hoping for a few true HMs. As for color, they will mostly marbles but I'm hoping to get some butterflies and that some of the fry have different color in the head like the parents. I would love some of the fry to carry that royal blue my male has but we'll see... I mainly care about form and finnage. My male has a short anal fin and strong edges which I love, my biggest pet peeve in HMs is a long anal fin.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

vilmarisv said:


> @bettalover2033: The pair come from a strong true HM line and the male is a marble class winner so I'm hoping for a few true HMs. As for color, they will mostly marbles but I'm hoping to get some butterflies and that some of the fry have different color in the head like the parents. I would love some of the fry to carry that royal blue my male has but we'll see... I mainly care about form and finnage. My male has a short anal fin and strong edges which I love, my biggest pet peeve in HMs is a long anal fin.


That's what I would have guessed! I think the best part of the HM features are the caudals and mostly the dorsal.

The color on their heads will be a bit interesting to find out which colors and if they will have a different color from their body.

I think the most important part is the finnage as well, then start to worry about the colors! Those are signs of a good breeder.

My HM dragons have long caudals. this is the cull:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6540045581/

And he is a cull because he has an extremely long anal...


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks!
I believe in starting out with the best pair you can get your hands on.

I love the color on your bettas. They are a good pair since you're going for their dragon gene. You can work on shortening fins in the next generations. Their tail fins are really strong with smooth edges. 

I love the red heads on my pair. 
I FINALLY was able to get a good picture of my female. She's got really straight edges, which I love and she's not flaring in this picture!
My Male doesn't like the camera so he got all grouchy as soon as I approached his tank... I left him alone. 

Also, took picture of one of my largest fry. Not the clearest of pictures but they tend to hang out at the back and it's hard get a good picture.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

vilmarisv said:


> Thanks!
> I believe in starting out with the best pair you can get your hands on.
> 
> I love the color on your bettas. They are a good pair since you're going for their dragon gene. You can work on shortening fins in the next generations. Their tail fins are really strong with smooth edges.
> ...


That's the way to go when breeding! First few tries don't always have to be a quality pair unless you have the money. Though more into the hobby you should get a quality pair and try helping more with genetic, finnage, ect.

Would you happen to know how I could go about shortening their anal's and caudal's into HMPK's down the line? How strong will the genes have to be?

Wow she's a beauty! I love her "red head" as well! That will be a good "signature" as many breeders have.

Also I agree that my fish do have fairly smooth edges. I'd like to keep that in there and shorten their fins into as close as possible to HMPK's later, but I'd also like to keep some halfmoon strains a while before I switch...


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

You can tell just looking at the female it's a martinsmommy betta.xD I saw her and was like" That looks like one of mertinsmommy's" then looked at the first post and was right, xD
I hope you get a male with the mom's colors. <3


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Bambi said:


> You can tell just looking at the female it's a martinsmommy betta.xD


They all seem to be cut from the same mold, don't they? :-D

Fry are 10 days old today and I have about 40 very strong kids. There's a few more smaller ones but this is definitely a very small spawn 
If everything goes well, I will grow these out and repeat the spawn in February.

Here's today's pictures... (last one is of my smaller fry)


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

They're looking really good 

IME you'll get a good deal of HM, especially with the males. I think out of the 6 or 7 males I had in my small multicolor spawn all of them ended up going full HM.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

The pictures look great! The first one has such a big stomach.

Good Job!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your fry are looking great! Can't wait to see the color come in, should be quite an assortment.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Can't wait either... too bad staring at them wont make them grow faster LOL
Kids are doing good... there's still a few of the smaller fry alive. I'm sure it wont be long before they are eaten by the bigger fry. 
Dorsals are staring to be visible.
Here's today's pictures @ 11 days old


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

Glad to hear they are doing well.


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## watergale (Dec 19, 2011)

i am subscribing!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Hehe! Thanks guys! 
It's so hard to take their picture... they like to hang out in the back on the tank where the heater is although the temperature in the front of the tank is also just perfect for them.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I know how you feel! I wished mine would develop their color already when they were about 3-4 weeks old lol. Though I enjoy watching them grow and seeing the growth.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Day 12


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I love their eyes!

@Vilmarisv: Can you visit my breeding thread...It's called DarkMoon17's Halfmoon Dragon Spawn. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think it was you who told me that it was possible to shorten my fry's fins in a few generations, I was wondering if you could tell me how on there?


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your fry are doing great! Sure wish I could get a spawn going.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

16 days old today!
They are so big! Only lost 1 fry in the last week, there are 40-50 fry in the tank. They are hard to count.


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

Awwww!! <33


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

They are pretty big (from what I can guess in the pictures) I do see they're developing their anal and dorsal's very well!

Are they darting around making it hard to count?


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

They look great! Can't wait to see what they look like when the colors start to show. Have you told Martinsimommy about the spawn?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

tpocicat said:


> They look great! Can't wait to see what they look like when the colors start to show. Have you told Martinsimommy about the spawn?


Thanks! Can't wait either. Spent about 30 minutes yesterday looking for colors on them... all that shows right now is who's going to be darker and who lighter but no specific colors. I did see one fry with a white line on it's caudal.
I posted pictures on the IBC's FB page for Karen to see and asked her if her lines showed white so early... apparently yes!




bettalover2033 said:


> They are pretty big (from what I can guess in the pictures) I do see they're developing their anal and dorsal's very well!
> 
> Are they darting around making it hard to count?


They are! I'm so happy with their development so far... BBS is the best food ever! Unfortunately, I got a bad batch of BBS that never hatched because I placed them in a warm tank so they have been on microworms for the last 3 days... they are not complaining but I'm concern the worms aren't as nutritious as bbs. 
They move too much. I start counting on one side and my the time i get to the other half of the fry have moved making it hard to keep track of who I counted LOL! ;-)


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Someone on YouTube requested a video update so I'll it share it with you all as well:
http://youtu.be/qHG3r3oiTKo


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## asianleful (Dec 27, 2011)

I was that someone haha, they're looking very nice! This is my first time here so I just wanted to know, who is Karen?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Hi! 
Karen is IBC's VP and an awesome breeder.
This is her page http://quicksilverchihuahuas.webs.com/mybettasplendens.htm?referer=AffiliateNetwork


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## GreenTea (Jan 31, 2011)

wow they are huge, and your camera is insane! cant wait for more updates  congrats


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

That big at just over two weeks old?

They're adorable.


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## goldentryst (Dec 13, 2011)

Sooo beautiful! It was amazing to go through this diary and see how much your little fry have grown in so short a time.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I love the video. I also love the white spots! 
When my fry disappeared, I let Karen know, so I'm glad you were able to give her good news. My male from Karen isn't doing very well, I'm trying to save him, but right now it doesn't look good  Maybe I'll be able to buy a male from you or another from Karen to breed with the females I got from her.
Great camera work by the way, wish I could do that.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks! It took me a while to learn the right settings on my camera but still its hard to get good pics sometimes. 
I'm sure Karen will be selling fish soon, I know she has at least one HM spawn almost ready.

The fry have a lot of white! There are a few that have solid white dorsals and specs of white on the caudals... very cute!

Here are my pictures for the day.


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

OMFG. My month old fries don't even look that awesome...lmao. FML. Amazing shots though!  In that video, I like the yellow one on the left at about 44 seconds


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Vilmarisv, Thanks for the info about Karen's fry, I will contact her when I'm ready to buy a new one. My male from her got real bad fin rot, I tried really hard to heal him, but he passed away last night. :'(

Your fry look nice and healthy.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

They are much more active now... it's requiring more and more patience to get pictures of them.

I thought it would be fun to post a picture of a fry now next to a dime.
The first picture is of them @ 3 days old... second is one taken today @ 19 days of age. Excuse the bad picture but the kids don't want to get close to the from of the tank.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

vilmarisv said:


> Thanks! Can't wait either. Spent about 30 minutes yesterday looking for colors on them... all that shows right now is who's going to be darker and who lighter but no specific colors. I did see one fry with a white line on it's caudal.
> I posted pictures on the IBC's FB page for Karen to see and asked her if her lines showed white so early... apparently yes!
> 
> 
> ...


Well BBS for me works wonders. I've never tried Microworms and am looking to do so in the near future.

It does get a bit challenging to count them all especially when there are tons of them darting around. They sound like they are really coming along great!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your babies are doing great! Love your pics.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

The pictures are so cute! The last picture looks like a "face off."


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

They are getting so big and pretty!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Kids turned 3 weeks yesterday! :-D


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

You take amazing photo's - you could see them begin coloring up.

I love those fat bellies - sign of healthy fry.... congrats.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Agreed! I love to see pictures of all the fry in different places. I honestly don't know why, but I find myself counting them sometimes. Just a weird habit.

The photos you take do show a lot. You could even create a Fry Raising "Timeline" to show how they might look and their size on average.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks guys!
I'm very happy with their progress... too bad I will be leaving them for a week at the end of January and it will stunt their growth. 
For now, I'm doing as much as I can to make them grow fast to minimize the impact of that week on their growth... we'll see how it goes.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Well lets get them going and Strong equals happy and healthy fry!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Your fry are doing very well. The pics are amazing. I'm looking foreward to more when you get back.


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## hummingbird (Dec 30, 2011)

Why do the fry have such fat bellies? Is that a sign of unhealthiness or disease?
I am thinking of breeding as well but am not sure ow to get the female and male to mate.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

The fry are eating very well. That is why.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

hummingbird said:


> Why do the fry have such fat bellies? Is that a sign of unhealthiness or disease?
> I am thinking of breeding as well but am not sure ow to get the female and male to mate.


You want the fry to have fat bellies. It means they are eating well and will grow fast. 
For "how to breed" info, read the Breeding sections http://bettysplendens.com and http://bettasrus.net


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## hummingbird (Dec 30, 2011)

oh i see. . They look kinda funny to me! 
I havenever actually seen fry in real life before. Appproximatly how big are thay when they 1st hatch?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

What have you been feeding them? Just live BBS? I was just going to do frozen bbs and decaps for my new kids but if live is working that well for you I may have to stop being lazy and hatch brine shrimp instead. I have eggs.. I just hate all the fuss LOL


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

I've been feeding live bbs and using microworms as "back up" food. 
I thought decaps were only good for a few days after opening the container... never gotten them because of that. Depending on where the fry are at the end of the month, I might have to get some decaps. I have a friend who offered to come feed them a couple of days that week so I need an easy food for her to feed them. If they are big enough, then I have NLS Grow ready for them.


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

vilmarisv: Those are the instant ones in that come in the little can. you can buy dry ones and as long as you keep them sealed and dry they're good for a while. once you rehydrate them they're only good for a couple days(which is whats in the jar decap eggs + water).


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I wanted more worm cultures.. couldn't afford it and my moss. So I'll probably try to stick to live bbs and frozen bbs. CajunAmy will be sending me some golden pearls in a couple weeks but until then I need to get my lazy butt to start hatching brine.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> I wanted more worm cultures.. couldn't afford it and my moss. So I'll probably try to stick to live bbs and frozen bbs. CajunAmy will be sending me some golden pearls in a couple weeks but until then I need to get my lazy butt to start hatching brine.


I thought it was a must for some kind of live food or the fry wont survive very long? At least that's what I've read and heard.

I didn't know you can feed them frozen BBS. Or do you mean when they are a little older?

I had a pound of frozen bbs and used it for conditioning/older fry food. My mom thought is was a kind of meat that went bad and threw it out a few months ago. I was furious, but I had to think a minute (she is my mother and I better watch out). It was a sad waste.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

*Forhead slap* I'm as dumb as a doorknob!
With all this talk about frozen vs live food, I realized I can freeze my own bbs... DUH!
I was thinking the other day I should get some bbs but I know Petco and Petsmart don't carry it in my area. 
Probably 1/2 of the bbs I hatch end up wasted after 2 days because my fish won't eat that many before they die off.
Just harvested a hole pint (water included) of them today so I'll be freezing half!


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I haven't tried freezing mine. Let me know how it goes.

@bl2033... you can feed non-live foods..but it's not ideal because newborn fry especially feed instinctually. It's like when a baby is born and immedially has a suckling reflex if you stroke it's cheek it'll turn its head.. the same logic applies to bettas.. they see something moving and will instinctively grab it and eat it or spit it out if it doesn't taste good.

Non-live foods dont move, so some fry never eat and end up starving to death.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> @bl2033... you can feed non-live foods..but it's not ideal because newborn fry especially feed instinctually. It's like when a baby is born and immedially has a suckling reflex if you stroke it's cheek it'll turn its head.. the same logic applies to bettas.. they see something moving and will instinctively grab it and eat it or spit it out if it doesn't taste good.
> 
> Non-live foods dont move, so some fry never eat and end up starving to death.


Ah I see. Very well explained and perfect analogy.

It would be interesting to experiment with a "control" fry (using the frozen) vs. the regularly fed (using live food). Of course the live food fed fry will grow great, but I would like to try the frozen bbs, ect. and see how they develop and other observations.


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Here's today's pics... they look so different from the weekend (in my eyes) I had to take pictures to share!


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

Holy Moly!!! Look at those cute FATTY FAT bellies  LOVE IT!! They are SO cute vil!! How old are they now?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks! I love seeing their fat bellies... makes me a happy betta mommy!
They are 3.5 weeks!


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

hehe.. yep yep.. They do look mighty cute with the fat bellies  Oh you are a good mummy vil 
wow. theyre growing up so fast


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

They are developing very nicely. I dont know if ive already said this, but ill say it again...with all those photos you take you could put togethera fry raising scrap book. I mean not for every breeding but this one is so nice especially with all the pictures that have cute fry with bbs tummies. It would be really nice and your pictures are fantastic. Petfect for such a book


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

OMG lookit those bellies hahahaha so adorable!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I love the blue shiny look!


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## Rex and Flower (Jan 3, 2012)

Wow they GROW quickly there only three and a half weeks. It's amazing well good luck with your fry!!!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

About how big are they?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

They are at 1cm head to tail now, some a little smaller and others a little bigger.

They are starting to get their ventrals!!!!!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I this is the cutest part! Especially for fry.


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## Myrtaceae (Dec 17, 2011)

I just finished reading through the thread and was actually quite upset now that I've realized I've caught up to you. I want to see them all grown up, but, you know, _now_. Patience is a virtue I suppose. They're beautiful! 

How are the parents doing? Do you still plan to spawn them again?


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

The parents are doing beautifully and I will be repeating the spawn in about a month because...

I came home today to find most of my fry dead. I have not been doing anything different with the water or the food. 
The fry were at the stage where they start breathing from the surface and I had filled the tank to the top a couple of days ago... guess is was a bad idea. I think they didn't figure it out and drowned. They had been doing great before and it's the first time I lose a spawn. 
I have a handful of fry that are still swimming but I will cull them when I empty out the tank. 

Thanks everyone for following and sharing this past month with my fry... will look forward to actually raising a spawn while you watch. 

Oh! And I will be visiting my mother in Puerto Rico (where I grew up) and I already told her to locate an AIL tree for me so I can go and collect leaves! I'm running out so I was going to order but free leaves are better! Depending on how many I can get a hold of, I will share ;-) They have to be dry for me to collect and it's been raining there a lot so we'll have to see. 

Moderators: Guess we can close this thread :dunno:


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## BeautifulBetta (Nov 12, 2011)

Aww thats so sad  So sorry to hear that big of a loss...


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## mernincrazy8525 (Feb 28, 2011)

so sorry about this. thats really sucks. and have fun in Puerto Rico. and if you dont mind i would want some IAL leaves if its not to much to ask for.


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## watergale (Dec 19, 2011)

awe i'm sorry... if you don't mind me asking why are you going to cull the healthy ones?


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I'm so sorry to hear of the mass loss of your fry. The parents are so beautiful, I'm sure the fry would have been too.


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## Rex and Flower (Jan 3, 2012)

vilmarisv said:


> Here's today's pics... they look so different from the weekend (in my eyes) I had to take pictures to share!


It's great to see your spawn healthy and happy.


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

That is super sad. Its such a diassapointment. They were so cute.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I really hope you do continue with another spawn. I wish the beat for you and you future fry. I hope that you are okay and have a great time in Puerto Rico. I have never been over there and want to visit so bad. My grandfather said he would take me when I got older and that was when I was about 9-10. I really had no idea that Indian Almond Trees grow over there. Thats amazing. I should have had him or my grandma take a few for me. Though I wish I knew what I know now then.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Oh, man, I'm sorry you lost your spawn!


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## Myrtaceae (Dec 17, 2011)

I'm sorry for the loss of your spawn. It's got to be really sad/frustrating for you. I know this pair will make a great future spawn.


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