# The Macrostoma Journey



## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

Hey all for this journal I will be focusing on keeping the rare and well known Wild betta Macrostomas. These will be kept in USA WI waters, through using RO DI water parameters. These are fresh new imports of wild caught Macrostomas, so they will be quite the challenge as i try to get them to breed for me and adjusting them into my waters here. They feed readily on live red worms, crickets, blackworms, white worms, etc and can be pellet trained. Though for my purpose I will be using mostly live diet food, and feeding daphnia for regulate their digestive system. Macrostomas will only really thrive in temperatures ranging from 72-77 degrees F. A bit more cold blooded than our regular splendens we keep. I keep my pair in a 10 gallon which is good enough for a (pair). Though keeping them in bigger tanks are recommended upon choice, some are known to breed in 5 gallons. Though enough of my rambling, I now introduce to you Goliath and Gillie. The wild caught macrostomas :smile2: (I will be updating by weekly or daily when possible, consisting with videos and photos)

*Goliath*






*Gillie
*


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

*10/29/2016- Feeding time*

Update: 10/29/2016

Goliath and Gillie continues to court every now and then and show off with just being a week here in U.S RO waters. They stare and glare at me for food almost every time I walk by them wondering when they'll get there meal haha. Its quite adorable as they seem to be like puppies who follow you around till you give them attention. They are less skiddish from before on day one, and have welcomed me to hand feed them. Though Goliath seemed to be a bit more shy that Gillie. I've recorded a video of me feeding the live red worms for there meal, Goliath of course being the fatty he is ate most of it, though i was able to compliment Gillie with blackworms later.


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

nice.. always good to see more people keeping macrostoma.. Are they from Marudi or Brunei? 


I think you may want to put in a little more caves so that they can hide from each other should they fight. they are not courting yet.


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

Nismo83 said:


> nice.. always good to see more people keeping macrostoma.. Are they from Marudi or Brunei?
> 
> 
> I think you may want to put in a little more caves so that they can hide from each other should they fight. they are not courting yet.


They are Marudi, and yeah bought some new pvc pipe for them, gonna add in later once I get TDS down to 10-50, because my TDS lvl is at 108 right now haha, little to high for them but they are doing okay.


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

YangsBetta said:


> They are Marudi, and yeah bought some new pvc pipe for them, gonna add in later once I get TDS down to 10-50, because my TDS lvl is at 108 right now haha, little to high for them but they are doing okay.


my TDS is around there if not higher.. it isn't the TDS that is causing the problem for the fishes.. >


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

Nismo83 said:


> my TDS is around there if not higher.. it isn't the TDS that is causing the problem for the fishes.. >


oh really? have you breed successful when the tds higher than 100? I herd people here in the USA breed them only in 10-50 tds and have successful spawn.


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

1st batch was successful but most of the fries got eaten and I left one which is solo but it died some months ago.. 2nd batch as well got eat by the females.. (mine is a comm tank) 1 survived. 3rd Batch 100% got eaten up. 4th Batch I moved house and cuz premature spill by my alpha male, raised them in thumber but the fries aren't health and most of them died off. 5th batch is doing good, I sold quite a few fries away and they are growing up, some are with me some are with my buddy in WBE SG. after that I did not get any more from the comm at home. always lead to eating.. 




my office pair are doing good.. gave me a batch some time back and growing well at home, this morning I just strip the male for another batch..


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

Nismo83 said:


> 1st batch was successful but most of the fries got eaten and I left one which is solo but it died some months ago.. 2nd batch as well got eat by the females.. (mine is a comm tank) 1 survived. 3rd Batch 100% got eaten up. 4th Batch I moved house and cuz premature spill by my alpha male, raised them in thumber but the fries aren't health and most of them died off. 5th batch is doing good, I sold quite a few fries away and they are growing up, some are with me some are with my buddy in WBE SG. after that I did not get any more from the comm at home. always lead to eating..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lol oh man you lost a lot of good fry, female macrostoma are crazy haha, but thats awesome man glad that you manage to have a successful breed and was able to get a batch. Hopefully the one you strip do well, saw your photo of them good luck on the egg tumbling.


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

*11/3/2016*

*TDS Level- 92
PH- 6.1

They have been here and adjusted quite well to there new environment, more active and eating well on live diet foods now. Foods consisting of cultured Neocardina shrimps, red worms, blackworms, and brineshrimp seems to be up for there liking, a few guppies here and there seems to get them going as well. The male seems to take in alot more food than the female, though Gillie seems to be more picky with her food and ignores red worms now. I've added a few new addtions to the tank suck as anubias and pothos attached to there drift wood. Since then they enjoyed the new addition and became more lively. The pair has accepted one another as a mate in the tank now, and no further aggression has commenced since. They casually swim side by side and show off to each other but getting Gillie to eat has become quite the challenge since she refuses red worms now for conditioning. Especially with Goliath being the big pig he is eating everything up. But after he gets his full Gillie is able to get her fill after and usually cleans up the left over well. 
*


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

YangsBetta said:


> lol oh man you lost a lot of good fry, female macrostoma are crazy haha, but thats awesome man glad that you manage to have a successful breed and was able to get a batch. Hopefully the one you strip do well, saw your photo of them good luck on the egg tumbling.


no idea if the one in the tumbler will be fine or not. hahaha. yes female macrostoma are crazy when not their fries or in comm tank.. 


you can further reduce your tank pH to around 5.5. it will be real good.. and giving them high protein food will make them faster to spawn.


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

Nismo83 said:


> no idea if the one in the tumbler will be fine or not. hahaha. yes female macrostoma are crazy when not their fries or in comm tank..
> 
> 
> you can further reduce your tank pH to around 5.5. it will be real good.. and giving them high protein food will make them faster to spawn.


I hope for the best for the youngs bro, and yeah trying to haha hard to get PH lower gonna toss in like 4 IAL on next water change, and switch them from red worms to black worms now lol they are to picky, their gonna want shrimp next gonna eat my whole colony of neocardinas haha.


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

YangsBetta said:


> I hope for the best for the youngs bro, and yeah trying to haha hard to get PH lower gonna toss in like 4 IAL on next water change, and switch them from red worms to black worms now lol they are to picky, their gonna want shrimp next gonna eat my whole colony of neocardinas haha.



shrimps are good, I do feed them shrimps if I managed to buy, but it cost a bit more.. I am waiting for my new place to be ready next year hopefully and I will keep a tank of cherry shrimps for them.. U may want to try peat moss granular to lower the pH, IAL isn't as long as peat. but you have to be careful not to over dose too much at one time


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## YangsBetta (Sep 2, 2016)

12/4/2016 update

During the holiday on thankgiving, the pair have bred but Goliath seemed to have swallowed the eggs during the time. Which of course I was quite upset with him during the time being, but I waited for the next 3 weeks up till now, and they have now bred again. Goliath now holding as day one of its terms. They're doing lovely and thriving well in their 10 gallon breeder tank. I guess the spurilina pill helped gave them an energy booster.


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