# how do i introduce pairs of bettas?



## biokid101

i bought a female betta today and i have one male in another bowl.do i just leave the male and the female next to each other or do i put them together? can i have the steps in breeding bettas plzz. thank u


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## Rohland

i would suggest you head over to the betta section of the forum.
However I do have some knowledge on this...
First you can end up with over 100+ eggs are you ready to take care of those babies? You will need a spawning tank (10 gal) filled half full with a heater set to just under 80 degrees, (your male and female betta should be kept in minimum 2 gal aquariums with heaters, incase they are already not kept in them), sponge filter, plants. Also betta babies only accept newly hatched brine shrimp. So you will need to create your hatcheries and have two or three of them setup so your babies dont starve. Also you will need to condition your bettas and get them ready for spawning, letting the female see the male, give them both live or frozen high quality food. 

Then most people introduce the bettas into the breeding tank at the same time, however to protect the female many place the female in a chimeny or jar so she doesnt get hurt while the male builds his nest. So the male and female are seeing eachother, the female is getting full of eggs, the male is blowing a BIG bubble nest. It will be time to release the female. You will release her and she make chase and nip the male, the male may nip and chase her. They will both probably have damnage to their fins or could even die, so you will need to make sure you have individual aquariums for them, with a heater, bettafix or melafix, lots of fresh water and aquarium salt. After their forever long courtship the male and female will embrace over and over squeezing the eggs out of her, he fertilizes them then grabs the eggs and blows them into the bubble nest before they hit the tank bottom. (It should be barebottom by the way). When their courtship is over you will want to gently remove the female and place her in her tank, with a heater, medication and salt. You will want to have a light over the aquarium the whole time so the male can always see the eggs. You do not feed the male during this time. After a few days the fry will become free swiming and you can remove the male. Then you will need to feed your babies live food, microworms, baby brine shrimp, anything living basically. You will want to turn on the sponge filter at this time. You will need to make sure not to overfeed them because your babies can get swim bladder disorder, slowly fill the tank with water to the top. You will also need to syphon the bottom of the tank daily to remove any uneaten food.

Also just a note, you could possibly end up with lots of bettas, and viel tail bettas (the most common petstore type) don't bring in a lot of money, many petstores may not even take them. So you could be left with a lot of extra bettas. Also your female or male could die. Just a lot of preparation and things to consider before you beign to breed. I am no expert some people may disagree with somethings mentioned. But feel free to add anything i may have missed.


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## biokid101

i have them in two different bowls! wow that makes me think twice about it but im still going to do it and can i feed the fry bloodworms?i put the female bowl by the male bowl and the male opens up the back of its gills like a dragon!! does that mean hes territorial or he want to mate with her?he has never did that before and when he gets close to the female and looks at her he does it.


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## Rohland

he is flaring at her, it is a bit of both being territorial and showing himself to her. Are the blood worms live? I think they may be too big. Most people feed new batched brine shrimp, microworms or vinegar eels. What about a spawning tank with a heater and sponge filter? Do you have salt, medication and a heater for your bettas to heal them after they are injured. Also you cannot spawn in your tiny bowls they are too small.


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## biokid101

my male has built a bubble nest twice already. it is like a one callon bowl its the size of a basketball.i have salt i am getting the medication on thursday when i go back to the pet store cause i need to buy a net to take out the female and male when i want them to mate. the bloodworms are not alive but the are very small and i can crush them into a powder does that work?


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## Rohland

no most babies only accept live food it is vary rare that they will accept powder. Also are their bowls heater. They need to be heated. What are you spawning them in?


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## biokid101

im spawning them in the basketball size one gallon tank. he is building bubble nests constantly so i decided im ready to take care of fry and i have homes set for them already.the bowls dont have heaters but every day i put warm water in both of them so the water is kept at 78 degrees.where do i get brine shrimp.


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## Rohland

you should have brine shrimp eggs before you release them. Also you will need to seperate the babies when they become 8 weeks if they become agressive. There is not enough space in your bowl for your bettas to mate. One will probably end up injured or killed. Also you dont have a filter and your aquarium needs a constant supply of heat to make sure the babies survive. Also your spawning tank needs to be big and clean so the babies can grow. 1 gal isnt enough for one betta its not going to be enough for 100.


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## Calmwaters

It sounds to me like you do not have a proper set up for the 2 adult bettas you have much less fry. Perhaps you should invest your money in getting them proper tanks before you try to breed any more. Please do not take this the wrong way I just don't believe you are ready for fry. If you truly care about your bettas you will want them to have the best and a one gallon unheated bowl in my opinion is not the best home. Adding water to the bowl will only warm it a short while and can stress out the bettas not help them. You should never add water to a tank/bowl that is warmer than what they are in. Once again please do not think I am trying to be rude but breeding a fish is a responsibilty just like breeding any other animal is.
Edit: I just wanted to add please go over to the Betta section and research how you should be takeing care of these beautiful fish because if it is not done right the will get sick and die which is not a good feeling.


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## Calmwaters

Just wanted to add here is a link that would be good for you to read:
http://www.fishforum.com/betta-fish-care/must-read-general-betta-care-faq-20058/


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## biokid101

but when they r in those little bowls when they get sold they are fine but in a small place without a heater.and just so everyone knows i am breeding bettas for the very first time so thats why i am asking questions.also i got a 10 gallon tank with a heater and filter. now that we got passed that we can talk about the steps for breeding bettas.what are vertical lines? i have been hearing that females get that what does that mean?also i just read on the place calmwater posted and it said filter not needed but recomended.why isnt my female flaring at the male but the male is flaring at the female?


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## Calmwaters

Just because they are in those little bowls does not mean it is the right way for them to be. But anyway if you really want to do this here is a link that may help:
http://www.fishforum.com/breeding-betta-fish/breeding-bettas-30005/


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## biokid101

thx calmwaters i read it and can i feed the parents frozen blood worms to get them conditioned for breeding?


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## Rohland

yes, but you need to find out what you are going to feed the babies. and you are spawning in the 10 gal?
And calwater is right, your two orginial bettas need more room with a heater

edit: sorry the way I look at is, is why are you trying to make more baby fish when you cannot provide the necessities to the ones you already have. Also keep in mind that if your angels spawn. You could find many of their tank mates to be die because of harassment from the angels parents because they will be very territorial. You won't be able to keep the angels and baby bettas in the same tank either.


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## biokid101

i know i have a 10 gal tank with a heater its conditioning now. while i do that i will start conditioning my female and male betta with bloodworms(its the only thing i have here).but im going to the pet store today.what are brine shrimp?do i have to hatch them?what do they come in a bottle or tank?
about my angelfish. u can go read about it in my other thread about angelfish:how can you tell a male and a female angelfish apart?thats the thread


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## Rohland

okay well you will need to raise brine shrimp they come in a package. so you will need to jars, and an air pump and salt water.


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## biokid101

cant i just get them and put salt in the water each day?cause no money once again.


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## Kim

I'm not trying to be rude, but if you have no money to hatch brine shrimp then it will be impossible for you to raise angel, betta, and gourami fry at all. Just raising the angel or gourami fry you will need several hundred dollars worth of tanks minimum, and the bettas can be more expensive because of the need to separate the males into individual HEATED containers. Please, I strongly urge you to do what is right for your fish and focus just on getting the 2 bettas that you have now into suitable homes of 2.5 gallons or larger with a heater. For the record, most, if not all of us that keep bettas absolutely despise the way that they are sold in stores. It is terrible, and I know that I am trying my hardest to only buy from responsible breeders from now on to avoid supporting this industry.


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## Rohland

no here is a dyi hatchery.
DIY Brine Shrimp Hatchery

I do know of a certain time after you hatch your shrimp, they will go bad and lose some of their nutrients making them useless to feed to your babies. So you will need to make enough to feed them, without having extras, and without over feeding. You will need an air pump. Maybe you could get a part time job to support your hobby. And once i said you should work and providing your fish with the best homes. Like maybe getting a 5 gal and splitting if for your male and female betta so it can have a filter and a heater. Just a thought. Because it does take a lot of time and money. I know that your excited I wanted to breed everything I had at some point. Still want to breed bettas, but lots of things get in the way, money, space, time, parents ect.


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## biokid101

tell me about it parents get in the way all the time but i have 37 dollars and im forgeting about breeding angels and gouramis because they are not mine.they are my moms boyfriends.so for now i am going to focus on getting everything i need to breed bettas.but brine shrimp thats the problem i cant find it anywhere.i looked in stores and asked.how much does brine shrimp cost and do i need an air pump or is that just a thing to help them because onece they hatch they are going right to the fry or parents?


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## Rohland

no you will feed them to the fry. And you will need to continuously feed them at least twice a day with it. Without over feeding because it can lead to swim bladder disorder. You will need an air pump for your spawning tank, a regular filter will not work. And you will need another air pump for your brine shrimp hatcheries. You will also need a syphon to clean the bottom of your tank. 

There are some other options of food like microworms but they start with live cultures and you need to grow them and stuff. you could find it online. But i want to stress again that you should provide a better home for your parents first before you begin breeding. save some money gain more knowledge. You can get a 10 gal fish tank from walmart for $40. Then you can split that into 2-3, even 4 if you really needed to push it. And you will only need to buy a heater for it aswell. But you will need to figure something out, because bettas live way longer than you will think when they are given the proper space and warm water. It helps prevent and treat disease.


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## biokid101

i am conditioning my spawning tank now with one filter and a heater. i will put my male in tomorrow cause the fog cleared up and he built a bubble nest in his 1 gal. so i think hes ready.i have 2 dividers so i will split the tank into 3 and put the female in it so she can get eggs i have been feeding her bloodworms.she has gotten slightly bigger around her sides.she looks like my pregnant swordtail.and she has this one white spot under her stomach.i have read that they get that when they are ready for spawning.


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## Rohland

well what filter are you using? Also you can split the tank after you done breeding and the babies are gone. but a male, female and babies all split will be a problem. Also you shouldn't bother releasing them unless you have food to feed the babies. Do you have places for the female to hide while she is spawning?


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## biokid101

im using a sponge filter.i do have places for the female to hide.i have floating plants in it and i just looked in the tank and the male built a bubble nest. i will put the female in later when she is conditioned.whats the white dot under her stomach?


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## Rohland

biokid101 said:


> im using a sponge filter.i do have places for the female to hide.i have floating plants in it and i just looked in the tank and the male built a bubble nest. i will put the female in later when she is conditioned.whats the white dot under her stomach?


it has something to do with eggs and a female, maybe an ovipositor. However I believe you missed this part!

YOU NEED TO HAVE FOOD READY AS SOON AS THE BABIES ARE BORN IF NOT THEY WILL STARVE AND DIE!

And just so you know a male can blow bubble nests for various resons.. With stimulation, (ex. seeing a female) or even just being happy a male betta can blow a bubble nest for you. You need to watch them for over 2 hours, and take the female out when she is done. If they are getting too rough with eachother. Nipping a lot of fins, and stuff remove them now. Just to make sure you are breeding in your 10 gal correct? Also is your sponge filter a seasoned sponge? Has it beeen in a tank that has completed its cycle, so it has all the bacteria your aquarium needs. If not you could experience a cycle with your betta fry in the tank. This could probably kill all of your fish.

Just so you know if the sponge was in a seasoned tank,but has since been taken out and dried. The bacteria has died and will need to go through a cycle again.


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## biokid101

yes i am breeding in my 10 gal and dont worry i will not put her in unless i get food im smartical! anyway today he blew more bubbles but they are all over the place. i bet he built it cause hes healthy and happy or he saw the female. he built it a couple of times b4 i got the female.speaking of the female she is bloated today.


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## Rohland

Okay, personally I would stop conditioning them. Because you dont have food. So the male will just keep blowing a bubble nest and the female will keep making eggs. Until she cannot hold it anymore. Then she either needs them squeezed out by a male, or she will absorb them back into her body. However there has been a few cases where this has killed a female betta. Also your male could be getting tired from making so many bubbles, because he is probably guarding his nest as well. I would just seperate them from view, until you get live food for the babies and condition again.


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## biokid101

WAAA i got live food today!!!!!! and my female is big i fed them some cause they hatched right away about 12 hrs later the brine shrimp hatched.i bought them yesterday and they hatched this morning. i put them together today but my female was not interested im so upset i wanted them to mate.it would have been cool.then i seperated them cause i had to go somewhere.then when i came back i put them together again and my male was biting her but she was just going crazy.she got the darkest stripes on her. she looked like the amreican flag stripes!!she wasnt interested and neither was he im upset what should i do?


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## biokid101

do male bettas have to have a cover or tight spot to make a bubble nest?


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## dramaqueen

No, they don't absolutely have to have something to build a bubblenest under but it helps the male to have something to build it under. The white thing on the female's belly is called an ovipositor and it's where the eggs are released from. Horizontal stripes are stress stripes. Your female isn't ready to breed. Putting a female that is NOT ready to breed with a male can be very dangerous to the female.


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## biokid101

my female mostly has dark DARK vertical lines and sometimes when she sees the female she gets horizontal but this is rare for her very rare! i asked the question about the cover because my male made a small bubble nest under the slanted end of the tank and thats it.do bettas build bubble nests when there is a storm?


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## dramaqueen

Thats funny that you asked that because I just read in my book that nest building can occur when the barometric pressure changes rapidly.


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## Rohland

vertical stripes are breeding stripes
horizontal stripes are stress stripes.


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## biokid101

i was just skimming through betta bubble nests on google and i found it said that exact thing.we had a storm on friday and nothing happened.right now my female has vertical stripes.do the males ever show interest in them?how?


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## biokid101

im really upset.they dont want to breed and i have everything ready.my male is not interested in the male but my male likes her and nips at her then she goes insane and jumps around everywhere.there is still no bubble nest.


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## Rohland

are they together? You dont have food yet!
also those nips will need to be treated or else it could turn into fin rot.
Thats why your bettas need to be in a minimun 2.5 gal aquarium so it could be heated, the water can stay fresher longer, then you can have a filter and add salt or medicate with melafix.


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## biokid101

i have treatment for her and the male. she doesnt have any torn fins now and they have been together all day!! one time he was getting close to her and she just stays still like nothings happeneing then she started to wiggle then he started to wiggle then its over.when do i know shes interested?i do have food by the way they are brine shrimp.a blue female and a red orange male betta can mate right?


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## Rohland

yes colour doesnt matter. what do you mean by brine shrimp.
Eggs, frozen, freeze dried?
So you are spawning in your 10 gal tank, it is heated, there is plants, the filter is off, its filled halfway?
Have you stopped feeding the male and female? Is there a light close by that can be left on so the male can see the eggs at all time?
When you remove the female what will she be going in?
When you remove the male what will he be going in?

Please reply about what brine shrimp you have!


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## biokid101

they will all be in the same tank but with dividers. until christmas when i get another tank. its better than a bowl! i just have regular live brine shrimp they hatched a couple days ago and they have gotten a bit bigger. when the eggs are 2 days old i will put more in so they can hatch while i first feed them.


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## Rohland

biokid101 said:


> they will all be in the same tank but with dividers. until christmas when i get another tank. its better than a bowl! i just have regular live brine shrimp they hatched a couple days ago and they have gotten a bit bigger. when the eggs are 2 days old i will put more in so they can hatch while i first feed them.


Okay, well you would need another divider then to keep them separated from the babies, however this is not enough space. Are you hatching the brine shrimp yourself, or buying them live? Because after 36 hours (I am not 100% on this time, it may be 18 hours actually) they brine shrimp lose their nutritional value and are useless to feed your fish.
If you have any other questions please feel free to PM me.
I dont like writing on this thread anymore, since there isnt any other input so basically is just a long private message going back and forth.


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## dramaqueen

I think the brine shrimp need to be newly hatched. I would advise having separate containers for the male and female and letting the babies have the whole 10 gallon.


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## biokid101

well aparently containers are bad for fish according to people.dont worry i still have some brine shrimp cysts left i can put in water after the babies are hanging from the bubble nest. ok my female is really slow.i dont like her personality.shes stubborn and doesnt want to mate.i kept them together over night and nothing she just lays at the bottom of the tank like nothing is happening.when the male aprroaches her he flares then he starts to wiggle then she runs away.she has vertical stripes. i changed some of the water to make him build a bubble nest but nothing!


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## dramaqueen

Biokid, I sent you a pm.


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## biokid101

ok i got it and i replied.i had my female and male stay together for the night and while i was at school shes ok. my male has a really calm personality hes not territorial to females.but to males YES.still no bubble nests but there were bubbles along the edges of the tank built together but thats it.im just gonna get another female matbe and condition her.i took my female out and im going to recondition her for a little bit.


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## dramaqueen

Good idea. I would recondition both of them. If he still won't make a nest then can you get another male?


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## biokid101

ill hvae to leave him in a bowl and wait until christmas to breed em.but i dont know if i can wait that long to tell u the truth lol.maybe i can get another pair what do u think?


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## molliefan09

you know i admire you for being so into your fish and breeding.....but patience truely is a virtue. Being able to breed your fish and have a successful outcome will be one of you biggest feats thus far.....if you want to make sure it is as successfull as possible just hang tight!! Christmas isnt that far away....only 9 weeks to be exact.....and it will be worth the wait. If you attempt this now and fail (example: you loose all the fry or one of your bettas is killed) you will beat youself up over it and have wished you waited until you had EVERYTHING you needed. I know you are doing the best you can with what you have and what you are able to get....just be patient you will be glad you did.


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## biokid101

if i didnt want 300 babies,when they hatch can i let some be eaten so i dont have to get about a 100 jars or does that mean im mean?


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## Rohland

Killing your offspring is known as culling. Very sensitive subject. Personally I wouldn't breed unless you were able to take care of all of the babies. Most people get close to 100, but on this forum at least nobody has gotten past that I think. Also if you were to seperate the babies, it could be something simple as cups in a big plastic bin, filled with water, you could keep the males in the cups, and the peaceful females just in the bin, you will have to heat the bin though with a heater. Also the cups water will need to be changed everday.


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## dramaqueen

You can control the amount of fry you have by removing the female after just a couple of embraces so there won't be as many eggs. Also, you can VERY GENTLY remove eggs from the nest with a clean plastic spoon when you remove the female. That way you can remove eggs before they have a chance to develop into baby fish.


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## biokid101

oh im not gonna do the spoon thing cause the last time he built his bubble nest i destroyed it because i had to change the water and he has never built one since.my male flares at her but doesnt make a bubble nest and they are in seperate containers.i did this expirement where i took the female out of site of the male.he was slow and calm.but an hr or two later i brang her back and he was flaring and jumpy and wiggly.my female seems to have black vertical lines all the time.she is not plump.


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## biokid101

ok now the female is plump and the male is constructing his nest but he constructs the smallest nest.he builds bubbles but then they go to the corner of the tank. the female is actually jumpy trying to get to him but im not going to put her in.


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## biokid101

so today i got another female betta.she is peach colered and purple fins.i put her and the male together for like 2 min cause i had to fix the tank real quick.and my male was very interested in her and she is interested in him.she is really plump i mean really!!she is bigger than the blue one.ok heres something weird she flared at him.i didnt know females can flare.does that mean something.


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## Vikki81207

Well this is what I did. I got the pair ready by putting them in separate jars and put those jars next to eachother. Not really close but good enough to let them glimpse eachother. And for 2 weeks I fed them bloodworm with occasional pellets. A few days before I planned on releasing, I set up the breeding tank. I didn't use a chimney for the female, I used a canning jar but it worked the same way. I put Merlin in the tank and Pearl in the jar and left them for a day or so. When I saw that he had half way started a decent sized bubblenest, I released Pearl. It took them around 24 hours before they started spawning. You need to keep an eye on them. 
I hurt my hand yesterday and it hurts to type all this out. So to read everything, go here. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=27863
Hope I can help some.


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## biokid101

my male and the new female are already ready for spawning!!of course she is white so i cant tell if she has vertical lines but she is plump and she flares at the male and he flares at her. sry u hurt ur hand vikki.hope u feel better! yesterday they were together again and my male saw the female and he got close to her and he zoomed at her and bit her!! i took her out when that happened luckily she wasnt hurt.i think my females are not the problem my male is the problem.he doesnt want to build a bubble nest.does the female flaring at him mean she wants him?


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## biokid101

ok i havent aquired a styrofoam cup but they make soup in a styrofoam cup.maybe thatll work for him to build a nest.whats an almond leaf?


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## biokid101

i put the styrofoam piece on and i also put a piece of cardboard in the tank and he seems to be building a bubble nest under the piece of cardboard. why is this?


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## biokid101

well if noone is going to answer that question.what is better a leaf or a styrofoam cup in half?


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## teddyzaper

sorry i cant answer your question but its pretty cool that your breeding them


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## biokid101

i know dude but its been a long road i cant get them to breed soooo, i got another male!!he is blue with red highlights.i am going to condition him for a while cause when he was put in the tank he didnt eat when i fed him,and he was a little depressed but he has gotten better after the past two hours.he still didnt eat though.ill try later.he has spotted my two female bettas and seems to be interested in the plump one.when i bought him he had a couple of bubbles in his little cup.i bought him cause i knew he was healthy.


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## dramaqueen

biokid, if I were you, I'd post your questions in the betta breeding section of the forum. There are a lot of people over there, including Vikki, that have bred their bettas and they would be more than happy to answer your questions.


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## Rohland

dramaqueen said:


> biokid, if I were you, I'd post your questions in the betta breeding section of the forum. There are a lot of people over there, including Vikki, that have bred their bettas and they would be more than happy to answer your questions.


agreed, there will be more people able to assist you over there... they may just not be as kind as me ;-)


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## biokid101

ok.i had my two females together for a while cause i dont have enough places to put them in.i thot they would do fine together.but my one female is always nipping at the other one and it bites back.they have some fin damage.so i seperated them.whats the deal! i thot they can live together. it looked like my one female was trying to mate with the other one.


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## biokid101

my new male(spider)is doing fine today and eating yay!!for some reason he put some banana leaves under the styrofoam cup.he put like 4 under it.i hope he builds one because ive been waiting for a long time!!!!!!!!!!!


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## dramaqueen

Two females should never be housed together because one will dominate the other and bully it to death.


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## ChristinaRoss

i think you should do some more research on breeding, theres alotta work involved once theres actuallu fry to take care of. especially if you are already having problems with two females and nowhere to put one of them. where in the world are you going to put the fry once they neeed seperating?


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## biokid101

trust me u dont even know how many containers i have!!!and the pet store told me i could have two females together.


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## BettaxFishxCrazy

I wanted to breed at first too but than I did some research and I realized how time consuming it is and expensive. If you don't even have room for the bettas you have now where are you going to keep the fry?


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## BettaxFishxCrazy

Unfortunately the people at the petstores usually don't give the right information about bettas. That's why you need to do research on your own and the people on here help a lot too.


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## dramaqueen

Never listen to petstore employees. They'll tell you all kinds of stuff.


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## biokid101

tell me about it.when i went to get a swordtail the guy didnt even know the sex of it.but luckily i knew.i have been doing research for a bout 3 months now but i just need to know one thing.should i let the male see the female?


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## biokid101

why when i put them together the female goes away?my male approaches herwith his flaring status and hshe just runs away.he is not agressive or nothing.he has not built a bubble nest yet.not even close.he is a perfectly healthy male with beautiful fins.what is wrong?


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## DENYSKA

hey i just got my bette (rocky) n i was wondering how do you tell how old they are because Rocky is ver y small purpleish n red with blue at the trimming at the tail i feed dhim like 7 pebs a day. CAn someone help me


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## SaylorKennedy

DENYSKA said:


> hey i just got my bette (rocky) n i was wondering how do you tell how old they are because Rocky is ver y small purpleish n red with blue at the trimming at the tail i feed dhim like 7 pebs a day. CAn someone help me


If he's smaller, he's probably younger. You should only feed him 3-4 pellets a day, otherwise he will develop swim bladder disorder, and you should fast him(not feed him) on one day of the week. So really he should be eating 6 days of the week.


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## biokid101

pet stores usually sell the bettas for 6-8 months of age.so he could be around there.


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## biokid101

i woke up today and.........................HERCULES MADE A BUBBLENEST!!!!!IM SO HAPPY. how big does it have to be until i put a female in?


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## biokid101

he has built the bubble nest in a 4 inch long and 2 inch wide styrofoam cup my female is in the tank right now but shes not interested in him.she goes under the bubble nest but she doesnt stay there when he comes.he flares at her and there are times where she tilts to the side but thats it.i dont know what else to do.


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## Lethbridge

give it some time if they are interested them they will spawn if not they try another pair, the male is pretty interested because he made a bubble nest just wait to see what the female does and if nothing happens either recondition her or try a different female because they may be uncompatible together


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## biokid101

they are interested in each other now but they dont know what to do!!!


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## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> they are interested in each other now but they dont know what to do!!!


if they have never bred before it may take time its like learning to walk they dont exactly know what to do so all you need is time and lots of it


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## k stiles

Lethbridge is right, and I thought you said that the female was not interested in the male??? what to do is just let them be for a little bit some take hours to spawn, with a couple of atempts, perhaps you should either recondition them or start over with a different pair. otherwise I don't know what to do


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## biokid101

i have 2 pairs. and my female was just starting to get interest cause she was jelous i guess that there was another female next to the tank.im conditioning my other one and shes starting to get plump.im workin on it.the bubble nest is half way broken idk what happened to it


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## biokid101

the bubble nest is nearly gone.im going to try again when i get my new tank.cycled of course.my female and male have ripped fins.they dont seem aggresive to each other when i am around.but my female has gotten very big and doesnt want to mate still.


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## k stiles

perhaps the pair wasn't right for eachother


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## biokid101

yesterday i put my other two together for a little and the male wrapped around her and she was upside down but the male didnt squeze her tight enough and she floated away.i was so close to screaming i thot it was happening.


----------



## biokid101

im upset today..i woke up and i was about to put my male and female together and in my females bowl..there..they..were...the eggs..they were right there.alot of them a couple dozens maybe a hundred or so.i took her out and i put my other female in cause i wanted to introduce the female that had the eggs to the two males i have.i put my plump female in the one with the eggs in it and she ate them all.i was thinking to put my male in it so he could scoup it up but whats the use they are not fertilized.why did she do this


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## Lethbridge

why didnt you leave the female in with the male if he wrapped around her? you should have let them just do their thing


----------



## k stiles

Lethbridge is right


----------



## biokid101

i couldnt he kept attacking her and she ran away and it started to get pretty bad and i didnt have plants in there until now.she got her top fin nipped of and he doesnt have any bruises.i didnt want them to get hurt.


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## Lethbridge

getting hurt is part of the process, they will chase and nip at each other


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## dramaqueen

Lethbridge is right. Aggression is part of the breeding process. If it gets out of hand then you need to separate them. You need to watch them like a hawk.


----------



## biokid101

i did but the problem is im impatient lol thats what it seems like.i want to wait a little bit for the girls fins to grow back but im so anxious.and there is NO WAY my parents would let me get another pair or at least one more.but u know what im waiting about 4 or 5 days to put them together


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## dramaqueen

I hate to tell you but you are going to have to be patient. lol But you already know that. You can't rush it. Just ask Vikki, Andakin, Lethbridge and the other breeders here.


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## Lethbridge

i personally wouldnt try breeding again in a few days you said that your female had lost some of her fins well give her time to grow them back, and you siad she dropped all her eggs, she wont be ready in 4 or 5 days you need to wait ATLEAST 16 days before trying again. More than one pair would be best, i have three pairs and you can condition them all at the same time and then try to find which pair works best. just be patient that is a big key


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## biokid101

well 16 days is a long time but if i want to get fry i have to wait.


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## biokid101

so its been two days and i havent put any of them together lol.my female is like getting this kind of border to her fins i think she is growing more.


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## Lethbridge

You just have to be patient like i am currently conditioning my bettas and i am doing it for 3 weeks just remember the longer you condition the greater chance you have of getting eggs


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## dramaqueen

Good advice!


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## biokid101

that is good advice!!my males really want to get to my plump female and i dont know why they want her so bad.i want them to like the other one two but they both like the light colored one i have.should i make all them not see each other for their conditioning period??


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## Lethbridge

i would highly recommend making sure that all your bettas do not see each other during conditioning periods, this will help the males store all there energy instead of wasting it all on flaring at the female and frantically trying to swim toward them. You can occationally show the female to the male to get him mor "excited" but other that that just leave them apart so they can fully condition


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## biokid101

FINALLY SOMEONE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION FOR ME!!!!i have been asking that question so many times.thank u so much lethbridge.ive heard that when males get into a fight it induces them to want to mate, is that true?


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## dramaqueen

I have never heard that before.


----------



## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> FINALLY SOMEONE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION FOR ME!!!!i have been asking that question so many times.thank u so much lethbridge.ive heard that when males get into a fight it induces them to want to mate, is that true?


NO never put two males together to try to enduce them to fight, this is not only cruel but you will also have to condition your males much longer so that they can regrow there fins so just keep them apart. On another note however if you place a male (in another container) near your betta in a breeding tank it will make the male in the breeding tank jealous and this could help him build a bigger bubble nest and this will help the mating proccess a bit easier.


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## biokid101

ok ill try that when they are fully conditioned.my females fins have been growing in really fast.for some reason she has been turning like purplish. and when she is under the light she has some red spot on her.she turns red i should say but not fully.


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## Lethbridge

im not sure what colour your betta is but she may have a bit of mettalic scales that may just give her that appearance


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## biokid101

ok.i have them in bowls now because my tank has somethin in it.it made the water turn dark and blurry and white.so i took them out im going to be watching the two that were in it just to see of they have problems,but they seem to be normal.


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## Lethbridge

if possible try and throw a few live plants in there for oxygen and try to keep the bowls pretty warm because bettas like warmer water, i usually keep mine at 86 degrees when spawning. And if they are small bowls make sure you dont keep them in there too long bettas need room to swim and if they will be in smaller bowls make sure you do daily water changes.


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## biokid101

i have 4 live plants and one is in each of the bettas bowls.the smallest bowl i have is about the size of the container they came in ans she seems to be doing good.she likes to flirt with my male but im going to seperate them when i get home from school.the smallest bowl is getting cleaned everyday with warm water.i dont have a thermometer to measure the waters temp.but my dad has a tank and its water is at 80 degrees farenheit.so i just feel the water and i put her bowl at the same temp.my male is interested in my blue female,the one that got wrapped around by my other betta.they are both blue so i want to breed them.my other two are both light colored but one is orange and another is like pinkish with purple fins.


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## Lethbridge

okay another thing here! DONT put warm water in their bowl if you dont plan on using a heater to keep it at that temp. Always put room temp water in there because the change in temp is very stressful for not only bettas but all fish, but yes just seperate them and just keep conditioning and then you can try to breed them at a later date


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## dramaqueen

Temperature fluctuations can make them sick.


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## biokid101

thats not what i meant im sry.my room temp is about 76 degrees is that enough?


----------



## Lethbridge

yup 76 is fine its not idea for breeding but it is good for conditioning, but remember when you add them to the breeder tank have the water temp around the same temp and then slowly increase it to whatever you would like, i usually keep mine at around 85 or 86 this also keeps disease down.


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## biokid101

ok isnt that a little to hot for the betas its like living in a bathtub with warm water?


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## Lethbridge

its all preference most breeders i know have it any where frrom 80 to 90 degrees there is no real right or wrong its just what you perfer, and like i said before i like to keep mine at about 85 because this a not to hot but it also helps keep disease from the betta and fungus from the eggs down


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## biokid101

oh ok but could they breed in 76 degrees?


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## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> oh ok but could they breed in 76 degrees?


i assume you could but bettas perfer warmer water temps, i have never tried to breed them at a low temp like that but i do assume you can


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## dramaqueen

I would say at least 80-82 degrees.


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## Lethbridge

Thats what i thought thanks for the clarification DQ


----------



## biokid101

im either getting my 10 gallon tank today or tomorrow. im so excited?i wrote down all i needed from 
Flippersandfins.net Betta Breeding Basics its a good website.


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## Lethbridge

it is a pretty good website but remember to search through many websites not just one because everyone does it differently


----------



## dramaqueen

Lethbridge is right. There are several different ways to do it.


----------



## biokid101

pretty much all the websites tell me to do the same thing and the website that i go on is very detailed and im following what ur telling me and what they need.


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## Lethbridge

Make sure you have all the proper nessecaties to breed and take care of the spawn is the most important thing to consider! make sure you have everything ready to go before you begin


----------



## biokid101

i still didnt get anything yet.my parents said i am getting it today or tomorrow but idk.i have a list already and it is probably gonna be about 100 bucks!!


----------



## Lethbridge

My ten gallon setups cost me $40 CAN for the tank and light, and then another $200 CAN for supplies, like sponge filter and divider and air pump etc. so you may be looking at more money. Again i have a full time job and a car to go to the pet store whenever i need to and i can afford it, i have 3 10 gallon breeding setups ready to go, and then a a few 3 gallon setups for my better quality bettas. Just remember always buy the best stuff that you can afford that way you get high quality equipment that will last


----------



## dramaqueen

Good advice!


----------



## biokid101

ok i might change my mind a little and get a 5 gallon tank.200 bucks is alot but thats how much my dad is sending me and i need some money for other stuff so i might just use 100 bucks.but still my bettas are doing fine its been about 6 days since they last saw each other. my one male lost his interest in building a bubble nest he built a half of it then destroyed it.my one female lost all her stripes.she used to be all vertical dark stripes but now she is just blue and purplish color.whats my next step??


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## Lethbridge

Okay if you do decide to get a 5 gallon just keep in mind that water paraments and temp etc can change very easily and make keeping a constant environment near impossible. Also if you do use a 5 gallon aquarium you will need to move the fry to a bigger tank soon then you would if you had say a 10 gallon, do you think a 100+ fry will fit in a five gallon and be comfortable? Just keep that in mind when you pick the size of your tank. Not all males will just blow a bubblenest for the fun of it, when placed by a female the male will again begin to build a nest. As for the female she will get her lines back when she is placed near the female as well, im my pairs you can only faintly see the breeding stripes but when placed near a male these lines become very clear and distinct. So in my opinion keep your conditioning for 2+ weeks, in the mean time get all your supplies and place your sponge filter in a seeded tank for a few days so that it can grow benifical bacterial. Once you have setup up your tank and conditioned your bettas long enough you can begin if you feel you are ready, but keep in mind patience is always the best thing and remember keep reading around the net and everyone so that you can learn the most about breeding bettas. Also dont forget about the live food you'll need. Also if your not willing to spend more than $200 it is going to be hard for you to be able to take care of your spawn. but if you feel you are ready after the about step well then feel free to try.


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## dramaqueen

I would go with a 20 gallon for breeding.


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## Lethbridge

Ideally 20 gallon long (20 gallon breeder)


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## biokid101

i still didnt get my tank cause my sister got sick the other day and i couldnt go anywhere idk when im going to get it.in the mean time ill just keep conditioning them.


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## Lethbridge

well hopefully you'll get it soon. Just remember if you condition too long they may reabsorb their eggs or just drop them, but that is after quite a few weeks depending on the betta hope this helps


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## biokid101

it hasnt been two weeks yet but soon im hoping this weekend!!


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## k stiles

Sweet!!


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## biokid101

well i put the two pairs to see each other and right away my dark female got her vertical stripes.i was like already slow down girl!!!!!!!i think she may be ready to breed this weekend


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## k stiles

thats great, we'll be here all the way!!!


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## Lethbridge

Remember though dont shorten your conditioning period


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## biokid101

WOW he already built a bubble nest in less than 12 hrs!!!!!!!!!thats unbelievable.he had a small one but i figured it was just for fun but i woke up today and it was HUGE!!!i cant wait till this weekend.dont worry im not going to shorten the conditioning period its been almost two weeks.and both my females r plump and both have bubble nests!!!im so excited!!!!!!!


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## k stiles

awsome a bubble nest already thats great!!!


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## Lethbridge

Do you have the males and females side by side or are they seperated? is the male building a bubble nest because he sees the female or just because?


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## biokid101

my one male built a bubble nest without the female but he didnt put alot of effort to it.my other male didnt even build one until he saw the female and yea they are side by side so they can only see each other.


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## Lethbridge

I would seperate them and just keep conditioning them because the males need to save their energy and blowing a bubble nest and maintaining it will reaquire energy that could be used in the spawning period.


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## biokid101

well in that case i will just condition them together for another couple days or so maybe next wednesday idk.but they eat and are healthy and the males have big bubblenests.isnt that what the signs are?


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## biokid101

my dad just gave my the 36 GALLON TANK!!!unbelieveable!!!!!!i cant wait to add more fish!!!!!


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## Lethbridge

Well while you keep conditioning the male and female together the male will continue to flare and build a bubble nest but also waste energy so then the energy that he built up when you condition them will not last long during the spawning process thus he may eat the fry, but congrats with the new tank remember to cycle the tank before you add anything


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## biokid101

actually its not a brand new tank its the one we already have but he said its mine now and i get to do whatever i want to it.go to my thread "any suggestions?"about the bettas my males will build bubble nest no matter what even if i take my female away!so hes the one who doesnt want to save energy!!


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## Lethbridge

He will still build the nest bigger and more full if a female is present and the extra movement and flaring at the female wastes energy aswell. But its up to you to condition them together. So what do you plan to do with that tank use it for breeding bettas for an actually aquarium?


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## biokid101

im going to use it for an actual aquarium cause we have 4 swordtails,3 cories,1 pleco,2 angelfish,and 2 silver dollars in it but i want to add more fish to it and stuff


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## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> im going to use it for an actual aquarium cause we have 4 swordtails,3 cories,1 pleco,2 angelfish,and 2 silver dollars in it but i want to add more fish to it and stuff


If at all possible try and get a butterfly flatfish pleco, they look like the hillstream loach and they are very good cleaners and plus they look cool too however they are pretty expensive, i bought a few and it cost me $24 ea and the good thing is they stay nice and small cause you dont want to over populate the tank


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## biokid101

wow 24 dollars!! that must be a good fish.i dont think my lfs sells them tho. any other suggestions?


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## Lethbridge

Relly thats not that bad but i like rare/ hard to find fish. I collect rare plecos well the ones that stay small, like i have an emperor pleco which cost me $54 and i also have a zebra pleco on the way which is $323 i cant wait to get it!! but it all depends on what you are looking for like cleaning crew, etc? Good cleaners are red cherry shrimp they do a very good job of cleaning things up as well as panada cories, if you have a snail problem you could try yoyo loaches but they get about 6" when full grow so just be careful with them. You mostly have livebearers are you planing on breeding them?


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## biokid101

actually my livebearers have bread a couple of times they are all pregnant right now and i can see the babies eyes/they gave birth one time each but the babies are hard to find and i have angelfish which eat them.i only saw one fry ever in my tank and i wasnt expecting it.so im letting them do their own thing but maybe now i can get a breeders box or net now tha its mine!!!its hard to tell the cories apart from boy or girl!but i wanna get more albino cause my lfs sells alot of them!!i think i have a male but im about 10 percent sure


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## Lethbridge

well just get the fish that you like that way you can enjoy it!


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## biokid101

true.back to my bettas they are all fine except i didnt put them together yet maybe when he finishes another bubble nest cause i have to destroy it. its time for a clean


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## AlexXx

I just read this whole thread, and i nominate it for the most frustrating thread ever. omg.


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## Lethbridge

ya it is pretty frustrating. but about your bettas if you do get a bigger tank you wont have to clean as often and you can have a sponge filter and thus when breeding you wont have to clean the tank


----------



## dramaqueen

A bigger tank is much easier to keep clean and more room for the fry to grow.


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## Lethbridge

like dramaqueen and i are trying to tell you is dont really breed unless you have all the proper equipment to do so or your fry will suffer


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## biokid101

whatever.im done with this website all the people here are rude and think they know everything.not everyone but most!!alexx like u never had any frustrating things to ask ppl im only a beginner for gods sake and u act like im smart.im trying to learn here.if u have nothing positive to say then dont say anything!!


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## Lethbridge

No one is saying anything to be rude like there are alot of questions and sometime that can be frustrating to people but that doesnt mean we wont help you answer your questions, so far we have helped answer alot of questions, but if you feel your not being helped then feel free to do what you like


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## ninjafish

Don't get angry with us just because we're telling you the truth. You do not have the proper equipment for breeding, from what I can see, and until you have everything you need, you shouldn't be breeding. It's not fair to your fish.


----------



## doggyhog

I also just read this whole thread. It seems like you just aren't ready to breed yet. No rudeness intended.


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## dramaqueen

I don't feel that anyone was being rude.


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## Lethbridge

we are not trying to be rude if that is what you think we are trying to make you better so you can have a successful spawn so make sure you have everything and then take it from there


----------



## biokid101

i do have everything i mentioned it i have a heater plants a tank a new one because i told u the other one got contaminated with something.i have everything needed.im supposed to ask questios to have a successful spawn thats what these sites are for.its to help people.i just got angry because this is not the first time someone has called me out because of my ways.im not the only one like this.i have brine shrimp and they are getting pretty big.i ask questions to keep this thread going cause once it stops its not gonna start again and noones gonna help me.i just thot it was wrong alexxx because u didnt have to embarrase me or call me out by my thread.thats all im saying.and i wasnt angry with the friends that i have here.i thank dramaqueen and letherbridge for guiding me through alot of stuff.ninja i wasnt even addressing u i dont even know u(not being mean).doggyhog of course im not ready thats why im here.i wouldnt be coming here if i was ready.


----------



## dramaqueen

I just read what AlexXx said about this being a frustrating thread. I don't think he meant it in a mean way. He's just saying that it's frustrating how you haven't been able to breed your bettas yet. And breeding IS frustrating. Just ask Vikki and doggyhog.They have tried a few times without success. It doesn't mean that they don't know what they are doing. It's trial and error and you can't rush it. They are on their own timetable and they'll spawn when they are ready.


----------



## Lethbridge

If you have everything and you think your ready no one can stop you from doing anything, just remember make sure they are conditioned and remember to write everything down for next time. I havent bred bettas in quite some time but afyer conditioning for 3+ weeks i successfully have eggs and i hope they will hatch in a few days


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## biokid101

well congrats! he didnt have to say it was frustrating cause they breed when they r ready.not when i want them to.ur right.


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## Lethbridge

dont worry he was not trying to be mean or anything like thats, just condition condition thats all i say like my males sucked at being a dad and now all the eggs are on the bottom so i cleaned everything out and started new! but i am many more bettas so things can only go up from her, it was just a good experience to see them spawn


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## ChristinaRoss

whew.............well i read about what fish u have in that other tank, personally that seems like a very odd mix in one tank .
angels can get very big and some types of plecos can get up to 12", silver dollars will get up to 5-6"

you said you also wanted to add even MORE fish into it, id definately not do that, thats waaaaaaaaaay overstocking


----------



## k stiles

where not here telling you what to do, we are just giving suggestions... none the less, you do what you want, but some decisions have punishments. I'm just saying, no offence intended at all


----------



## biokid101

my silver dolloars are about 3 inches.my angelfish are 4 inches.and there is still plenty of room.im not saying im going to get more either.


----------



## Lethbridge

just keep in mind you want about an inch per gallon of water and angels require an inch per vertical and horizontal growth


----------



## biokid101

huh? i dont fully understand that its all put together sry.


----------



## ChristinaRoss

what dont u understand?


----------



## Lethbridge

okay so you know how angelfish usually grow taller than longer? Well you have the give them a gallon for every inch they grow tall and an inch for every gallon they grow long


----------



## k stiles

that makes sense


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## biokid101

OOOOOOOOHHH ok im sry it was all put together.


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## Lethbridge

no i have a tendance of making things difficult to understand


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## biokid101

lol its ok and again im sry.now another question just for suggestions.im getting a tank for christmas and im not dure if i should put my bettas in it or breed livebearers.livebearers are easy to breed,but they could get eaten.bettas are exhausting and expensive to breed,but the dad takes care of them HELP!!


----------



## Lethbridge

Okay well lets start off would you use the tank soley for breeding or would you make it a community aquarium? Second how big roughly? Livebearers are much easier to breed but if you supply enough hiding places you can save most of them. However if you are going to breed livebearers do you plan on trying to get certain colours finage etc? because if you do your research on say guppies and show guppies it is very difficult and complicated on its own. When i first started off breeding things i started breeding guppies and then eventually i started show guppies and it takes alot of time and money because if you plan to show breed you need several tanks to house the pairs you want. Also keep in mind when breeding bettas the father does not take care of the fry though out the entire process you eventually have to feed them clean water etc. so really your still doing the work. Breeding livebearers is quite simple in that you just have to put a male and female together and they will breed however this gets quite boring and reperative after time were as breeding bettas is an art and things need to be percise to make sure everything goes well. I have bred alot of different fish and by far i enjoy the bettas, i love they way they spawn and the colour variation and finage there are just so many options no two bettas are the same and none act the same so its always a challenge unlike guppies where you have to do very little.


----------



## biokid101

wow u should be like a spokesperson because that was an awesome speech haha.ok im getting a 10 gallon possibly im gonna ask if i can get a weee bit bigger one.im just going to put that species of fish that i pick in it.say im getting platies then im only going to put platies in it not a community tank. im not planning on getting special colored livebearers.but i can try

bettas are amazingly beautiful fish.but live food,space fighting,too much to take care of.as for livebearers just 1 male 2 females and the breeding starts.then u get pretty colorful fish.

i may get bored of breeding livebearers but i will give them to my lfs because they take them.then i may go to bettas or something.

i already knew that male bettas take care of the eggs.sry i worded that wrong in the post b4.


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## Lethbridge

Well it sounds like you have made up your mind to me!! it sounds like you want livebearers they are very easy to care for but i would recommend a little bit of salt in the tank as livebearers thrive with a little bit of salt. Just keep it mind if you want to let your fish live happily make sure you only have 1 inch of fish per gallon. Also keep lots of plants or hiding places for the babies, or once you get really good you will be able to tell the exact time a livebearer will drop her fry once you do it for a few months.


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## biokid101

so fer a 10 gallon tank how many fish can i have? lets say guppies


----------



## k stiles

what are livebearers?


----------



## biokid101

they are fish who give birth to live babies.like swordtails,guppies, and platies.


----------



## dramaqueen

Some fish give birth to their babies while others, like bettas are egg layers. Guppies and platies are examples of livebearers.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well for a 10 gallon most guppies range from 1-3" depending on what type you get so anywhere from 3-10 guppies, however guppies are quite hardy and pretty forgiving and would do fine with slightly increase numbers


----------



## biokid101

i dont want to over do it by getting 7 or 8.im just gonna get 3 or 4.i want them to populate by themselves.platies range from 2-3 inches so that means i could get 5 for a 10 gallon tank right?


----------



## ChristinaRoss

5 platies would be ok, id get 2 males and 3 females, or 1 male and 4 females


----------



## Lethbridge

seeing as males and female platies look so similar i would go with 4 females and one male and they will populate the tank in little to no time


----------



## dramaqueen

They breed like rabbits. lol


----------



## biokid101

lol my moms family keeps rabbits in the dominican republic and they r overstalking lol! but yea platies were my choice but guppies are beautiful/


----------



## Lethbridge

ya platies are very easy upkeep so you shouldnt have a problem with them


----------



## biokid101

i dont really know much about any other livebearers i have swordtails in the community tank.guppies will get eaten if i put em in there.its between guppies and platys for me!


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## Lethbridge

platies will get eaten too, any livebearer will eat its own fry


----------



## biokid101

bummer! breeding other fish other than livebearers is hard!


----------



## ChristinaRoss

they have some really neat varieties of platies........i love the mickey mouse ones and the dwarf coral platys


----------



## Lethbridge

Well its either you try breeding something else or just get good at knowing when your fish will drop there fry, this takes time and you just need to pay good attention to your fish


----------



## biokid101

i saw mickey mouse platys at the pet store yesterday they r so cute i want one!! livebearers are not the only fish that eat their fry!what kind of fish doesnt eat their babies?


----------



## Lethbridge

your right many fish eat there eggs. Well what kind of fish were you looking for like, livebearers or eggs layers? most egg layers are much much more difficult to breed.


----------



## biokid101

i like livebearers cause i would love to see fry get born


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## Lethbridge

well you have limited options with livebearers


----------



## biokid101

yea i kno.its difficult because when i look in the tank i want to see beautiful fish like guppies.but i also like platies alot.and they can cross breed with swordtails.right?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well just do what you like! yes platies and swordtails can cross


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## biokid101

ok then i put my bettas together for 3 days and they didnt even flirt or nothing.my female is not even torn up!


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## Lethbridge

well that might be that you conditioned both the male and female together


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## biokid101

they werent in the same tank together what do u mean?


----------



## Lethbridge

well remember you said you were going to condition them side by side like there bowls together so they could see each other. Also how old is your pair? How long have you been conditioning now like you really need to be patient, like i conditioned both the two previous pairs i have had for over 3 weeks, and that is what i am doing with all my new bettas before i attempt to breed them.


----------



## Lethbridge

oh also what kind of food are you conditioning with?


----------



## biokid101

no i didnt condition them side by side i moved them when u told me to.i am conditioning them with freeze dried blood worms.i conditioned them for about 3 weeks!


----------



## Lethbridge

okay well im not totally sure they may just not be compatible. when you put then together were they in the same tank and the male didnt flare or anything? Again how old are they? Also im not sure what the effects of freeze dried bloodworms would have on bettas when conditioning, i would assume it would be okay, hoever live or frozen food works the best, i dont like using much live food as they may contain parasites but i do use hiarki frozen bloodworms as these have been through an intense filtration system to block out parasites.


----------



## biokid101

well i dont know how old they are maybe a year old idk but he does flare and nipe her but he doesnt leave a mark their bubble nest is destroyed/


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## Lethbridge

your not going to like this but you may need to condition them again. You will need to have your male betta in the breeding tank and then a female in a hurricane globe then when he builds his bubble nest again and she is barred, release her and let them go


----------



## biokid101

ughh again!!! fine but my other two bettas right now r getting introduced and i hope he builds a bubble nest soon. ughh another failure.im going to try to breed my dark male and my dark female and my light male and my light female together should i mix it up a bit.


----------



## Lethbridge

okay whatever tank you are using as your breeding ADD the MALE first let him adjust to his surrounds for 2 days or so dont add the female right away, once the male has been in the tank for two days then you can introduce the female in the hurrican globe and let her sit in there for about 1-2 days or until the male has a pretty good start on his nest. then once his nest is pretty big release the female and let them do there thing. I never said you would have to recondition them i said you might need to because you added both male and female together at the same time. Just take it slow and add the male first and let him get use to his new tank. What size breeding tank are you using?


----------



## biokid101

wait i didnt add them both together at the same time. the male is in his tank and thats what im using its a 5 gallon.


----------



## Lethbridge

okay this is confusing! just explain to me everything you are using and doing and everything you can think of and ill let you know what to do next


----------



## k stiles

I am confused, are you breeding livebearerers, or bettas? (? for biokid101)


----------



## dramaqueen

Don't put the female in with the male until he has a decent sized bubblenest.


----------



## biokid101

ok rightn ow i am talking about bettas.
im using freeze dried blood worms and occasionall brineshrimp. im tried to breed my dark male and dark female.but the dark male seems to like my light female better and my light male seems to like my dark female better. r u with me?
thats how far i am right now and the tank is 5 gallon.
when i took the dark female and dark male apart after 3 days he has built another HUGE bubble nest so im hoping this weekend to put them together. maybe its because we r getting a snowstorm that they both built one.


----------



## Lethbridge

Okay now we are on the same page. Well lets just say since this is your first spawn let your bettas pick who they want to spawn with that way you will get s successful spawn! Okay so if your male is in his 5 gallon tank, and he is making a bubble nest, then add the female in a hurricane globe or whatever you have handy then WAIT roughly about 2 days if she is very barred, and following the male as far as the hurricane globe will let her than release the female and just keep an eye on them but keep back from the tank and let them do there thing. As long as the male has been conditioned he shouldnt eat the fry unles he is a bad father. Hope everything goes well feel free to ask anymore questions


----------



## biokid101

ok but how will i know if they r not compatible?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well if your female is not barred, if she does not follow him as far as she can when she is in the hurricane globe, if she doesnt slightly bow her head to the male, when you release her is she doesnt go under the nest for a few days. Lets just say if i have never come across and male and female that was not compatible but other people have if she is barred and he has a good nest and she has been in the hurricane globe for 2 days then release her the male may chase her away or nip at her etc, but dont take anyone out unless things start getting really bad, like he or she is very ripped up. The fry from this last spawn that i got took 2 days from when the female was released to spawn and the female was totally ripped up but they still spawned so dont worry if it doesnt happen right away.


----------



## kingofburgerz

Kim said:


> I'm not trying to be rude, but if you have no money to hatch brine shrimp then it will be impossible for you to raise angel, betta, and gourami fry at all. Just raising the angel or gourami fry you will need several hundred dollars worth of tanks minimum, and the bettas can be more expensive because of the need to separate the males into individual HEATED containers. Please, I strongly urge you to do what is right for your fish and focus just on getting the 2 bettas that you have now into suitable homes of 2.5 gallons or larger with a heater. For the record, most, if not all of us that keep bettas absolutely despise the way that they are sold in stores. It is terrible, and I know that I am trying my hardest to only buy from responsible breeders from now on to avoid supporting this industry.


I am totaly with you but how can I find breeders in my area?
The only betta i can find are from pets mart ect.


----------



## Lethbridge

typically you wont find a local breeder as most places dont have one. However you can order one of aquabid and get some high quality stock, and then go from there


----------



## ChristinaRoss

aquabid has amazing quality fish!


----------



## ChristinaRoss

not that i can afford them AND their high shipping (on most) but...........i can dream, lol


----------



## dramaqueen

There are definitely some bettas on there to die for!! lol


----------



## ChristinaRoss

ya there are...............too bad transhipping is outrageous!


----------



## Lethbridge

However, if your really into betta breeding you will pay the price for some good quality bettas to begin with


----------



## biokid101

well i might just stop trying to breed them. ill probably go on for about 4 more months but maybe less these are to hard.


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## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> well i might just stop trying to breed them. ill probably go on for about 4 more months but maybe less these are to hard.


its actually quite simple i would try conditioning with frozen or live food compared to the freeze dried stuff


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## biokid101

ok i thot frozen and freeze dried were the same thing.


----------



## Lethbridge

no it is totally different. Freeze dried you take all the nutrients out and its useful but it mostly just goes through them. whereas frozen blood worms have so much fat and nutirents it really gets the bettas ready for breeding


----------



## biokid101

ok ill look for them.


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## Lethbridge

that would be best for your bettas


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## biokid101

_yea_


----------



## biokid101

GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!! I FINALLY BREED MY BETTAS!!!!! THEY BREED LAST NIGHT AT AROUND 7 LAST NIGHT I THINK CAUSE I CAME HOME AT AROUND 8:30 PM AND THEY WERE MATING.I WAS LIKE SHAKING THAT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFULEST MOMENT THEY HAD.

my male and female produced about maybe 70-80 eggs or more cause i came home and they were mating so idk. it was my light female and my dark male. they finished at around 2 am i had to wait because i want the babies to survive so i took the female out because the male was biting her and chasing her away. I JUST CANT BELEIVE THIS HAPPENED TO ME!!! he is being a good daddy hes under the nest right now and has been all night. should i feed him at all?


----------



## BettaxFishxCrazy

Congratulations! I'm glad things worked out for you.


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## biokid101

omg my too and i thank all of u for supporting me and lethbridge u r my mvp.


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## dramaqueen

YAY!! I'm glad it worked out for you!! Make sure you have your food ready to go when they are free swimming.


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## biokid101

yup yup thats all ready.i really cant see the eggs in the bubble nest.shpuld i feed the male while hes caring for them.


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## rubyfire

congrats on the eggs  im trying to breed my bettas too. 
In all my research most people Do Not feed the male wen he is caring for the eggs. There are some who feed the male and are fine but since this is the first time, i wouldnt feed the male untill he is taken out of the breeding tank.


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## biokid101

ok thank you and ruby i hope everything works out for u like it did for me . there is this one soggy place in the bubblenest where i think the babies are at and other places too but that spot is bigger.


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## rubyfire

Your welcome  i realy hope it works out for me 2  and good luck raising the babies!!


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## biokid101

i hope the babies survive.does anyone have any ways to see if there is absolutley babies in the bubblenest?


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## Lethbridge

Well most people say flash a flashlight under the nest and you can see eggs. However i like to just look under the nest and the eggs are not really a white white they are actually more of an off white so you should be able to see them cause the betta will put all the eggs in a bunch


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## k stiles

no don't feed the male, because he might get greedy and eat all the eggs. and congrats!!! i sort of forgot what tail type they are, could you tell me, and again congrats!


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## biokid101

i think they r veiltail bettas.and my male has all his eggs in a bunch so it sorta looks yellow in one spot.


----------



## biokid101

for some reason my male betta has a big stomach. he has been sucking in all the bubbles and spitting them back out im scared he ate all the eggs is he cleaning them or something?


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## dramaqueen

He'll pick them up and move them around the nest. It doesn't necessarily mean he is eating them.


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## biokid101

ok but his stomach is like he is the one that is full of eggs!!!


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## dramaqueen

Hmmm, well he may be munching on them.


----------



## Lethbridge

Thats kinda what happened with my other spawn so with the next spawn the male started to eat the eggs so i added my other male and he took care of all the eggs and they are doing fine now


----------



## biokid101

oh wow i shouldve did that.but they r not all gone for some reason one part of the nest has still survived.he has been cleaning them and everything but i dont know if they hatched or not i cant see tails. none have fallen out of the nest.its been two days almost whats wrong why rnt they hatching???


----------



## Lethbridge

okay first of all bettas clean the eggs in their mouths and move them all to one section of the nest and then they will pay alot of attention to that section of the nest. As for the hatching they will not hatch for several day anywhere from 2 - 3 days so be patient you will see babies when they hatch you cant miss it. just wait it out and they will come


----------



## biokid101

YAY OMG IM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!! IM GROWING IMPATIENT CAUSE ITS GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!! im starting to run out of brine shrimp so i have to go buy more for the babies!..... i wonder what they would look like


----------



## k stiles

arg!!! Where in the world do you get brine shrimp???

I will tell you if I have the store in my area or not


----------



## doggyhog

k stiles said:


> arg!!! Where in the world do you get brine shrimp???
> 
> I will tell you if I have the store in my area or not


I got mine at my LFS, but they specialize in that kinda stuff. 

If you can order online, heres a whole LOT of eggs: 

http://www.google.com/products?clie...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCoQrQQwAg


----------



## biokid101

omg it was so har to find any live food but by lfs is closing up soon and they had some but they are closed now and i cant find any other live food !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Lethbridge

if you cant find any live food at your lfs you'll need to order some from online because they will die if you dont feed them live food. you can feed them egg yoke for a bit but after about 5 days thats usless so get live food


----------



## biokid101

well will frozen bloodworms work for like a couple days cause i ordered them and they wont be here for a while!


----------



## Lethbridge

Unfortunately no blood worms will not work regardless of how small you can crush them sorry about your luck. Like i said before try using egg yoke till you get your brine shrimp. it works and they will live off it till you get them. You also got the kind of brine shrimp you hatch right? because they need live food


----------



## dramaqueen

I agree with Lethbridge. Betta fry need live food.


----------



## biokid101

yea i have the ones that hatch. im sad now. well im happy that they do better the second time they breed. but at the same time...............it sucks (((.how should i do an egg yolk ill try that?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well hopefully your live food comes on time.heres how you do it:Too make egg yolk easy to use all you need are an ice cube tray, one egg, and a mister from any cheep dollar store.1 Hardboil and egg. 2 smash just the yolk in to two cups of water. 3 stir and poor into the icecube trays, freeze it. 4 take one ice cube and melt it into a half cup of water 5 put into the spritzer. (shake it up)6 spritz it once or twice over the fry tank. (rember open Lid of fry tank)Return spritzer to the fridge , it keeps for three days. no more,Replace it with a fresh cube. Do not spritz more often. Do it twice a day. Morning and evening. That gives the fry time to eat it. You must vacumm the bottom of the tank each morning after you start this. DON"T LEAVE ON THE BOTTOM FOR ANY EXTENDED TIME


----------



## biokid101

whats a mister?the yolk is the inside part right?how long should i freeze it for?whats a spritzer?
im sry im having blonde moments here!


----------



## Lethbridge

okay so a mister/spritzer is a spray bottle like a hair dresser uses to wet your hair, it sprays a fine mist of water. And yes the yoke is the middle part the yellow part. I would hardboil it for 20-25 minutes for it to be hardboiled. You can keep the frozen part of the egg yoke for a long time without it going bad


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## biokid101

oooooo interesting im gonna try it. i might go to the store today or tomorrow cause its faster than the delivery. hercules(the one that mated) is taking care of his eggs still and he has made a HUGE bubble nest now im not sure if he wants to mate again or not. but the eggs still didnt hatch and im waiting anxiously.... i can still see some white spots in the bubble nest which means that there is still eggs. pearl( mother) is doing fine and is still a bit plump im worried that i wook her out to early.

im about to start to breed my other pair brock(male) and crystal(female) i introduced them to each other and the female is still in her little container where he can see her.he has started his bubble nest and my female is flaring and has stripes IM EXCITED FOR THESE TOO!!!!!! just imagine how awesome that would be to breed 2 BETTAS thats awesome!!!!


----------



## Lethbridge

ya the males tend to make a bigger bubble nest after the eggs are in the nest because they are all so clumped right now once they hatch and they start to fall from the nest he wont be able to clump them anymore so he will have to spread them out. Well they will hatch soon. Also about breednig your other pair take it slow because if you dont have enough food, then you could kill the fry. i currently have 2 brine shrimp hatcheries per breeding tank that i have so i can always have live food. Just remember like before patience will get you places. But regardless good luck


----------



## biokid101

omg u r so right im gonna wait a little bit.because i dont have two 5 gallon tanks i only have one and a 2 gallon tank and thats where im gonna breed crystal and brock as soon as i get live food. and brocks tank has gravel so i need to take that out. IM SO EXCITED FOR FRY!!!! i watched baby fry on youtube and the nest was usually bigger than what mine looked like b4.so that means that the fry are COMING AHHHHHH!!!!!!! how long till the babies come now that the nest is bigger?


----------



## Lethbridge

well the nest getting bigger is not really an indicator of when fry will come mine did not make the nest biger till the fry were falling from the nest. However they hatch after 2-3 days, when were the eggs in the nest like how many days ago and at what time? mine hatched about after 2 days after they were in the nest, but that is becuase i keep my temp at around 86-90 so they hatched fast. What is your temp? that may effect the hatch rate


----------



## dramaqueen

I just read in my book that they hatch 24 hours after spawning but don't become free swimming until 36 hours after hatching


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## Lethbridge

but once they hatch you will see them falling from the nest it is almost impossible to keep them all in the nest


----------



## biokid101

well i still dont see any babies......maybe they r infertile? well if they were infertile they would be eaten by the male... right???????.....
my temp is around 80-82.its their room temperature. the ehater started to act up a while ago so i put them in a place where the temp is warm...the eggs were released for 7 pm (i tihnk) to 2 am. and its was on saturday so tonight would be the third day.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well they may be infertile. But the male would not eat the eggs then he would eat the eggs with fungus and bad eggs but i doubt he would eat the infertile eggs. Well it might just be the temp, just wait it out if nothing happens in a few days you'll need to start over


----------



## biokid101

i know but ive already been conditioning my other two.if they have eggs then they will hatch in time for the brine shrimp once they get here.


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## Lethbridge

well thats good then most of your bases are covered


----------



## biokid101

yea hopefully :/ its so hard to tell where the eggs are and the flashlight idea i didnt try yet. its different from my other males bubble nest. the non daddy one's bubblenest is clear and the daddy one is not clear. ill try the flashlight thing.


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## Lethbridge

well if the nest looks off white then there are eggs in the nest


----------



## biokid101

well i hope so. its just worrying me. im being patient but at the same time im scared because its almost been three days. he hasnt eaten in that long and im wondering if he can go any longer. his stomach may be big but........idk... on the other hand pearl(mommy) is very skinny now and she is as happy as can be. pearl is pink and peach with purple fins. hercules is blue with red highlights. i think the babies would look beautiful.to tell u the truth im not sure if they r gonna survive. im sry but ive been reading and some of the times the fry dont survive the first spawn. it scares me (/


----------



## k stiles

I can tell you this... some of the babies will die, its survival of the fittest


----------



## Lethbridge

The males can go over a week without eating and they will not eat the fry. As for the first spawn things dont always go well, like my first spawn with my one pair father ate all the eggs so things happen, just be patient and see what becomes of this!


----------



## biokid101

well that makes me a little less scared cause its not my fault.(partly). they dont wanna hatch!! im about to go check on them.i was reading some stories of people getting their bettas to spawn or build nests by rain!! or at least faking it to rain!! and im thinking wow it snowed here and rained a day before he built his bubble nest. thats wierd!!


----------



## Lethbridge

I have a feeling they will hatch, typically eggs are like clear little balls if they are not fertilized but they turn a yellowy-white when fertilized


----------



## biokid101

yea thats what they looked like. well they still didnt hatch yet. there were sometimes when they were embracing he squeezed her and she didnt release eggs after he went looking for them. and sometimes she slipped out of his grip and she released some. and they werent tight sometimes. so alot were unfertilized. now i know they r not gonna hatch.


----------



## Lethbridge

well if nothing happens just start again and you'll get it right


----------



## biokid101

i know i got an email and my brine shrimp are coming tomorrow! and the eggs didnt hatch yet. crystail was introduced to the male and he built a big bubble nest so idk. i might spawn them tomorrow.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well thats good! Hopefully this next pair works out for you


----------



## biokid101

i know right!!! well in less than an hour the bubble nest got twice its size and i put the female in. some nips at first. but now they hang out they totally ignore each other sometimes. he wiggles like a snake. and he tries to get her back to the nest. he tried like 100 times already... i hope they spawn and eggs hatch!


----------



## dramaqueen

I hope so, too!!


----------



## Lethbridge

Hopefully this batch turns out!


----------



## biokid101

sadest moment ever for me.......... the bubble nest is gone!! i came home from school and it had like 2 or 3 more bubbles left! man this sucks well i guess its a sign saying im not ready... (( how long should i wait to breed them two again?


----------



## k stiles

well, I'm sry this didn't work out for you. So you should see how long it takes to re-condition


----------



## biokid101

yea but maybe they hatched and he didnt know what to do or it just happened.


----------



## biokid101

OMG BROCK AND CRYSTAL R MATING AS WE SPEAK OMG THIS IS AMAZING 2 MATINGS IN ONE WEEK AHHHHHH! i just woke up and i was curious cause last night they were getting more closer and i said please dont mate over night.then i got up and there was eggs in the nest and SHABAM MATING RIGHT INFROM OF ME!!!! i got a videooooooo ill seee if i can post it later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it sucks i cant see them finish i have to go to school :/


----------



## dramaqueen

You better get her out of there before you go to school or you might find a dead female when you get home, regardless of whether they are finished or not.


----------



## Lethbridge

well hopefully these eggs hatch


----------



## dramaqueen

I hope so, too!


----------



## biokid101

i kept her in there and she is fine she looked like she did before i left for school. OMG I CAN ACTUALLY SEE ALL THE FERTILE EGGS FROM THE TOP!!!! THIS IS UNBELEIVEABLE!! TWO SPAWNS IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK AND MY FIRST TWO EVER!!! right now brock is being a good daddy. i took the female out cause she was hiding behind the plant. it was rough trying to get her out cause i wouldve ruined the bubble nest. id say maybe about 100 EGGS IN THERE!!!!!! maybe more. im so excited!!!! yesterday i was going to move brock to the biger tank because hercules is done being a daddy but i had to be more patient so i waited and it payed off!!!!!!!! this is awesome!! and they were perfect spawners(if thats a word) they embraced tightly and i got a video of it but i dont know how to put it on here from my email. dramaqueen sry i didnt take ur advice i leave for school at 7 am so it was to late.but it worked out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## rubyfire

wow glad its worked out for you  congrats
hope i can get mine to spawn in a few weeks


----------



## k stiles

Yay!!!


----------



## biokid101

i hope so to the eggs are being attended by the male to YAY!!!


----------



## dramaqueen

I'm glad everything worked out and your female was fine. Good luck with the fry!


----------



## biokid101

thank u everyone and good luck ruby i know uve been trying for a while!


----------



## rubyfire

Thanks


----------



## biokid101

brock is attending his eggs and they just continuesly fall down and he looks like hes not having fun doing it! lol and there are about 15 on the floor will they survive if they r on the floor? or will he pick them up?


----------



## dramaqueen

Some he may pick up and some he may not. Are you out of school for the holidays? You can keep a good eye on everything if you are.


----------



## biokid101

well lets see.. i have school monday tuesday and wednesday.no school thursday till january 4th or 5th. it would be cool to keep an eye on them. it also would be cool if my parents supported my hobby


----------



## dramaqueen

I'm sorry that they don't.


----------



## biokid101

thx. they think im crazy doing this. and that noone my age would be doing this "breeding" thing. but i love it and i wish they could help me


----------



## rubyfire

how old are you if i may ask?
my parents support it. They let me have fish tanks as long as i keep them nice.
They were even gonna get one of those coffee table fish tanks wen they first got married....it didnt happen though lol


----------



## biokid101

lol im 14. im getting more sad and sad as time goes on because these eggs just keep falling one by one there are more than 100 on the floor and he is not going to pick them up! there is about 20 or 30 eggs left and he is barely able to keep up with this!


----------



## rubyfire

lol i just turned 16 not to long ago.
the eggs on the floor of the tank(in all of my research) should still hatch as long as they are fertile


----------



## dramaqueen

That's what I've read, too.


----------



## k stiles

I'm pretty sure thats correct


----------



## Lethbridge

some eggs will hatch but others wont, the eggs need access to oxygen to hatch! As for your parents not supporting you, you will just need to make due with what you have till you get older and you can afford more breeding equipment! Hope these eggs do better for you though


----------



## biokid101

the eggs r all on the floor except for maybe 20 but they are scattered and floating at the top. hes not being a very good daddy . there is a bunch on the floor. the next time i spawn them is when i get my 10 gallon tank for christmas and conditioned for two weeks so maybe around new years time. and if i sell them each for 3 dollars and there is 20 babies then that makes 60 bucks!! thats awesome and i could support myself then.


----------



## Lethbridge

Just to let you know the chances of those eggs hatching is very slim thats the same thing that happened with my avatar betta and he ate all the floating eggs and then the rest on the bottom did not hatch but kinda grew mouldy and did not hatch


----------



## biokid101

well right now he still has some just floating not in a bubble nest there is barely even bubbles.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well the sorry truth of the matter is that they will most likely not hatch however you can wait a few days and see but it is very unlikely


----------



## biokid101

*there is some in bubbles and the eggs look like they r bigger than what they were yesterday. he lets some fall to the ground but then he picks some up. i dont see anymore eggs on the floor he mustve ate them but its ok i still see a bunch of eggs floating. they r circular now.*


----------



## Lethbridge

well if they are just "floating" like you said they may not hatch if they are in a bubble they may hatch. Also eggs dont grow so they wont be any bigger or smaller than they were before FYI


----------



## biokid101

well it looks like they got bigger w/e. but anyway they should hatch tomorrow morning at the time they were laid.


----------



## Lethbridge

yup 2-3 days and they should hatch, that would suck if the male decided to eat the eggs. Sometimes they have a habit of making a meal of them.


----------



## biokid101

it would suck but he only ate the ones that were on the floor cause maybe he couldnt handle all of them. there are some eggs in bubbles and some hanging from bubbles. will the ones hanging survive?


----------



## dramaqueen

How many days has it been since they spawned?


----------



## Lethbridge

the ones that are hanging should survive yes


----------



## biokid101

ok they spawned 12-18-09 in the morning hours of the day and its been one day and tomorrow is two. and YAY


----------



## dramaqueen

I would think they would start hatching tomorrow. Is that right, Lethbridge?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well either tomorrow or the next day like i keep my temp at 86 and they hatch in 2 days flat, however his temp is around 78 so i would say either tomorrow night or early the next morning


----------



## dramaqueen

78 is a little cool IMO. I'd keep it at least 80.


----------



## Lethbridge

I guess we'll see if they hatch. I dont know if the temp has a direct corallation with the succes of a spawn, because i have never attempted a spawn with a temp under 82 before


----------



## biokid101

hum..........they....they r gone!!!! there is about two more eggs left.but they are in his mouth.he ate the rest...i guess since its his first time mating he ate them just like hercules did.i wonder if he is just keeping them in his mouth or somethine cause there are still some bubbles left and i dont know if anymore eggs are in it.. its sad 

i just got like a job.well its not a job but i get paid. i get to shovel snow. i made 10 bucks today. if you have heard the storm we had here in the northeast was pretty bad so now i get to buy stuff for my fish. im up to 20 bucks.


----------



## Lethbridge

Personally i dont think it was that they were unexperienced because bettas are born with the instinct to breed, yes some are dumber than others but they are born with a general know how. However what i advise you to do before you decide to breed is to get some frozen blood worms or somthing of that nature because your males need to be conditioned more, the longer you condition the male the less of a chance they will eat the eggs! I feed my bettas alot of (thawed) frozen blood worms 3 times a day, and i know you feed yours freeze dried blood wroms however frozen blood worms are high in fat and bettas need to store that fat so they can use it when they take care of the eggs, so i would recommend doing that if you decide to stick with your freeze dried foods, then just be prepared to experience some difficult with the males eating the eggs


----------



## biokid101

how much does that cost?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well it all depends on the kind and quality you get. I get a higher quality by hikari which goes through 3 sterilization process' so there are no parasites etc to harm the fish, and the package has 32 cubes and cost me roughly about $6 dollars per pack and i use 3 a day for feeding three times a day. Hope this helps and i know it will benefit your bettas!


----------



## biokid101

they come in cubes?


----------



## Lethbridge

Frozen bloodworms come in little cubes, or slabs etc, i use the cubes because they are just easy to thaw instead of breaking chuncks off a slab of frozen bloodworms


----------



## biokid101

so u have to rip them apart to put them in or just break of a piece and put it in?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well if you get the cubes you just thaw one cube and put some of the blood worms in. if you get the slab you need to break a piece off then thaw it and i find that alot more work so i just get the cubes


----------



## biokid101

oh ok i think my lfs sells those im not sure tho. but im gonna buy them when i get my fish tank for christmas.


----------



## biokid101

right now im being told that im gonna get a 5 gallon tank  im gonna use that to breed them.


----------



## Lethbridge

well thats better than nothing. and you will find the bloodworms in the frindge or freezer at your lfs


----------



## biokid101

ok thanks ill go on tuesday.


----------



## Lethbridge

ya go ahead and try them out and then see how your luck with breeding goes


----------



## biokid101

oh never mind guys im not getting a tank for christmas  i had a long talk with my parents about this and they convinced me that two fish tanks is too much.and they 5 gallon is supposedly to big for just one betta and i have 4. i wish u all luck with ur breeding and im done with the website for a little. bye  ill be on occasionally but more i wont be.
oh and PS im giving away my bettas probably. they dont deserve someone like me.


----------



## rubyfire

aww dont think that :'( they are way better off with you than someone who wouldnt take care of them.


----------



## Lethbridge

Oh dont say that, five gallons is all it takes just continue to try and you will breed them, just keep your bettas and dont give them away they will be better off with you than someone else. When your a little bit older you can buy your own tanks regardless of what your parents say! just keep trying and dont abandon the site


----------



## biokid101

well.........ok but only because i still want to breed my bettas. i will be shocked if i find a tank under the tree. but it might not happen.


----------



## Lethbridge

Thats the spirit, you can just buy a tank when you get some more money


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## biokid101

i hope so but the filter and heater they r so expensive


----------



## Lethbridge

Well if you are using the tank for breeding you only need a cheap sponge filter! I know the heaters are kinda expensive but its worth it. Like you can get a 10 gallon kit for like $54 here and it comes with everything but then i get rid of there filter and all the rest of the stuff and just use the tank and but all the other stuff


----------



## biokid101

oh but i only have 20 bucks. if it snows alot more i can make more i might wait till next year to breed them when they have their tank and all my brine shrimp are gone and iim not going to be ordering anymore soon.


----------



## biokid101

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! i got my 5 gallon fish tank to my surprise!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## dramaqueen

Yay!!


----------



## Lethbridge

Well thats good!!


----------



## biokid101

i know!!! o just set it up today but we got 2 dividers and there is still space on the bottom where they can possibly squeeze through.and the divider move so i have to get gravel ugh!! im going to put my two females togther. the tank is split in 3 and one male/one male/2 females and t hey dont fight that much i hope. im going to heavily plant the females area so that they can hide. but anyway i cant change the filter.its one of those suck in ones.(this all came with the tank)there was no heater and my parents think i dont need one and they dont want me to get it.the dividers are clear so i might put the two females in between the males(one male/two females/one male.
the last space is the biggest so i was gonna put the two females in the same spot but i dont want the males to try to kill each other. they are well conditioned and will be going in the tank maybe monday.maybe the light will heat up t he water i hope :/


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## rubyfire

wow congrats


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## Lethbridge

Well thats good! good luck with it all


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## biokid101

thx i put the styrofoam cup in the tank where hercules is and today maybe he will build his nest under it cause he had one started before i put him in the new tank.brock wont be able to make a nest because the filter keeps the surface move.the dividers stop the movement from getting to hercules side and the girls side. i hope everything goes well to.


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## Lethbridge

your only breeding one pair at a time in the 5 gallon right?


----------



## biokid101

yepper.


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## Lethbridge

okay it sounded like you had two pairs in there or you were going to have two pairs in there my misunderstanding


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## biokid101

it ok but actually i do have two pairs in there but not togtether its hercules/crystal and pearl/brock they r all divided.brock is actually the one who is building his bubble nest and even with the running filter.im surprised.he sees his own reflection and he chases himself. im going to breed them one at a time. hercules and pearl first then a couple weeks later brock and crystal.my females were fighting yesterday and they were actually holding each other by their mouths.i took my net and i scooped pearl in cause shes the one who does the most damage to other fish.i read online that the females get along sometimes and sometimes they dont.but i put her back in and i observed and they were hanging out side by side and swimming and eating together i love it. crystal has some damaged fins. but im going to breed her in about a month or so.


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## Lethbridge

okay but keep in mind you do not want to keep them all in such a small area as 5 gallons for 4 bettas is not very much. Sometimes females can live together most of my females are very aggressive which i find good because they wont get beaten up by the males


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## dramaqueen

It's not a good idea to keep two females together. One will dominate and bully the other to death.


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## Lethbridge

yes like dq said it is better to keep one or quite a few to spread out the dominance


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## biokid101

ugh what am i gonna do......my parents dont help me and they dont wanna see a kritter keeper or bowl upstairs at all!!!they said if they find it they will flush them all.i have the strictest parents in the world!!


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## rubyfire

Have you tried to educate them about bettas? If not try. Also tell them how much you love these fish. Hopefully they will finally understand. 
Do you parents own any pets?


----------



## biokid101

my moms bf(stepdad) own 3 african grey parrots and he is trying to breed them. my mom has none.
if i talk to bettas around them they ignore me. i tell them all the time that i love them and i get ignored.they dont care about the fish.all they care about is trying to discipline me.i get introuble every other day but tomorrow im gonna talk to them about all my fish. i want to put a breeders net in with my swordtails.and for my bettas i wanna get more plants.and ill explain to them my future and they will listen i will yell if i have to and i never raised my voice at them.and ill be like to my moms bf ur breeding parrots dont they mean alot to u and u can do whatever u want with them then why cant i do it to my fish.but if i do a compliment like that they will look at me for a couple of seconds and come up with something.they have an answer to everthing.


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## rubyfire

exactly my idea with comparing their animals with your fish....idk about yelling though but i guess watever it takes to let them know you absolutely love your fish.
Good Luck


----------



## biokid101

thanks ill do it tomorrow when they are together in the kitchen.thats where all of our fights take place.im not even that bad of a kid i just make mistakes. not like life mistakes just like simple mistakes.if u have ever heard of the United States Achievement Acadamy(USAA) i was in that for my high mathematics scores  i just got the yearbook today.


----------



## rubyfire

lol Everyone makes mistakes. But no i havent heard of the USAA sounds great though


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## biokid101

yea it gets ppl scholarships if ur going to college.but im only in 9th


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## rubyfire

well im only in 10th so it wouldnt have helped me either


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## biokid101

oh really only in 10th i thot u were an adult already u seem like one. how the heck do u have so many fish!!! ur parents must be awesome dude!!


----------



## MrVampire181

Hey I'm in 7th though I'm not sure how old people thought I was.


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## rubyfire

lol thanks my parents let me keep them as long as i keep there tanks clean. (most of them are in my room lol) They also love fish. They've told me over and over that wen they first got married they were going to get one of those coffee table tanks(mostly to tease me). But it didnt happen.
before we moved out of town we had a 75 gal tank(that i wish they would of kept but they disided it was to much of a hassle to clean)
lols but every time i come home with a new fish my mom rolls her eyes and asks"do you even have a place to put that fish?"i answere "yes i do". one time i didnt come back with a betta and my mom was like"you didnt get a fish?" i say "no (sad face) no more room." me thinking*that is untill i get another tank* lol

lols srry i kinda rambled there a lil


----------



## rubyfire

MrVampire181 said:


> Hey I'm in 7th though I'm not sure how old people thought I was.


realy? lol you seemed older


----------



## dramaqueen

My mother is not an animal lover but my dad was. He was always the one who brought animals home, not us. lol She hated for him to bring animals home. She was the one who usually had to take care of them. He even brought home a duck one time. lol My mom liked our duck, though.


----------



## BettaxFishxCrazy

My dads the one who loves animals more too. When he was little and his family lived in Arizona he used to bring home snakes, lizards and he even caught a jack rabbit one time.


----------



## dramaqueen

We had a standard poodle once, when I was about 3 years old. My mom was pregnant with my younger brother and had to walk the dog. She fell and that was it. She called the pound and they came and took the dog.


----------



## biokid101

OMG!!! thats horrible!! and yea im 14. my dad and my mom are not animal lovers but my stepdad is from yugoslavia and he had a farm there.he said he had fish throghout his hole life and he still has the fish tanks in his dads attic.there are big ones 55 gallons 45 gallons.but i cant use them they r dirty and they dont have lights or anything i think.i asked already.
my mom had a dog once in dominican republic when she was younger.but one day it followed her to school and she didnt know and it got........rub over by a car :"( i think thats why she is so paranoid.


----------



## biokid101

lol rubyfire my mom does the same thing. but she doesnt go "do u have a place to put that fish"she goes WHY DID U GET THAT FISH U ALREADY HAVE TO MANY!!" lol parents huh?


----------



## Lethbridge

i just read over all of that, all i'd like to say is that life does get easier to all you people still living at home. Just do what you can with your current situation and things will get better, in time, when you get older! Just keep on taking care of your bettas


----------



## biokid101

well said! i have 4 years left until i get my own place! well after college. im going to get the biggest tank like a 75 gallon or 100 gallons(if they make them) for my own fish haha!!


----------



## Lethbridge

big tanks are nice i must say i do have a 110 gallon, but i also like to say i enjoy breeding bettas with my many smaller tanks much more than i do with all my bigger ones


----------



## biokid101

110 GALLONS OMG!! I WANT ITT!!!!! what fish do u have in it?


----------



## Lethbridge

Well that tank is not in my care at this time i left it in ontario when i left for alberta, but i have a red tailed shark, angels, barbs, rummy nose tetras, cardinal tetras, other misc tetras, emperor pleco, butterfly pleco, royal pleco, and a few other. The biggest tank i am taking care of right now is a 60 gallon seamless bowfront planted tank. I dont have room for a bigger tank. I have had tanks ranging from 10g,20g,44g,55g,60g, 75g,90g,110g and my biggest was 154g, dont have that one anymore but i have had alot of different tanks while being in this hobby


----------



## rubyfire

lol yep they are clueless sometimes


----------



## biokid101

yea i couldnt get in a convorsation with my parents today cause i got introuble(go figure) happens everyday ughh.but i got permission from my stepdad to put my swordtail in a breeder box but my mom still wont let me!!!!
i put pearl and hercules together cause he has a bubble nest.
if i had a tank that big i wouldnt put in fish that grow bigger than me in it!! i will stock it up with livebearers first and some bottomfeeders.then once they die off id put in egg laying fish.omg i never would have thot i would get into a hobby like this!


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## Lethbridge

you didnt release the female right? like you just had a spawn attempt and you still need to condition your pair longer! A breeder box is a box inside the tank why would it matter why if there is a fish in it and you should just do it dont ask


----------



## biokid101

u make a good point! but she said if i even try to put it in ill get introuble maybe get my fish tank upstairs taken away but shes just joking i hope. i really want to breed my swordtails but there is always something in my way.for bettas its money and for swordtails its my parents.for swordtails i only have to feed them and make sure the box is clean and wait until they get big enough to not get eaten by my angelfish. i have never had a successful spawn with anything. i just want somethin to go right.and when i try to talk to her she jokes around going awee awee awee and stuff ugh she makes me mad!!! if u got to my other thread "pregnant in 5 days" u will see how my neon swordtail looks but a bit bigger!!
oh no i worded my last post wrong no i didnt release her!! i just introduced them. there is no nipping going on.


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## Lethbridge

okay that was confusing, because they both need to be conditioned for a longer period of time. Well any livebearers are very easy to take care of and breed! like i said before wait till you are older things wont be so hard


----------



## biokid101

but when i get older im gonna be busy and not see them alot and its 4 years away thats a long time!!! i want to breed them now! wow i sound like a brat im sry! im impatient.but im not being a bad person.they breed but i always miss the fry they either get eaten or get sucked up by the filter because i dont know when they release fry!


----------



## Lethbridge

well if your too busy when you are older then obviously you are not interested enough in breeding them now, i live with my commanlaw girlfriend and i work for a living etc, and yet i still have time to breed bettas, its all about what you make time for! As for your fry you can always save a few, look in the filter because fry can live in the filter for months without dying, so i would check there, you can always put one in a cup and keep it warm and clean the water everyday, and no one would be the wiser


----------



## biokid101

well if u see vikki she loves breeding bettas and she hasnt been on lately and shes busy alot!
my pregnant neon swordtail gave birth today i think because she is much skinnier now.but i dont think she is done.shes moving around quickly and breathing rapidly. and shes by herself. as for my other one it is squared off and should be giving birth soon.im gonna get my mom to let me i have to once she sees those little eyes in the mother, he wont be able to say no.i hope!


----------



## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> well if u see vikki she loves breeding bettas and she hasnt been on lately and shes busy alot!
> my pregnant neon swordtail gave birth today i think because she is much skinnier now.but i dont think she is done.shes moving around quickly and breathing rapidly. and shes by herself. as for my other one it is squared off and should be giving birth soon.im gonna get my mom to let me i have to once she sees those little eyes in the mother, he wont be able to say no.i hope!


Well everyone's life is different and some peoples will be more busy than others, we all have to find a way to do the things we love. Hopefully everything works out with your swordtails


----------



## biokid101

well i hope ur ready for this!! hercules and pearl mated!! when i came home a couple minutes ago pearl was on hercules's side of the tank!! she must of jumped over the divider!!and they mated because the eggs are in a clump in a bubble nest he has now..there is probaly over 100 eggs in the nest.i took the female out cause she was hiding under a plant i have in there.i just cant believe that even happened.
i was not home for the whole day after my last post. so i didnt put her in with the male.i just dont know why she did.do u know y?


----------



## Lethbridge

biokid101 said:


> well i hope ur ready for this!! hercules and pearl mated!! when i came home a couple minutes ago pearl was on hercules's side of the tank!! she must of jumped over the divider!!and they mated because the eggs are in a clump in a bubble nest he has now..there is probaly over 100 eggs in the nest.i took the female out cause she was hiding under a plant i have in there.i just cant believe that even happened.
> i was not home for the whole day after my last post. so i didnt put her in with the male.i just dont know why she did.do u know y?


Some breeders let the betta decide when they want to breed why letting the female jump out of the hurricane globe/ breeder box etc. that way the female will jump when she us ready, but keep in mind, the male at the eggs last time so the same thing may happen again so just be prepared! Hope they hatch this time though


----------



## rubyfire

Congrats!! you never know wen bettas are gonna pull somethin on ya lol 
Hope it goes smoothly this time around for ya.


----------



## biokid101

awe thx guys i hope so to the eggs r doing fine now and he hasnt ate one yet i hope!


----------



## dramaqueen

Good luck!!


----------



## biokid101

thx. Happy New Years Eve!
the bubble nest got way bigger and the eggs are spread out now not in a clump.there is still planty of eggs maybe 100 or more!


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## BettaxFishxCrazy

Good luck!! Happy New Years Eve to you too.


----------



## rubyfire

Sounds like its going great so far  Happy New Years Eve!!


----------



## biokid101

yep!!thxx!! ok now this is wierd crystal was in with pearl in the middle and she jumped over the divider to brock now she is all beat up!!! when i cam home she was head down under his bubble nest and beat up i took her out cause i couldnt take care of too many eggs and i didnt want her to get hurt.there wasnt any eggs under brocks nest.whats up with these girls i have to do something!!


----------



## dramaqueen

Happy New Year's eve to everyone!!


----------



## biokid101

to u too. well after putting crystal back in her space she jumped again and she is mating with brock right now.more than 70 eggs came and were all on the floor.i dont want to stop them cause i dont think thats right. but now i have pearcules and brotals eggs


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## rubyfire

wow wat are you going to do!! Like i said before you never know wen bettas will pull something on you


----------



## biokid101

*yea i know its crazy. now i have two male bettas caring for their eggs. but the bad part is i have no live food so.... i was researching the easiest way to make food for ur bettas and i found something.infusoria.its simple and easy to make food for them.take some lettuce and aged tap water. but tell me if this is true.and if it is tell me what else do i have to do. cause i need live food and FAST!!*


----------



## rubyfire

i heard that egg yoke works untill you can get live but idk about the lettuce thing.
Lethbridge knows about the egg yoke so wait for his reply


----------



## dramaqueen

MrV does, too or maybe Cindylou can answer.


----------



## biokid101

lethbridge told me about the egg yolk its somewhere in this thread not far behind tho.i just read about the lettuce and im going to try it. its quick and easy and last the fry 2 weeks until they get past the infusoria stage.they i have to find BBS or microworms. my mom wont let me try it(go figure) but im doing it anyway.she never goes to my room.the egg yolk thing seems hard.


----------



## rubyfire

I see. I thought about trying the lettuce but since i havent had a succesful spawn yet i havent tried. Tell us if it works out


----------



## biokid101

ok i will  eggs are fine and one of my males eggs are 2 days old and the other almost a day. i didnt start the lettuce thing yet. but im gonna have too

*HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2010*


----------



## xSomethingSmellsFishyx

I think you should just put them next to each other at first but after some time, put them into one tank together.


----------



## biokid101

i cant my parents dont want me to have any bowls or small tanks upstairs AT ALL or they will get flushed.

*I SEE BABIES!!! I SEE BABIES!!! I SEE BABIES!!! I SEE BABIES!!! I SEE BABIES!!!!*
* i just saw tails in the nest and i thot i was just seeing stuff but then one just fell out and hercules caught him!!! omg this is great.to bad they wont survive but i had a great experience. i dont have lettuce here and i thot i did cause we made a slalad yesterday!! but anyway...OMG THEY R HATCHING STILL AND MY MALE IS GOING CRAZY!! there was one at the bottom of the tank hanging on a banana plant. will he survive if he stays there withot his father finding him? he had a tail and could swim.*


----------



## rubyfire

awww so glad they made it this far  yes he should servive
if you dont have lettuce you might have to go with the egg yoke
Good Luck!!


----------



## biokid101

yea i might have to but i dont have an ice cube tray. i might just wait till next time to breed them and when i have all my supplies. i can see 2 baby tails hanging from the bubble nest and 3 fry on the floor swimming around but just on the floor hanging on to plants.they change spots so im like WHERE DID THEY GO!! i know there r more fry in the bubblenest because hes taking them into this tall part of the bubble nest and there could be bunches of them.he is destroying the unused bubbles. IM SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM!!


----------



## Lethbridge

Okay sorry i didnt answer sooner i usually dont go on her unless i am at work! However you can feed them infusia but that can take almost 2 weeks to culture correctly and you dont have that kind of time. You will have natural infusia in your aquarium if you have alot of live plants because when parts of the plant breaks down this is what it creates! Just look for full WHITE bellies that will indicate they have eaten infusia if you have live plants. However egg yoke is alot easier and more convient, you dont need an ice cube tray just make a new batch every 3 days. Just follow to post i sent you before its better than nothing, keep in mind the fry will go better off infusia but without enough time egg yoke will be your best bet!


----------



## biokid101

well if egg yolk is 3 days it will be to late because the fry are starting to fall from the bubble nest and my male is catching them.they know how to swim but they dont swim horizontally. i dont have live plants in there so idk.im just gonna have to wait till next time.i have absolutely nothing to feed them. i wonder if they have ever survived wth anything besides live food or egg yolk. well anyway, when should i take the male out?


----------



## Lethbridge

NO making the egg yoke takes like 20 minutes (just need to egg to boil) but you need to remake the egg every three days or it will go bad! Dont give up, just use the egg, it works well. You can try freeze dried krill, and crush it to a very fine powder. Also you remove the male when the fry are free swimming - like this way not up and down. And the fry can live for 2-3 days off there yoke sac so dont worry so much, just try the eggs yoke


----------



## biokid101

well ok ill try to get permission to do that.


----------



## Lethbridge

ya definately try like it is super easy, and then you can raise the fry! just follow the steps i sent you before


----------



## biokid101

wait what can i use other than an ice tray?


----------



## Lethbridge

Okay well let me say first you dont need an ice cube tray, that was just so you only needed to boil one egg and you could store it over a long period of time, you can just keep making a new egg mixture every three days, but if you want to freeze it so you only have to do it once, then you could use a few plastic bags, and put a little bit into a few bags, then free and then when you want to use it just thaw it and add the water then add it to a spray bottle, then your good to go


----------



## biokid101

wow im confused???? ok now i hardboil the egg, mash up the yolk,and then i..... do what with the bags?


----------



## Lethbridge

okay read this!!Too make egg yolk easy to use all you need are an ice cube tray ( in your case a plastic bag), one egg, and a mister from any cheep dollar store.1 Hardboil the egg (about 20 minutes). 2 smash just the yolk in two cups of water. 3 stir and poor into the icecube trays(in your case plastic bags, freeze it. 4 take one ice cube and melt it into a half cup of water 5 put into the spritzer. (shake it up)6 spritz it once or twice over the fry tank. (remember open lid of fry tank)Return spritzer to the fridge , it keeps for three days. no more,Replace it with a fresh cube. Do not spritz more often. Do it twice a day. Morning and evening. That gives the fry time to eat it. You must vacumm the bottom of the tank each morning after you start this. DON"T LEAVE ON THE BOTTOM FOR ANY EXTENDED TIMEGot it now?


----------



## biokid101

im sry i was just lost. but i got it now and its funny i was just eating a hardboiled egg  but anyway i told my mom about this and she laughed and thot i was crazy :/!! but imn going to try it i have to it would make me so happy to see what kind of babies pearl and hercules made :''). when my mom does that she usually lets me do stuff. but im still doin it.wish me luck!!!


----------



## Lethbridge

okay good to hear! ya just give it a try like it is better than nothing and you will more than likely loss all of them the first day if you wont feed them.


----------



## Lethbridge

oh and you know its the YOKE part of the egg only right? and also i forgot to mention congrats on the hatching of your fry


----------



## biokid101

ya i know its the yoke and thx.but bad news my brother just had breakfast and had the last of the eggs 
 why does this happen to me!! first the lettuce now this.but we r going to the store today i hope and i have to get started on that. another question when should i start feeding them? they hatched yesterday and r falling from the nest and the male is still in there. hes going crazy!! i only see like 6 from the bubble nest. i hope there is more so it keeps my chances of one surviving! the yolk sac is still on them and on one of them it looks sorta brown.they r all i think of today. why is the sac brown?


----------



## dramaqueen

You are supposed to feed them as soon as they become free swimming. I thought you had brine shrimp for them awhile back.


----------



## Lethbridge

okay make sure you get the egg yoke mixture! Also like dq said feed them as soon as they start swimming horizontally, first remove the dad then feed, they wont all eat the egg yoke because some are faster growers than others so they need time but eventually they will all start to eat the egg yoke, but keep in mind clean the bottom after everytime you do this, because i lost alot my first time trying the egg yoke because i was not home and my gf did not clean the bottom of the tank.


----------



## dramaqueen

I've heard that the egg yolk is very messy so you'll definitely have to clean every day.


----------



## Lethbridge

Really its not that bad one spray is very little and it looks like little brine shrimp chunks, but it does settle at the bottom, so make sure to suck it all up from the bottom


----------



## biokid101

i did have brine shrimp but they all finished and i couldnt send out an order. brine shrimp is to hard for me. i never even used it and when i need it i dont have it.i guess its meant to be. im not going shopping to an actual grocery store until tomorrow.is there anything else i can do besides live food and lettuce and egg yolk? i heard i can get infusoria by banana peels and i have that now is that true?


----------



## Lethbridge

Okay first off you NEED live food, and brine shrimp are very easy to hatch however you need quite alot of brine shrimp, like you will go through alot for just one spawn. You should look for a produce by san fransisco bay company called the shrimpery it is very easy to use and takes 24 hours to get brine shrimp and all you need to do is add water and a mix and your good to go! You can try freeze dried krill and cruch it up into a powder but that is a last resort as that will not really work. The egg yoke is the easiest and the least amount of money, the fry dont need to be fed till about tomorrow or the next day anyways. not a banana peel and banana LEAF, and you wont have that and again that takes atleast two weeks so again no good for you, personally i would stick to the egg yoke.


----------



## biokid101

yea the egg yolk is what im gonna do. u said "not a banan peel and banana LEAF"what did u meen by that?


----------



## Lethbridge

okay because that is the way to go! To make infusia you need a banana leaf from the tree, not a banana peel that wont work it will just make it all mushy dont use that.


----------



## biokid101

oh ok and this question is from my stepdad..where the heck do i get a banana leaf from a tree!?


----------



## Lethbridge

You'll need to order it online, its just like how to you get a IAL? yuo need to order it online its not worth your time unless you have it near you but you have to be in a very warm climate. Thats why ppl use lettuce.


----------



## biokid101

ohhh ok yea i live in PA at this time of year there r no tree leaves availabele. BROCK AND CRYSTALS EGGS STARTED TO HATCH TODAY!!


----------



## Lethbridge

Ya, well thats good! but they may not survive if you dont have live food, so work on getting that!


----------



## dr2b

Please don't take offense to this... but you obviously didn't do enough research to start with. My question is why did you have them together when you weren't ready? I know you have to have a first time for everything - but be prepared for goodness sake. I feel so bad for those fry right now - because they are on the road to no where it sounds like.

Thank gosh you have had Lethbridge here helping you - they'd be dead already if they weren't helping you.


----------



## biokid101

yea i feel bad to and i said that i didnt put them together they jumped over to get to the males! lathbridge told me about the egg yolk and i was going to do that before i bred them but they did. I RESEARCHED FOR MONTHS!!!! before i attemted this. if i didnt research i wouldve never got them to breed they wouldve died!! if they just last till tomorrow i could get that egg yolk done! and the other batch just started to hatch so in a couple days they should be ready to eat. but im ready for next time i know how to make egg yolk and infusoria or infusa or however u say it...so they can live for a while.i might condition them in bowls and use the 5 gal for a breeding tank. idk if ill be alowed too.


----------



## vaygirl

I think you need to get permission to do this stuff before-hand. If your parents aren't going to help you raise these fry or feed them, or support your care of them, then it's probably not a good idea to try again. If I were you I'd find out for sure if you can do this or not and if not, go back to just enjoying your fish.


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## biokid101

well my mo lets me do the infusoria thing but not the egg yolk. they just joke around.but if i cant do any of the stuff after my next try i will give up and just enjoy my bettas. or i will go back and breed guppies cause they dont need live food or EXTRA CARE! if i could get to see a betta live from hatchling to 2 weeks my goal is reached.


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## dr2b

Okay, so it happened accidentally... things happen. But it could have been prevented. You can NEVER have too much research when it comes to breeding. And I think that if you are living in someone else's house - you need to get full support and permission before you go and do this. You say they haven't died yet....keyword is yet. I hope they do survive, and I am sure they will be beautiful babies. But you should have had back up plans if you were completely prepared to breed. There are never too many what if's. I agree with Vaygirl - you need to follow your parent's rules. Going behind their back or doing something opposite of what they say always comes back to bite you in the butt.


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## Lethbridge

Why would your parents let you do the infusoria but not the egg yoke? like infusoria takes like 2 weeks to culture enough and correctly and egg yoke takes like 2 minutes, without the egg yoke im sorry to say your fry wil probably die, like i said you can try crushed up food, but there is a 99.9% chance they will not eat it and it will make the tank dirty which will in the end kill then! For the betta's sake i hope they live that would suck for them to come into this world and just die! Try for the egg yoke, but eventually you'll need more live food


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## biokid101

I agree but its not like u know them tho :/ they r difficult.other kids get to do whatever they want if its with their money and their parents let them.but i just dont understand why what i do bothers them so much.they already know what i wanna become when i grow up.if they live for just 3 days i can get some infusoria and help them a little because i already put the lettuce in water. they are not free swimming yet but they r trying to swim away. but they spiral.i counted the ones on hercules side and i counted 3 but yesterday there was about 10 that actually came out of the nest.on brocks side.to many to count maybe 20 or more. brocks eggs hatched yesterday so maybe i will be able to help them survive.

im going to try and tell my mom what u just said that was convincing.i dont want them to die and the egg yolk is my best choice.but dont i have to freze it first and then feed them? not feed them right aaway right?


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## Lethbridge

Ya but for a infusoria culture to grow you need to put lettuce in aged water and then let it sit for atleast a week, more often than not two weeks! so it wont be rady in time, and no the egg yoke does not need to be frozen you can just use it like that, if you freeze it you wont have have to make new stuf down the road. Just talk to them and tell them it is just one egg! What do you want to do when you get older?


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## biokid101

i want to be a vet or a biologist that studies animals breeding stuff.i want to own a pet store too..they just got back from the store and im gonna see what i can do im not the best convincer but i can be when i want to and this is the time.


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## biokid101

lol im scared to ask :/ shes gonna yell if i tell her,


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## Lethbridge

just boil an egg and tell her your having it for breakfast, then just eat the outside and keep the yoke and out it into a bag and then add water and your good to go


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## biokid101

well thats not possible she is making our sunday soup. :/ omg im scared ok thats it im 14 im gonna go!!


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## Lethbridge

haha well i dont know then! Its just one egg like it wont cause anyone to go bankrupt


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## biokid101

ok so i asked her i waited until she laughed(i have a really big sense of humor) and she said....do whatever u want..i said REALLY!!!!!!!! OMG THANK U THANK U THANK U.then she said dont let angel see u(her boyfriend) OMG OMG OMG OMG AHHHH im making it later.


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## Lethbridge

i would make it soon so it is ready for when you need it because if the fry are spiraling then the male will have to be removed soon.


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## biokid101

its gonna be done today definetly they r not free swimming yet. OMG IM SO EXCITED!! do they live off with that for their whole lives?


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## Lethbridge

the egg yoke is only good for about 10 days then you need live brine shrimp


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## biokid101

oh boy! i was excited for a moment there. idk about that.awe man that wouldve been awesome if they couldve lived longer with egg yolk. i just learned that i have infusoria in my tank but not enough to keep 40 babies alive.


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## Lethbridge

how do you have infusoria in your tank?


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## biokid101

i was reading and i have a live plant in my tank and when u leave the lights on all the time with no heater the plants produce infusoria.im not sure if its right but i do the same thing.


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## Lethbridge

i asked if you have live plants and you said no, and infusoria grows off the decaying plant matter it has nothing to do with heater or lights. and that takes 2 weeks in a tank to grow so if you just set it up then it wont have any infusoria


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## biokid101

i do have a live plant its the banana plant


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## Lethbridge

well you your 5 gallon tank has not been setup long enough to grow an infusoria culture, the best way to do this is add aquarium plant fertilizer to the water and an algae bloom will occur and then the infusoria will from and feed off the algae


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## biokid101

well im caught in a rough spot right now. see i was thinking about trading in my bettas to the pet store and get guppies! idk what to do.i can breed betas but im not that good with keeping the fry alive and i have all i need for the guppies.i have a breeder net.and they dont need live food. im to young to be breeding bettas. but i will take any of anyones considerations on this cause i have to deside soon.


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## Lethbridge

Well thats up to you, if you plan on doing that then keep your bettas apart so no more fry are harmed


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## vaygirl

I've had guppies. They pretty much breed with no help from anyone and it can quickly get out of hand if you don't have the room for them. When they grow, you'll need somewhere to keep them other then a breeder's net. And if you don't want them popping babies out all over the place, they'll need to be separated too by male and female when they're older. It'll cost money, same as bettas. You need to plan, plan, plan, read, read, read and then make sure you have everything you need before you bring them home. Patience is the key! And money.


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## dr2b

I think you should just enjoy ALL of your fish until you are older and then breed. I think you can spend the rest of that time researching and preparing. I wouldn't be breeding at such a young age. It makes it harder to breed under someone else's rules and roof. Wait until you have your own place and you can make your own rules.


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## dramaqueen

I agree with dr2b.


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## Lethbridge

Everything that has to do with fish costs money nothing is ever cheap


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## rubyfire

im srry but i agree with every one and yes guppies breed pretty much by themselves. i wish your parents would support you but at least wen you move out you can do watever you like  (or wen you older)
i was laghing at my dad the other day because he came in my room and says "Its starting to look like Earl May's in here" 
if only all parents suported wat there kids love to do
Wish you luck with the guppies if you decide to go with that.


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## Lethbridge

But guppies are alot of easier to take care of


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## rubyfire

YES THEY ARE!!! LOL guppies were my first fish and they are realy easy to breed. just put a male and female together for a wile and VIOLA a month or so later you have fry. (well i may be exaderating a little but they are realy easy)


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## Lethbridge

it is quite simple all you need is a male and a female and every 22-40 days you will have babies but if you kepp breeding the fry together over and over eventual they will get to inbred and die of disforimities


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## biokid101

well i agree with all of u on this but i might just cull the fry of the guppies.my moms bfs neice asked me for brock hercules and pearl. not crystal cause shes sick .and they have a tank and ill give her my dividers.
well actually my parents are helping me on this cause they know what guppies are and know what they do and how they breed-they learned it from me-. and they said ok!!!
as for my age i think im to young to be breeding things that require extremely expensive equipment(wow i used big words lol)
i dont think im to young to be breeding guppies because i have everything they need and i have been learning about them for the past 4 months.i have swordtails and they r almost the same.but anyway im totally ready for their breeding habits(another big word). like i said i will cull them.for example feed them to other big fish-cruel but helpful, i will give some to my lfs, or put the biggest ones in the 36 gallon, and give some to my friends.


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## rubyfire

Good Luck!!! lol my littlest bro is 6 and i gave him some guppy fry that i had. He raised them (5 in a 5 gal, 3 were girls and 2 were boys) and now they recently had babies of there own (since i have so many already i fed them to my bettas for conditioning)
So wat im trying to say is they are that easy to breed lol


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## Lethbridge

okay good luck


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## biokid101

OMG THX GUYS!! im not giving up on breeding bettas its just they r to hard right now.
rubyfire when did u give him ur fry?


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## rubyfire

Your welcom 
not sure meybe before school started i think meybe towards the end of july not sure i dont remember things well lol (with breeding my betta ive had to write down wat i did on that day on a calander lol)


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## biokid101

lol i do that to i write it on my notepad on my cellphone. i cant seem to find this answer when should i take the fry out of the breeders net?its hieght is 5 inches length is 7 inches and width is 5 inches so when?


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## rubyfire

it depends wat other fish are in the main part of the tank. But if you have lots of cover and hiding places they should be ok in there.


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## biokid101

im only going to get one male and two females its only a 5 gallon tank. i have to buy more plants. first i have to ask my moms bf if he can take me to the store cause my moms not taking me.and i also have to bring the bettas to his neices house.and i also have stupid school tomorrow.ughh


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## rubyfire

ok well then you release the fry wen you think they are big enough not to be eaten by the parents.
i have school tomorrow too...its going to be a long day lol


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## Lethbridge

most guppy fry can be released into the tank when they are about 1 month old


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## biokid101

ok ill do that and UGH WHAT A LONG DAY AT SCHOOL!! MID TERMS R NEXT WEEK IM FREAKIN OUT!!


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## Lethbridge

Im so glad i dont have school anymore. Less stress more time for breeding bettas


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## dramaqueen

lol! I agree!!


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## biokid101

haha luckies!! well i just called the pet store and they said to call tomorrow and talk to cathy.he said there is a chance they will take them but they have to check in with her just in case.


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## Lethbridge

they will take your bettas?


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## biokid101

i hope so! i want my guppies right now!!!!!!!!!!!! im so impatient!! i didnt even sleep last night from how much i want them!!! if they dont take the bettas i dont know what im gonna do


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## Lethbridge

guppies are so boring though you'll get bored of them so soon like all they do is breed, bettas are so much more interesting


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## rubyfire

lol they are...but they are realy good starter fish. Is there any way you can keep any of your bettas, if only just one? the one you keep can later help in controling your guppy population. Because trust me soon you'll be overrun by guppies. I used to have 2 10 gals fulll of them, I didnt even know how many i had lol. But know i have only 1 10 gal full lol.(still not sure how many i have  )


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## Lethbridge

they are very easy fish to take care of. You could even let the betta live with the guppies, and i know most people will say that they wont but from personal experience they will do fine together.


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## rubyfire

yes, i had one of my girls in with my guppies. Had only a few nips and i didnt see a single fry in there untill i took her out a couple days ago.(she helped a lot in controling the population lol)


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## biokid101

oh wow i never thot of that that makes alot of sense! yea guppies would get boring but its a good starter fish for breeding like ruby said.i might just keep one. im gonna miss them but im doing the right thing its better for me and them.but i have a 36 gallon tank downstairs with alot of other big fish. angelfish would never let a chance to eat guppy fry go by.i might keep hercules i love him i cant get over his beauty.  i cried cause i didnt wanna give him up(yea im 14 im sensitive ask the girls in my school lol).
its just guppies! alot of guppies would be perfect for me and my brother to raise by ourselfs!! im going tomorrow after my orthadontist appointment(stupid braces).i leave early from school HALELUJA or how ever u spell that! 
i get to even pick the guppies that i want!! omg i cant wait for tomorrow! my moms boyfriends neice was very upset when my moms bf told her she cant have them. she cried  i felt bad but i knew she wasnt gonna be able to care for them. im sorry im yappin here.


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## rubyfire

Aww well then you should keep him  and yes the angel fish would help too.(i want angel fish ) lol HALLELUJAH
Good Luck with picking them out
(im supose to get braces but my mom just never seems to get an appoitment)


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## biokid101

i have an appointment tomorrow i was wearing these for a year exactly.
i might have to ask to keep him cause i dont feel safe putting him in with the guppies i dont want him to attack the babies incase i miss them giving birth.


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## rubyfire

well wen you ask point out that it is only one betta. But wen you get a whole tank full of adult guppies you can put him in there to keep the population down.


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## dr2b

My boyfriend has his females with the guppies and they are fine together. I think he had his male in there before the females with them - no fighting or nipping.


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## biokid101

yea but every baby that he sees he will eat right? i just feel wierd about it idk. im gonna ask if not then i will just feed the fry to my angels swordtails silver dollars cories and pleco then in the 36 gallon im sure they will like them. my swordtail should be due soon its huge and the gravid spot is dark and i can see babies eyes maybe in a couple days i might put her in with my guppies so she can have her babies in the breeders net. will guppies do fine without a heater with the water 72 degrees to 80?


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## rubyfire

mine did fine without a hood (at the time i could only aford a plain 10 gal and a filter and was surprised that they did so well in the cold water) so yes they should be fine.


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## biokid101

yea i read they can do good from 50 to 90 degrees farenheit im glad cause i dont have a heater. i have a hood and a filter and a light. did they breed in the water like that with u? and btw i have a 5 gallon and im getting 3 guppies 2 females and a male maybe 3 females and a male idk. and im gonna breed them to get a bigger tank by showing that the fish r getting to crammed up inside there to my parents. not the best plant but anyway im still breeding them in it.ok i only have 14 bucks and im going to buy some plants and gravel i hope. omg i hope my mom can help me out. i have to go right after my orthadontist. do any of ur friends think ur weird cause u breed fish?


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## rubyfire

idk i dont realy talk to my friends about it...I know one of my friends had a betta and it didnt last very long(i think she still has the body in the little tank she had it in  but that was a while ago before i knew much about bettas) I know my cousin and aunt think its cool though 
But anyways with 1 female guppy your going to end up with a lot of babies let alone 2 or 3!!! lol and your surely going to have to upgrade.
Wish You Luck!!


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## dramaqueen

Eeeuuuwww! Why would someone keep a dead fish in a tank??


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## rubyfire

Idk ive been wondering the same thing. She is a little psyco lol I dont understand her most of the time as it is but she's been my friend for years and youd think id know her better but i dont.(I think she gets wierder every year) 
off topic but ya


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## Lethbridge

i leave the convo. for just a few hours and things go crazy lol


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## biokid101

lol ur included just jump in anytime.
and...... I GOT MY GUPPIES!! i have 2 males and 2 females. i got a yellow one and the rest r red but the females r yellow with red tails.!!!! im happy i think the females r already prego. anyway i put a divider in my tank and it takes up like a quarter of the tank and its filled with plants cause when my females r about to give birth i am putting her in there.they r so fun to watch they move in circles lol.
i wonder if i could just change the name of this thread because iwant it to be about guppies. i also got a cory to clean the gravel. 

sadly i had to give away brock hercules crystal and pearl.MAY GOD GIVE U A GOOD HOME GUYS! i love yous.


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## rubyfire

yes the females should already be prego.

Aww I hope your fishies will find good homes too!!


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## Lethbridge

good home are hard to find most people know nothing about bettas or how to keep them


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## biokid101

thats true but i already know my stuff for my future betta keeping and breeding.
but anyway

I HEREBY DECLARE THIS THREAD ALL ABOUT GUPPIES!!! AND OR BETTAS OR SWORDTAILS OR ANY OTHER LIVEBEARER OR BETTAS.


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## Lethbridge

remember not alot of people may not know about guppies or what not on this forum because it is solely dedicated to bettas however, i can help you out and i am sure other people can as well, i use to breed show guppies so i can help you out with just about anything you will need


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## rubyfire

lol i can help too  but ive only breed mutt guppies


----------



## Lethbridge

ya sorry im not saying that no one else knows about guppies i am just saying that i have done it before, my bad


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## rubyfire

no its ok  i understood. i was just saying that's wat kind i did and you were saying thats wat kind you did.


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## Lethbridge

guppies are fun but they get quite repetitive and boring after some time


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## biokid101

yea i know whatcha meen but i love how they breed








this is exactly how my two females look like.they look both the same.
i think i can see an eye in one of my females but im not sure if it is an eye. the rest is a redish orange gravid spot in my female.


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## rubyfire

Pretty girl, all my females have black bodies and yellow with black tails


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## biokid101

oh i hope i get one like that but im not one of those breeders who cares about what color or trait the guppy has i just take em as they come. oh and i dont know if i said this today my swordtail gave birth this morning!! i caught two of the fry i only saw.i saw a tiger barb actually eat one i cried. but then when i got home from school my moms bf told me that they died . i was so sad i didnt even take a picture. it was like 10 minutes before i had to go to school UGH! i even fed them! but anyway i hope this doesnt happen to my guppies! i got fancy ones im trying to find picture of them online cause idk how to post it on here.


----------



## dramaqueen

I'm sorry about your fry but that's just natural for the other fish to eat them.


----------



## rubyfire

lol yes im that way too with guppies mine just so hapend to all develope like that

aww srry about the fry  but you should have more fry in no time


----------



## biokid101

yea im not all that sad about it becauseee I HAVE MY OWN GUPPIES!! i just cant get over it!! if i find anymore in the big tank it is going to my tank upstair in the breeding space. i hope that my females give birth 15 days apart so then i can expect fry in 15 days lol but thatll be to many.


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## Lethbridge

if you seperated the fry from the tank which i think thats what you said? you seperated 2 fry, then they would not have died the fry are very hardy, so if you seperated them either someone lied to you or something went totally wrong! because any livebears fry are very hardy with the exception of sometimes black mollies. but congrats on the guppies good luck with breeding them its quite easy, they will breed every 22-40 days depending on temp and other factors, but the main one being temp. Also when they have bred enough you'll get good at knowing when they will breed again so you can get all the fry next time. Also when you get good and you start moving fry to the breeding box or whatever you use, catch the mothers with a cup full of water not with a net because catchingher with a net and taking her out of the water can stress the guppies, and thus cause a miscarriage. Good luck with your guppies


----------



## biokid101

oh wow i never heard of that.people usually just use nets but im gonna use the cup.
i didnt seperate the swordtail fry out of the tank i just put them in a net until i got home then i could put it in my fry space in my 5 gallon tank. and ruby nice avatar.


----------



## Lethbridge

Yup like i said i use to breed show guppies, and you wanted as many fry as possible becasue you had to cull alot that were not up to standards. so how did they die in the net then?


----------



## rubyfire

Thanks that's my boy Ceasar, he's not feeling to good right now though. But he's doing better than before


----------



## biokid101

AWEE!! i see that riot died!! im so srry ruby. and saphire and ruby
i have no clue how they died.i think my moms bf is lying to me saying that they were dead. and they just dissappeared i didnt even flush them or anythin. i bet he let them go in the tank.he thot i was talking about my betta babies in that tank.he thot i put them in there. i said no and he said OHHHH! i think he killed them.


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## Lethbridge

Thats what i was trying to tell you! they dont just die!! Like you said your mom does not want you to have babies, so i bet he just let them go and they got eaten! I was hinting at it but i didnt want to say anything, until you realized! What happened with your betta fry anyways?


----------



## biokid101

omg when he told me they died i knew he did something cause they dont just dessapear. 
the betta fry...hercules's fry survived on egg yolk until the day before yesterday when they went threw the holesi n the divider and..um..u know  GOT EATEN! brocks batch got eaten.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well at least you know your swordtail fry didnt just die! oh that sucks!


----------



## rubyfire

ya ill miss Riot. Saphire and Ruby were my first betta's they died a while ago but thought i would include them too.


----------



## biokid101

awee that sucks.
yea but im ok i cant wait for my guppies to breed! im gonna use powdered flakes.


----------



## Lethbridge

thats the cheapest but they will grow better on bbs, but again more money and time


----------



## rubyfire

i raise my guppies on crushed flake food.


----------



## Lethbridge

ya thats the way i started, they grow faster in a bigger tank, and when you feed them a few times a day


----------



## biokid101

oh ok so itll work YAY!! i wanna get two more females cause i want babies!! and because i need two more cause i have a bad combo 2 males and 2 females.


----------



## Lethbridge

you want one male to 2 or 3 females. And so many people dont follow that because they like the way the males look


----------



## biokid101

yea ive heard my males r beautiful. both my females look the same but one is a littttle bit more orange so i can tell them apart.


----------



## Lethbridge

well when you breed them you may get some random colours because they do not have pure backgrounds.


----------



## rubyfire

yep my first females were plain and i ended up with the black bodied females with yellow and black tails and colorful males.


----------



## Lethbridge

oh and by the way most yellow bodied females, like really yellow, are infertile so dont get them if you plan to breed them.


----------



## biokid101

oh wow why r they infertile?
and i asked and im alowed to get 2 more female guppies.


----------



## rubyfire

wow your gonna get a lot of fry then lol but that's good in you case(i think lol)


----------



## biokid101

lol it is good and dont worry im not gonna overflow the tank im going to cull them and im going to see if they live with my big fish. i doubt it tho lol.


----------



## biokid101

can yellow males also be infertile?


----------



## Lethbridge

it is just a mutation that causes it and you cant do anything about it. As for the males no most males are fertile unless they have a mutation but that is rare


----------



## biokid101

oh thats good. im getting two new girls today


----------



## biokid101

well its not looking good for me i might not be getting them.
see i overslept and i was late for school and i just got yelled at like crazy. i was like 10 minutes late.and i got driven to school. and my brother just left for karate and i was supposed to go and take him to cause there is a fish store right next to it.but there is still time


----------



## Lethbridge

so i assume you didnt get your guppies?


----------



## biokid101

nah i didnt thats my punishment :/ for being 10 minutes late for school. it sucks.but i think ill live because yesterday i relized both my females were pregnant.i looked into their gravid spots and those little black dots are the babies eyes.its so cool there is like 50 of those eyes. when i got up this morning the girls were laying on the gravel and i noticed that the black dots were gone! so of course i thot they gave birth. the gravid spot was just pinkish orange and i was upset that i missed both of them. but now the black dots are coming back. why did they do this? were they sleeping?


----------



## Lethbridge

i think it is just bad water quality, because most guppies sleep at the surface, i would do a water change. Also most guppies have babies every 22-40 days, closer to 28 days but it depends on temp. Most guppies only have 2-80 babies per live birth however 20-30 is typical, so i doubt it would have been 50 thats quite rare, unless the female is huge


----------



## biokid101

in both of the females its like 50 put together. one is more bigger than the other and they look the same. i dont think the water is bad the temp is 78 degrees it doesnt go higher. my one female is nipping at all the other fish in there even the males.she is the biggest one in the tank.if she keeps doin it im going to seperate her. but i need to get more females first.but im gonna have to beg. i actually have 5 dollars cause i shoveled snow(we r getting so much snow here) i can get a pair of fancy guppies for 3.79 so its cheap.they probably have more thats why i wanna go.


----------



## Lethbridge

Well i hope you get them!


----------



## biokid101

omg lethbridge my parents went out yesterday night and i had to watch my 2 year old sister and guess what the reward was..........GUPPIES!!!! im going later with my moms bf I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!


----------



## biokid101

YAY I GOT MY GUPPIES!! now i have 3 males and 5 females!! i bought another 4 today. i know all the females i bought today are pregnant and one is very close to birthing.its stomach is boxed but not fully boxed yet.the three females i got all look the same but they r different sizes. i just wanna know when i should take her out and seperate her! QUICK WHAT R SOME SIGNS OF BIRTHING!!??


----------



## Lethbridge

There are many signs of birth you are going to need to watch your females very carefully! Then you will know when they will give birth


----------



## biokid101

my females arent HUGE but they are big and the gravid spots are dark and big.but on the new ones i got today not on the old one.the old ones r still light and small. but i picked very carefully at the lfs and picked 3 pregnant ones. listen carefully. one of my new females is always at the bottom of the tank. i fed them a couple of minutes ago and i was watching her and she didnt even eat.she ran up to a few and she just ignored them.then she went back to the bottom of the tank.she doesnt sit on the gravel but she just floats like a couple cm off of it. is she near birthing?she is also squared off a little.


----------



## Lethbridge

She may be sick! most females hide when they are about to give birth not sit near the bottom


----------



## biokid101

OH NO!!!! she is fat to if she was sick she wouldnt be pregnant!!! nononnonnonononnoooo!! but she seperates herself from everyone else.and i fed them this morning and all 3 of the new girls didnt eat anything.they r all fat like i said.one of them ate but then spit it out.they just seperated themselves and went behing a plant and they always pick at the gravel. im scared i dont want them to die!! idk why they didnt eat!! i just dont know when they r gonna give birth.


----------



## dramaqueen

They probably didn't eat because they're about to give birth.


----------



## Lethbridge

That is possible however, since they did not all eat i doubt they would all be about to give birth, do a water change


----------



## biokid101

nice avatar lethbridge is that a new betta?

i just finished the water change actually.the 3 females are moving around but one stops at the top left corner another at the bottom right corner and another one behong a plant. i think fry are coming soon!! but i wont be able to handle 3 guppys giving birth.i have a breeder box for one and a part of a tank for the other.but im just gonna have to see.i think by friday at least one will have given birth.i think its the small fat one. its about an inch long and its stomach is pretty big. i was watching on youtube guppys giving birth and they were huge and mine are a little smaller than them so i might be expecting them soon.


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## Lethbridge

Thanks, yes it is my gold dragon crowntail! 
Well maybe the guppy that is not moving much may be pregnant and going to give birth soon, remember the size doesnt really matter. i would be able to tell you how soon if you posted pictures, i know i use to be accurate within 2 days, dont know how goopd i am anymore


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## biokid101

i dont know how to post pictures on here except copy them from a site then paste it on here.i have some pictures of them in my inbox in my email address i just cant get it on here.


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## biokid101

ok i fed my two female guppies that r now in the breeding part of the tank cause they dont eat and r big and they didnt eat. i feed them flakes and freeze dried bloodworms as a snack. they just dont eat. one female is a little "wobbly" she swims by side to side like she has something kicking her stomach from left to right. im scared i checked the water and its fine i did the water change and nothing. i should be expecting some soon tho.


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## Lethbridge

typically they dont eat the day they are going to give birth but for several days is not good, they are probably sick


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## dramaqueen

Awww, that's too bad! I hope thats not the case.


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## biokid101

noooooooooo!! they cant be sick  cmon they are this close to giving birth!


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## Lethbridge

guppies are a dime a dozen and you'll get one to breed soon, if it dies they are cheap, just switch em up, because the females usually eat thats not good that they are not eating


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## biokid101

oh boyo!! she is so wobbly i dont know whats wrong with her.


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## biokid101

well she eats now but only freeze dried bloodworms! shes the only one who doesnt eat flakes. but sometimes she just eats a bite or two out of one flake.


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## HopeInHeart

Maybe she was just stressed from a new tank and everything


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## biokid101

omg guys! when i got off of here from my last post i saw 2 baby fish in the main tank. i was like WHOA!!so ive been watching her since this morning.but u know what was wierd the wobbly fat one didnt give birth, my two other girls gave birth!! not her!! they werent even fat.
so i captured those 2 babies and put em in a container till she was done. i needed to find out who was giving birth so i can seperate her so i saw an egg it was deformed and i thot sone of my girls had it and i took her out and put her in the 5 gallon and it turns out it wasnt her who had the egg it was another girl and they were both giving birth!!. one just kept ahaving eggs and the other was giving birth to live babies. so i think they r done and right now i have about 20 babies maybe more they r to hard to count. and there r plants so idk.IM SO HAPPY THIS IS MY FIRST EVER GUPPY DROP!! sadly there were some eggs and there is this one baby that is conjoined with another one by their stomaches im planning on culling it if i could find it!!


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## rubyfire

WOW Congrats!! 
I had a fry that was conjoined at the stomach with another one once too. It did fine for meybe a month and then it died. But i think it died because i kept it in the little breeder box too long. But idk wish i could have kept it alive though.
Anyway good luck with raising them, it shouldnt be too hard though lol.


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## biokid101

lol yea they are still all happy and healthy. i dont even know where the conjonied one went lol. its not swimming and its not even visible.maybe its in the gravel somewhere. i saw a dead fry between two gravel rocks and another fry feeding on it  but i think thats the one that i netted right after the mother gave birth and it was already dead im not sure. but thanks and im gonna do my best. ) i want them to grow faster lol. idk when they get their color so can someone help me on that?


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## rubyfire

They usually get color around 2 months i think. But it's never set in stone lol some get color early and some dont get color till they are almost full grown.


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## biokid101

oh wow! well they r 3 days old today. nothing really changed about them. one of my female guppys died. idk y she seemed wierd tho she was breathing fast and she was always on the floor or on the top. maybe she was just tired after giving birth. all my females r acting wierd and the males arnt even doing anything to them and the males r perfect. my females dont even eat and i tried different foods. one of them likes bloodworms but doesnt eat them. if i lose one more female i will clean out the tank completely but im gonna have to catch all those babies. all the water contents are fine i got that tested.


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## biokid101

omg this is bad i lost another one of my females thats 2 in one day!! i had two fishunerals today! why did this happen? was it because they had babies? 
i didnt put salt in ther either is that another reason?


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## Betta Fish Bob

Here is the Sticky DramaQueen posted on breeding bettas. It is all inclusive.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=30005


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## dramaqueen

Elizabeth, biokid is talking about his guppies. This has turned into a guppy thread. lol


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## Betta Fish Bob

dramaqueen said:


> Elizabeth, biokid is talking about his guppies. This has turned into a guppy thread. lol


 
LOl! I guess I should have looked at the length of the thread!!!
Oh well, your sticky is still a great post, DQ!


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## vaygirl

How big is the tank you're using for them? I know you said the water params are fine but how often do you have it tested? How long has the tank been set up, how often is the water changed, etc? Two in one day, so sorry.  RIP fishies.


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## biokid101

yea i know . i have a 5 gallon tank with now 6 guppies(3 male and 3 female) and i have about 25 guppy fry in there but seperated by a divider. and its usually tested once every 2 weeks. i set it up the day after christmas. and it held bettas before. the water is changed bi-weekly or weekly when i have a chance to.


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## biokid101

omg the last yellow female is gone! she just died. i couldnt see her in the main part of the tank and i looked in the baby side and she was there! she jumped over and she was dead when i found her!! whats up with this it cant be the water it has to be because they gave birth because all my other ones are fine and i have 2 more girls and they r doing ok and they didnt give birth! and my males are perfect! eating and everything! so i know its not the waters fault i was reading and i saw that this happens sometimes for young females. and they were yound. they were all smaller than my males. my other females are bigger than my males. this is wierd!


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## vaygirl

Hmmm. I don't know. Did you cycle the tank? It's probably not overstocked but I wouldn't put any more in there. 6 is probably all that tank can handle and with the added 25 fry? That might be tipping it over the line. If the tank's only been up since Christmas and it's stocked to capacity, you might be getting spikes with the water. Every two weeks for a new tank really isn't testing often enough. What kind of filter do you have? If you're changing the water, how much are you changing? I know, lots of questions. Sorry you lost the other girl too. I hope we can help you figure it out. Maybe someone else has some advice.


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## biokid101

no its fine ur doing well helping me. im 14 and i still dont know how to read the water stats but my moms bf tells me its good.he gets it done for me.the tank wasnt really cycled for a long period of time cause its small. and it came with a book and it only had to be cycled or a couple days till the water gets right. and thats what i did and everything was ok with my bettas. and wouldnt the babies die if the water was spiking a little cause they r more sensitive? idk it just seems that way. but now i have 5 with 25 or so fry! im not gonna get anymore just to see if they grow up


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## dramaqueen

Betta Fish Bob said:


> LOl! I guess I should have looked at the length of the thread!!!
> Oh well, your sticky is still a great post, DQ!


Thanks, Elizabeth!


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## rubyfire

well my females i started out with died shortly after giving birth to....i have no idea why either.


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## biokid101

yes thank god im not the only one! i thot i was cruel. im not gonna get anymore females cause if the babies grow up, i wanna put some in my tank then the 36 gallon. i know i have more than 20 but those little suckers r hard to count. they r all doing fine and tomorrow will be the only day i cant see them becuase i have to go back to school. i hope they r ok without eating for 7 hours!


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## biokid101

ok so my fry are 4 days old and one of them has this wierd color to it. i noticed this last night. i guess it was hiding alot and i didnt see it. it came out to eat and i observed it and i looked at the rest. it is more darker than the rest of the fry. it has these black spots around its body and its stomach is a little dark. does this happen to some ppl?


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## rubyfire

yes some of my fry were plain clored while others were dark colored. i guess black color on the body shows up realy early on guppy fry.


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## biokid101

oh ok. i just saw the most horrific thing! i was feeding my fry when i saw one in the adult side of the tank. it mustve went over. and i was trying to get him but the male guppy got a bite of its tail while it was in the gravel and it shook it and its tail came off and the rest of the body(head and all) was just floating there i was so sad! omg most disguisting thing! i almost cried. i still have 25 or so left and they r 6 days old and growing.


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## dramaqueen

I know that was horrible to witness but its perfectly natural for the fish to do that.


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## biokid101

i know but brrr it was nasty! today the fry are one week old!!! happy weekday!! they havent showed much growth they r maybbe 7 mm long still. but they grew a little.


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## biokid101

guppy fry are 11 days old and when i got home from school i found one that looked like a U but not as steep. should i kill it or let it live?


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## rubyfire

Do watever you decide is best for the fry.


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## biokid101

well i ended up killing that one and today i killed another one. so i have about 19-20 left. none have died from natural causes.


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## biokid101

ok ive been looking around and ppl have said that guppy fry can breed at 4 weeks to 6 weeks and another says 6 months. i need to find out cause my guppys are 3 weeks old today and i dont want them to breed next week! i need to seperate them before thier breeding age. what is the real age?


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## rubyfire

i'm not sure but i seperated my guppy fry as soon as i could tell them apart. the girls never had fry so i guess i did a good job lol.


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## biokid101

is it true u can tell male from female at just one week of age with a magnifying glass?


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## biokid101

i finally found a pic of my one male.


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## rubyfire

biokid101 said:


> is it true u can tell male from female at just one week of age with a magnifying glass?


I'm not sure, but you can always find out ;-)

That's a pretty male ...I have one yellow male but he has a light red line down the side of his body and a little of his tail.


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## biokid101

nicee..i got 3 new guppys yesterday. my new female guppy gave birth last night when i had shut off the lights. i turned em on just to take a look and i saw a fry next to his mom and i was like i knew it!! so last night i caught 5 only cause it was 1 am lol i had to wake up at 6.....so i woke up and i found a couple more maybe 5 or 6 and when i left for school her gravid spot was a little dark not as before when it was really black..so after i got home from school i didnt find anymore.so i have around 25 fry now in all







her gravid spot is very light now i can see thru her now lol.


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