# Need: Breeding Pairs..Where do I find sellers?



## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

I would like two or three pairs of breeders that are still young.. preferably 12-14 months old. I am fascinated by crowntails, HMPK, and giants. Please help me find some for a good price! :-D


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

You should be looking for bettas that are 3-4 months old in that case. Which is the age that most are sold by breeders. 12-24 months is getting up there in age, they can still breed, but 3-4 months may be better. Check out www.aquabid.com


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Wow! Thanks a bunch!  One thing that I can't seem to find are breeding pairs... I'll keep looking though! @shannonpwns


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

shannonpwns said:


> You should be looking for bettas that are 3-4 months old in that case. Which is the age that most are sold by breeders. 12-24 months is getting up there in age, they can still breed, but 3-4 months may be better. Check out www.aquabid.com


Do you know of anywhere that might have more reasonable prices?


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

The American sellers usually have bettas that are cheaper, but from what I know, breeding quality bettas are usually around that price range.


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

DoctorWhoLuver said:


> The American sellers usually have bettas that are cheaper, but from what I know, breeding quality bettas are usually around that price range.


My fish don't have to be "show quality", but I would like to have some beautiful fish...are there any breeders in Florida? I've been searching the internet all day for one.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Just look at the USA sellers on aquabid, and if you see a male you like, you can contact the breeder and request a sibling female and they usually will have some available. Priority Shipping will usually be between $10-15 for 4-6 fish, depending on the seller.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

First thing is to decide what you want to breed. Do a google search on bettas and pull up the "images" to look through the photos. If something catches your eye do your research and figure out how it is made. Once you know what you want you will know where to look for breeders. IMHO the best place you can get information in one place is Bettysplendens.com. Do yourself a favor and read every single page. As far as breeding stock goes you can look on aquabid of course, there are a few betta shops that import, facebook betta groups sometimes list stock for sale and you can message members to ask if they have stock, classified ads here on betta fish and spawn logs are all places to find breeders. As far as "pairs" go, you don't need pairs. You can pick individuals once you do your homework you can put your own pairs together.


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Ilikebutterflies said:


> First thing is to decide what you want to breed. Do a google search on bettas and pull up the "images" to look through the photos. If something catches your eye do your research and figure out how it is made. Once you know what you want you will know where to look for breeders. IMHO the best place you can get information in one place is Bettysplendens.com. Do yourself a favor and read every single page. As far as breeding stock goes you can look on aquabid of course, there are a few betta shops that import, facebook betta groups sometimes list stock for sale and you can message members to ask if they have stock, classified ads here on betta fish and spawn logs are all places to find breeders. As far as "pairs" go, you don't need pairs. You can pick individuals once you do your homework you can put your own pairs together.


Thanks! I've read so much information on bettas my head is about to explode...the reason why I am trying to find "pairs' is so that I can have a better bloodline and not some cheap walmart fish.. and I actually found a website where they give you six fish of the same bloodline for 30$ +S&H within range of where I live... It's called Blue Betta USA... Their online payment website is messed up right now, but they are still open for business is the response I received after sending a message... thaitybetta and Elitebetta on youtube have many great informational videos that I watched as well..


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Nevermind! the owner is supposedly a scam artist! DO NOT BUY FROM Betterbettas.com or BluebettaUSA.com they are run by a guy named Bryan Epstein who has been flagged numerous times for 1)poor product 2)Not delivering when you paid 3)dead or tranquilized fish


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

You can create your own bloodline. That's part of the fun. Your first generation may be a bit of a surprise but after that it will start to become more stable. Do you have a particular color or tail type in mind?


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Ilikebutterflies said:


> You can create your own bloodline. That's part of the fun. Your first generation may be a bit of a surprise but after that it will start to become more stable. Do you have a particular color or tail type in mind?


I currently have a pair of crown tails I purchased at Petsmart...they were the smallest ones i could find that had the best looking finnage...the male is red with some purple on the inner tail and the female is a variety of blues... their babies would be complete mutts haha...


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

have you bred before?


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

> have you bred before?


Absolutely. I'm working on several lines of HMPK that are all sorta interchangeable. Yellow, black copper, black gold, red/white/blue, metallic HMPKDT, and pastels.

I'm aiming for show fish after several spawns that I used to get the hang of it.


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

HMPK fish are stunning! Do you have any pictures of them>?


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Here are my fish


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)




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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Wow! those are great! How much are you selling the fry for??? lolol


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

and how did you get the big pictures ??? I tried to post big pics but it wouldnt work!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

IMO there's no fun in buying and breeding a sibling pair from someone else's line... Yes, you will get predictable, possibly high quality results... But there isn't any creativity or surprises. 

I like to start with two unrelated fish with good finnage and nice color to start lines. To do this you need a working knowledge of the genetics, though... So you don't put a red fish with a blue fish and be sad when you get blue fish with red wash like every fish at the petstore.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Might have some pastels in a few weeks. Might have some yellows/cambos in a month-I have some jarred now. Might have some adults when I decide to reduce the number of breeders. I keep my spawns small so I don't have so many to weed through and cull. I'm really hoping for a few to send to shows in the fall.

My current stock is much better than what I started with but not as nice as I hope to have this time next year.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

> IMO there's no fun in buying and breeding a sibling pair from someone else's line... Yes, you will get predictable, possibly high quality results... But there isn't any creativity or surprises.
> 
> I like to start with two unrelated fish with good finnage and nice color to start lines. To do this you need a working knowledge of the genetics, though... So you don't put a red fish with a blue fish and be sad when you get blue fish with red wash like every fish at the petstore.


Exactly this! Maybe for your very first pair get a matched lovely pair but after that do the work yourself!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> IMO there's no fun in buying and breeding a sibling pair from someone else's line... Yes, you will get predictable, possibly high quality results... But there isn't any creativity or surprises.
> 
> I like to start with two unrelated fish with good finnage and nice color to start lines. To do this you need a working knowledge of the genetics, though... So you don't put a red fish with a blue fish and be sad when you get blue fish with red wash like every fish at the petstore.


Good advice! I know that the crown tail is a recessive trait which is why I purchased two crowntails... I would love to hear your input on how to select in order to get the desired allele (gene) that I want in future generations...Thanks for your comment! It woke me up haha..


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Lots of FB groups for breeders who sell/trade/give fish away all the time.. there is an IBC chapter group in Florida and in quite a few states. Any breeder you buy from you can ask if they have other fish for sale as well - related or non related, especially females as usually there is some just stocked up. I wish I had some for sale now, but they are all a bit too young and are still developing.. but look up groups in FB and find some.. I know there is First Coast Bettas group that just started, but you can go from there by asking where other groups are at and such. I can't link it to you, as it is against the rules, but if you can't find any from breeders here you will need to check out FB, Ebay and Aquabid. 

Good luck!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Myates said:


> Lots of FB groups for breeders who sell/trade/give fish away all the time.. there is an IBC chapter group in Florida and in quite a few states. Any breeder you buy from you can ask if they have other fish for sale as well - related or non related, especially females as usually there is some just stocked up. I wish I had some for sale now, but they are all a bit too young and are still developing.. but look up groups in FB and find some.. I know there is First Coast Bettas group that just started, but you can go from there by asking where other groups are at and such. I can't link it to you, as it is against the rules, but if you can't find any from breeders here you will need to check out FB, Ebay and Aquabid.
> 
> Good luck!


Thank youu!! By the way, the bettas in your profile pic are beautiful


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks (I just now changed it lol), but that is my line of butterflies - was father, son both were bred by me  Now it's just the father who came from another line of mine. I just wish I could get a picture of him flaring lol.. he flares nonstop but as soon as he sees a camera he stops and stares -.-


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Myates said:


> Thanks (I just now changed it lol), but that is my line of butterflies - was father, son both were bred by me  Now it's just the father who came from another line of mine. I just wish I could get a picture of him flaring lol.. he flares nonstop but as soon as he sees a camera he stops and stares -.-


I just bought three more yesterday that seemed like better matches for what I wanted (line wise) ...another thing, Ive been having trouble breeding (gasp) ;/


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

My fish just wrapped  thank you guys for all the help! ::)))


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Congrats!!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Now the real work begins :-D.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Updates?


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Updates. haha
So, the wrapping was an unusually quick process...It took under ten minutes for them to wrap up which shocked me based on what I had read. It took around an hour for the male to chase the female out of the nesting area. 
Later last night, I started the BBS hatchery so that in a few days the fry will have more then just infusoria to feed on.
Woke up and took the male out because I was afraid he would eat the eggs. There are around 60-100 fertilized eggs (I checked with a mirror). The pair are now in a divided tank that is warm and has some aquarium salt to repair their fins (even though they didn't bite much).
I also picked up two sponge filters, control valves, and hornswort: 1. for the 10 gallon grow out 2. for the 5 gallon home depot bucket they are in right now 
This is to aid with the nitrogen cycle. 
The eggs have not hatched yet, so now it's a waiting game!
Anyone have comments, critiques, advice? I'll be sure to keep you updated! 
I do not know how to post pictures on this site yet (But that doesnt matter because I have any good ones yet)
Hope everyone has a great day!


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Croz711 said:


> Updates. haha
> So, the wrapping was an unusually quick process...It took under ten minutes for them to wrap up which shocked me based on what I had read. It took around an hour for the male to chase the female out of the nesting area.
> Usually it's many wrappings over time, was she huddled in a corner when you removed her? I've had them spawn anywhere from an hour to 6 hours.
> 
> ...


To post pictures, select "advance" on the bottom next to reply.. in the new type box there will be a paper clip next to the smiley face.. the paper clip is the link to open up the box to select your pictures off your computer - select 'choose file' and then upload once you found your picture. You won't be able to see the pictures on your post, and the box will stay up until you click the x to get out.. once you submit your post your picture will show up on the bottom of the post 

Good luck!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

WOw! thank you! I'm working on purchasing a 55g tank/stand right now! so hopefully that will be a big help..I have other fish that will be able to eat the BBS..and can I put the male back in after taking him out?
I currently have two 10g tanks, two 5 gal buckets, and multiple jars/plastic containers... but still only two sponge filters...I can easily get a couple 20g, but I want the 55!~~~ Thank you again for all the feedback  Hopefully all goes well


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Here are some pics


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

top breeding pair
'
Second is a possible grow out tank and bbs hatchery

next is my african cichlid where my bettas are going to reside after getting a bigger tank. to the right is one of the spawning tanks where my cambodian and red are

The next tank is where the fertilized eggs are... It's shallow on purpose so that I can drip water in progressively for the first few weeks until the fry are big enough to transfer to a bigger tank

Comments critiques, advice?


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Update: I put my male back in the tank and he ate all the eggs


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Awww poo! 
Well, it may be because you took him out and put him back in. Condition him again for a week and give it another shot. If he eats the eggs again get a different male. Now, the eggs may not have been any good either. They know which ones are bad.

It's up to you but water changes on a 55g are gonna suck. 20 gallon wide is the way to go IMHO. I have a 55g but that's for the females, one giant HMPK male divided off and leftover juvie females that don't have new homes yet BUT I don't have to do daily or at least 3x weekly water changes on that either.


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

I think it was just because he didnt recognize that they were his own eggs..there are still some at the bottom of the tank, and my other pair actually laid a few eggs which was a surprise, but only like 10 haha.... I'm quarantining them all right now... The 55 gallon tank is gonna be 75% with a filter and stand (i couldnt pass it up).. and I will put my flower horn cichlid in there so he can get nice and big  Ill give it another week and try again... but it will be easier now that I know how to do it!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Ilikebutterflies said:


> It's up to you but water changes on a 55g are gonna suck. 20 gallon wide is the way to go IMHO. I have a 55g but that's for the females, one giant HMPK male divided off and leftover juvie females that don't have new homes yet BUT I don't have to do daily or at least 3x weekly water changes on that either.


and really?!? 3x a week?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Young fish need lots of water changes if you ever want to see any growth. Most breeders do at least a 50% w/c every day, but in a 55g grow out that isn't necessary... 3x a week, like ILB said, would be better.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Oh yes...lots and lots and lots of water changes if you don't want them to grow super slow. I just started doing 50% daily changes (the last three weeks) and there really is a difference.

How often were you planning to do water changes?


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

ohhhh, for the fry! Every day for the fry... the big tank would be for my cichlid! I wouldnt want to breed with that big of a tank. I can get a 20 gallon for like 15 bucks ...this hobby is way too addicting.


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

...I saw three swimming horizontally in the blue CT tank and a lot more zygotes then expected in the red tank... i dont think any of them will make it, but ill try my hardest!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

Update: This morning I finished hatching my first batch off BBS which went well.
I go outside to feed the three fry that I saw and I ended up seeing 30-40 fry today!  I was sooo happy ! anyway, I dripped some more water into the tank and fed them a couple drops of BBS ... NOW the fun begins!


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Yay! How exciting! I'm glad you had more fry survive! Although 3 sounds like a manageable number :roll: haha. I can't wait to attempt to spawn my fish this week!


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

shannonpwns said:


> Yay! How exciting! I'm glad you had more fry survive! Although 3 sounds like a manageable number :roll: haha. I can't wait to attempt to spawn my fish this week!


Keep me updated! I would love to hear your experience


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## Croz711 (Aug 23, 2013)

:lol::lol: I did a eye count and found that I actually have around 70 !


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