# Trying to breed.



## FloaterPro (Oct 26, 2010)

*Hello, i'm trying to breed my Betta fish i have 2, 1 Gallon tanks 1, 25 gallon tank and 1, 10 gallon tank. Right now i have the betta's in a 1 gallon tank*. *My male Bob has made his Bubble nest, but when ever he goes near Marly she just runs away from him what do i do. ( Note: i will be moveing them to a larger tank. ) If anyone can help me with out at all it would be so nice.*


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

What is your set up like? Temp water level plants etc?

How long were the breeders conditioned? 

I don't understand why your trying to spawn in a 1 gallon tank. That is very hard to do with proper heating. 

What fry foods do you have prepared?


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Do you understand how much work breeding bettas actually takes? 

I do not mean to come across rude here, but it is very important to know what you are doing because if your bettas breed you will be responsible for many more fish!


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## FloaterPro (Oct 26, 2010)

I think im going to look further into Breeding before i breed them if you would like i could post pictures of my Fish.............i feel like an idiot.


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## crowntail lover (Apr 25, 2009)

Yes. I agree. You should look into it deeply before considering breeding!


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## FloaterPro (Oct 26, 2010)

I did do alot of research and i do have alotof the stuff that i need i just need more Verbal help setting things up and can someone give me a list of ALL the things i need for theis so i can check off what to to and instructions that are very detailed even for a fool to understand i really wanna breed Betta's $ is no problem for me so dont worrie and what tank should i use the 10 gallon or the 20 and could i get a detailed insturctions for how i wold know my fish are ready to mate.


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## FloaterPro (Oct 26, 2010)

If anyone could call me and help me set things up please Private message me, i hope to see some PM's.


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## leeb62 (Oct 22, 2010)

http://bettysplendens.com/articles/home.imp is a good site to read on breeding your betta. Use the 10 gallon fill it up to 4 inch -5 inch water. When the male and female is responding to each other you can try turning off the light in the room and setting up a lamp, so that the lamp will create a illusional like the sun is setting for the betta.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

There are many many forms and methods of breeding bettas. All work well under different circumstances. This is where research helps. Its not just an hour of googling, more like months and months of reading articles and talking to experienced breeders.

Before you even think about setting up your spawning tank you need to have a goal in mind for your fry. Why are you breeding? What do you hope to accomplish? Will your breeding lead to the betterment of the fish or will it just put even more unwanted fish into the world needing homes? There are many many fish for sale and adoption all over the place. Many of them will never find homes and the pet store ones will probably die a slow painful death in their cups. Unless you have a very specific goal in mind I highly suggest you think twice about breeding.

In general the breeding set up is very simple and can be attained pretty cheaply. The most popular method is to use a 5-10 gallon tank (plastic tubs work well also) fill it either half way or completely full with water. Place a heater in there with the temperature set around 80* some breeders prefer higher temps. Provide a nesting site with something like a styrofoam cup, bubblewrap, plastic lid, indian almond leave, etc. Provide plenty of hiding spots for both the pair and the fry once they've hatched. The best option is to get lots of floating live plants because these will also provide infusoria which is a common first food for fry.

Your breeders need to be between the ages of 3 months and 1 year old for best breeding results. If you do not know the ages of your breeders I suggest getting a new pair. They need to be conditioned with lots of live or frozen foods for at least two weeks. If you feed live foods you may be able to condition the fish in less time. During the conditioning process the fish should not be allowed to see each other or any other fish.

Introduce them into the tank at the same time, most people put the female in a clear glass jar at first. Observe the behavior of the fish. A bubblenest is not always indicative of readiness to breed, some males will not nest until the spawning has begun. 

Once the spawning is over remove the female and put her in clean water and continue to feed her live and or frozen foods while she recovers. The male may stay with the fry until they hatch or even longer if he does not eat them. Once you remove the male treat him the same way you treated the female.

You will need to have live foods prepared before you spawn. It takes 2 weeks up to a month for some live foods to properly culture so you must do this in advance. Some great first foods are vinegar eels, micro worms, infusoria, walter worms, and baby brine shrimp. IMO BBS should not be fed until the fry are at least a week old but other breeders begin feeding bbs straight away, its a matter of preference.

Once your fry are swimming horizontally you will need to begin feeding them. Feed 3-5 times a day and starting at about 1-2 weeks old begin siphoning the bottom of the tank to get rid of uneaten food. Having live snails in the tank helps with clean up also. It is imperative for the growth and well being of the fry that you do daily feedings and daily water changes. Depending on the size of your tank and number of fry you may be able to skip a day here and there but it is not recommended.

At about 8 weeks old you will begin to see colors come up on the fry and should be able to tell their gender. this is the time when you will want to start jarring the aggressive males. Calmer males and females can stay together until they begin to become aggressive. At the age of about 3-5 months old (depending on growth) they will be ready for new homes.

Once they are about 1 month old you will want to begin transitioning them from live to dry/frozen foods. Crushing NLS Grow or Attinsons Betta Pro as well as chopping frozen foods are good methods. Remember to do this slowly, mixing dry and live foods at first and slowly removing the live foods from their diet. It is best for the fish if you feed live as long as possible.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

It really depends on your preferences for breeding them. I use either a 4 gallon plastic tub, 5 gallon tank, 10 gallon tank, or a big clear tub. It really depends. If I want fry to grow faster I spawn them in smaller containers (4 or 5 gallons) and change up to 90% of the water daily for 2 1/2 weeks. Then I drain all but like an inch of water, take out the heater and float the tub in a larger tub, mixing the water for about an hour or two before releasing them. Thats just how I do it. Research a ton, gather some tips and youll put together your own methods for breeding.

Like 1fish2fish said BBS is a controversial matter...Im a breeder who starts them on that as soon as dad is removed from the tank. Ive never messed with other cultures except for infusoria.


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