# Blue Dragon Mustard Gas HM



## AmorTiogar

12/20/2013

Introduced the pair today and released the female. Also, they are not siblings. 
http://youtu.be/I0u5Sk7SI04

Here's the male (Frostbite): 









Here's the female (Esmerelda):









Here's my setup:


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## hmburkle

They look like a good match to me.


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## ynahanson

Very beautiful


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## valen1014

Great looking pair! Best of luck ;-)

Did you de-rim that tank yourself? It looks awesome.


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## lilnaugrim

Technically they aren't mustard gas but they are beautiful bicolors! I can't wait to see the fry! Good luck and the setup looks awesome as well!!! :-D

:nicefish:


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## PetMania

Beautiful fish!


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## AmorTiogar

valen1014 said:


> Great looking pair! Best of luck ;-)
> 
> Did you de-rim that tank yourself? It looks awesome.


Thanks! Yes I did, I chipped off a small corner while doing so. Luckily it was fixable.


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## AmorTiogar

lilnaugrim said:


> Technically they aren't mustard gas but they are beautiful bicolors! I can't wait to see the fry! Good luck and the setup looks awesome as well!!! :-D
> 
> :nicefish:


Thank you! :-D What technically is a mustard gas?


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## lilnaugrim

AmorTiogar said:


> Thank you! :-D What technically is a mustard gas?


It is a form of bicolor so they are very close but to be a "true" mustard gas they need to have a black or blue butterfly band all the way around their fins is all. They are so close but without the band they technically aren't true is all. Of course all the AquaBid and Ebay seller's are like! It's got yellow! That means it's a mustard gas!!! lol when really it's not >.< I've seen a yellow pineapple (black edged scales) being labeled as a MG and I died a little on the inside haha. But all is well! They are still gorgeous fish and maybe I'll get a little boy from you if the timing is right and they spawn well! :-D


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## AmorTiogar

lilnaugrim said:


> It is a form of bicolor so they are very close but to be a "true" mustard gas they need to have a black or blue butterfly band all the way around their fins is all. They are so close but without the band they technically aren't true is all. Of course all the AquaBid and Ebay seller's are like! It's got yellow! That means it's a mustard gas!!! lol when really it's not >.< I've seen a yellow pineapple (black edged scales) being labeled as a MG and I died a little on the inside haha. But all is well! They are still gorgeous fish and maybe I'll get a little boy from you if the timing is right and they spawn well! :-D


I'm fairly new to this, so I had no idea. Good to know! My female has a very thin line of black running around the edge of her fins, and her siblings have a more pronounced line (you can see in the background of the female picture). My male however doesn't have it at all, so we'll see if any of the fry do. 

Yeah the naming on aquabid is pretty comical. My male was marked as "BLUE/YELLOW MACAW BETTA". I hope the spawn goes well, and I'd most likely have them ready by March or so.


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## hmburkle

I hate the labeling some breeders use on Aquabid. I really want to be able to find what I am looking for like a copper & red hm dragon female with black butterfly edging. That would match my male. I have a female copper and red, but she does not have dragon scaling. These should make great babies, and because they are not related and you do not know their genetic background, you may get some surprises! I think that makes it more fun.


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## lilnaugrim

Yeah, I've seen them up on AquaBid before. With her siblings being MG Dragon's you may get a few! That will certainly be interesting ^_^


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## hmburkle

mmhmm. I can't wait to see them.


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## AmorTiogar

12/21/13

Eggs! We have eggs! 
http://youtu.be/JdB1OBfCpB8

I've since removed the female after i found her hiding and Frostbite guarding the nest. I definitely see eggs in there too. Not a lot though.. i'll post pictures later.


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## lilnaugrim

!!! Yayy!!! so exciting :-D


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## valen1014

Alright! Now lets hope he's a good daddy :thumbsup:

Haha nice song choice for the vid


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## AmorTiogar

12/21/13

There's a lot of eggs that have fallen out of the nest, and it looks like he's been eating a lot (his stomach is really bloated) I don't know if this is normal?


















12/22/13

More eggs have fallen out of the nest, the nest has gotten smaller, and he's not even by it anymore.


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## ynahanson

Oh no!


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## valen1014

I know that sometimes the male will eat eggs that have fungus, so maybe that's why he looks full and seems to be eating the eggs. I'm not sure why he would stop tending the nest though and why so many are on the floor :-( It's possible that there are still a few in there that'll hatch.


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## AmorTiogar

valen1014 said:


> I know that sometimes the male will eat eggs that have fungus, so maybe that's why he looks full and seems to be eating the eggs. I'm not sure why he would stop tending the nest though and why so many are on the floor :-( It's possible that there are still a few in there that'll hatch.


Would it be better to just take him out now and recondition them to start over?


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## hmburkle

I think I would wait just a day or so to see if any hatch. It could be that these eggs did not get fertilized. Are there any that are ivory in color versus white? Yes, after a day, if there are no hatched or fertile eggs, I would re-condition the pair and start over


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## iKuroni

I had the same thing happen to me with my pair, the male was a virgin and the female was a steady healthy breeder. Most of the egg's did hatch. I think it was because I had disturbed him so he neglected them. I learned from my mistakes. Keep your fingers crosses there's still hope. <3


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## iKuroni

AmorTiogar said:


> 12/21/13
> 
> Eggs! We have eggs!
> http://youtu.be/JdB1OBfCpB8
> 
> I've since removed the female after i found her hiding and Frostbite guarding the nest. I definitely see eggs in there too. Not a lot though.. i'll post pictures later.


Btw, Love the song you paired with the video, lmao.


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## valen1014

So did any of them hatch? :shock:


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## SorcerersApprentice

Subscribing! Can't wait to see what this pair produces!


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## AmorTiogar

12/24/2013

None hatched. No christmas babies  I've decided to recondition them. When I went to scoop out Frostbite and the nest, there didn't seem to be any in there. Based on how interested they still are in each other, it doesn't look like I'll have to condition them for long. Just until Esmerelda gets full of eggs again.


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## SorcerersApprentice

Aww, that's too bad. Good luck with round 2!


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## AmorTiogar

Alright everybody we're trying this again. They've been conditioning for about a week now and they're more than ready. I'm waiting until he builds his nest to release her. 

Let's hope for New Year babies!


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## SorcerersApprentice

Good luck! They're such a beautiful pair.


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## hmburkle

Good Luck. I am sure you will get babies this time!


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## iKuroni

Fingers crossed!


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## AmorTiogar

12/29/2013

We have eggs!! I think they're fertilized this time because they both picked them up and put them in the nest. 

This is the first time i've checked up on them since i put them in there, and it looks pretty good. He built a huge nest and it looks like they've been embracing for a few hours.


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## SorcerersApprentice

Congratulations! \o/


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## AmorTiogar

Alright I took Esmerelda out because I saw her hiding on the other side of the tank, and whenever she would come out Frostbite would chase her. He's tending to the nest pretty well. Did I take her out too soon?


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## SorcerersApprentice

If he's managing the nest and has driven her away it's probably a good idea to remove her. It sounds like Frostbite's got things under control at this point!


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## AmorTiogar

SorcerersApprentice said:


> If he's managing the nest and has driven her away it's probably a good idea to remove her. It sounds like Frostbite's got things under control at this point!


Ok thanks. I sure hope so! He built a huge nest this time too.


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## SorcerersApprentice

Keep us updated! This is definitely one of the prettiest pairs I've seen. Can't wait to see swimmers!


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## TruongLN

Parent's are stunning! 
Hoping for good results!!


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## AmorTiogar

12/31/2013
New Year Eve babies! I'm so happy! He's taking care of them so well. There's a lot more underneath the cup


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## SorcerersApprentice

That's so awesome. Way to go, dad!


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## valen1014

Yay! :-D


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## AmorTiogar

I just looked closely at the glass of the aquarium and i'm pretty sure i have planaria. There's also copopods. I've heard nothing but bad things about planaria. Is it going to hurt Frostbite or the fry?


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## hmburkle

From what I am reading, they will not harm fish or fry, but often indicate an issue with your water. I am no expert at all, but if it were me, I would test the water. Any water change will have to be really careful and gradual.


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## TruongLN

Beautiful shot! Happy new year and congratulations.


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## hmburkle

In looking at your male, I see the tiniest hint of black on the edge of his anal fin. So, though he may not have a true Mustard Gas phenotype, it may be there in his genes. That would be nice! Butterfly or variegated fin trait is dominant, but the degree and shape of the pattern is highly variable.


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## AmorTiogar

1/1/2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Ps49PVrU0

Betta babies! This video was taken today. He's being such a good dad!


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## AmorTiogar

hmburkle said:


> In looking at your male, I see the tiniest hint of black on the edge of his anal fin. So, though he may not have a true Mustard Gas phenotype, it may be there in his genes. That would be nice! Butterfly or variegated fin trait is dominant, but the degree and shape of the pattern is highly variable.


That's good to know, thanks. I'm hoping that's the case, because the female has a slight black edge across all her fins. Can't wait to find out!


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## hmburkle

He's a GREAT dad. My first spawn went so easy. My copper pair are on day four in the spawning tank. My male didn't start making a nest until last night. My female is still showing breeding stripes off and on, so I am leaving them in and hoping maybe today.... If I get past the eggs and they don't get eaten, I will start a spawn log.


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## AmorTiogar

hmburkle said:


> He's a GREAT dad. My first spawn went so easy. My copper pair are on day four in the spawning tank. My male didn't start making a nest until last night. My female is still showing breeding stripes off and on, so I am leaving them in and hoping maybe today.... If I get past the eggs and they don't get eaten, I will start a spawn log.


That would be great. I think coppers are gorgeous. Do you have pictures of them?


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## AmorTiogar

So I noticed about 10-15 fry at the bottom of the tank. It looks like they fell and Frostbite never picked them up. Is this normal for some to die early like this?


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## AmorTiogar

Baby bettas! Three days old, finally got a picture of them. I'm feeding them twice a day with BBS, and only enough for them to eat it all within a half hour.


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## valen1014

They are so cute =] It's really fun watching them grow! Are you able to see them eating the BBS? I only ask because most of mine when they were 3 days old were too small and too slow to eat them... Although maybe they could've with a little bit of practice!


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## AmorTiogar

valen1014 said:


> They are so cute =] It's really fun watching them grow! Are you able to see them eating the BBS? I only ask because most of mine when they were 3 days old were too small and too slow to eat them... Although maybe they could've with a little bit of practice!


Am I feeding themt too soon? I still don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to feeding haha. But yes I've seen the eat the BBS. It took a while for them to figure out that they're food, but they definitely eat them.


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## valen1014

AmorTiogar said:


> Am I feeding themt too soon? I still don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to feeding haha. But yes I've seen the eat the BBS. It took a while for them to figure out that they're food, but they definitely eat them.


Oh I don't think it's too soon, I'm pretty sure I started around that time as well but then again I'm also new at this  That's good that you see them eat the BBS! Apparently it's really nutritious, especially in the first 8 hours or so from the time the BBS hatch. But just a heads up (in case you might not already know), I've read a few times that feeding only BBS can cause swim bladder issues later on (I don't know if maybe other breeders here could confirm?), so maybe in the next few weeks you could also introduce some of the worms if you'd like, mine seem to really like those too ^^


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## dramaqueen

I'm not sure about feeding only bbs but it might be overfeeding bbs that causes swimbladder problems. I guess overfeeding anything can cause problems.


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## AmorTiogar

dramaqueen said:


> I'm not sure about feeding only bbs but it might be overfeeding bbs that causes swimbladder problems. I guess overfeeding anything can cause problems.


Yeah I'm pretty sure it's just overfeeding in general that causes swimbladder issues. I've read about some people who only used BBS and didn't have any problems. Once I can get worms going though I'll introduce that to the fry.


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## oceanbetta11

beautiful bettas , geargos bettas

wish you good luck


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## dramaqueen

I've heard of people only feeding bbs up to a certain age.


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## valen1014

dramaqueen said:


> I'm not sure about feeding only bbs but it might be overfeeding bbs that causes swimbladder problems. I guess overfeeding anything can cause problems.


Ah I see, my bad, I must've misunderstood the BBS thing when I read it  Good to know though, thanks!


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## SorcerersApprentice

Any update on the babies?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AmorTiogar

1/20/14

Sorry about not updating! I've been extremely busy with finals and stuff. I moved them into a 20gal tank after a week. The fry are 20 days old now! Here's a few pictures of them I took a couple days ago. I haven't been doing too many water changes, so there are some that are really big, and others that haven't really grown at all. I've only counted 5 dead since they hatched, but there's still only about 50. Since it was a small spawn, I decided to have them breed again. The new batch is about 150-200, and they became free swimming yesterday!


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## SorcerersApprentice

Aww, babies! Adorable! Was the second spawn easier on their (third?) try?


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## TruongLN

Wow! They're looking wonderful! Congratulations!


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## AmorTiogar

SorcerersApprentice said:


> Aww, babies! Adorable! Was the second spawn easier on their (third?) try?


Yeah it seems like the third time's the charm. I barely had to condition them again. He made a huge nest right away, and there are a *lot* of eggs. She got pretty beat up this time though.


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## SorcerersApprentice

Awesome. What's your plan for the offspring? (Read: I'd love a pair if they turn out anything like mom and dad!)


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## Ashthemutt

I would love to have a baby! Im actually going to try and breed my girl early summer. I bet you have a long waiting list for those babies! Please let me know if theres any openings!


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## DTailskatr

Wow.. Mom and Dad are beautiful! If you have any opens, I would be interested in a couple of girls


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## AmorTiogar

SorcerersApprentice said:


> Awesome. What's your plan for the offspring? (Read: I'd love a pair if they turn out anything like mom and dad!)


I have a list of people who I'm going to contact when they're ready to be shipped. I also talked to my LFS and they're going to take any extra babies that I have (I have to get rid of all of them because I'm moving away during the summer). I can't guarantee a male for people because I've already had a few people "reserve" them for when they're ready, but I plan on making a blog with the fish and their prices. Those would all be fair game for anyone who wants them.


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## amphirion

I would also be interested in a couple of females as well if you happen to have some to spare. Looking forward to the blog post otherwise. Would you be posting the link here?


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## dramaqueen

Aww, cute babies!!


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## SorcerersApprentice

Any updates on the fry?


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## Chadbud

I have a mighty need for an update on this spawn


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## BlueLacee

Gosh, the pair is so beautiful


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