# Per Popular Request



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

I had asked a while back about a good pairing to breed while waiting on a few of the bettas to mature some more... here's the pair that won in votes and I introduced them to the tank a few minutes ago. Here I got again with a light colored female :/ lol I wish I had breeding bars to rely on!

Monet is fantastically excited about breeding, and Xanthe is actually happy with this suiter and flaring back at him. Here's hoping a nest is built and eggs are made


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Xantheeeee! ;D
Im so excited about this! *watches the thread intensly*


----------



## LittleNibbles93 (Feb 7, 2011)

Hope it goes well, they're both pretty!


----------



## mernincrazy8525 (Feb 28, 2011)

love the female. what is her coloring?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm really happy you went with this pair.. I really think you'll get some amazing results. 

If you get a male with fins like his father and the color of his mother put my name on him  I don't care if I don't have tank space... I'll MAKE room


----------



## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

Cool! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I hope they breed and you get plenty of pretty fry!


----------



## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Beautiful Pair!
I know what you mean about breeding bars... I still haven't bred a dark colored female who would show breeding stripes so I have to go solely by behavior which is not the easiest thing in the world specially on your first spawn.
With my last, I did things a little different and sorta "teased" the male with the female. I placed her in the larntern and let her loose once the male started his bubble nest but once he stopped showing interest and she went to hidding I placed her back in the lantern. Did this twice over a couple of days and by the third release they went straight to the nest and started spawning. There was NO fin damage for either of them and I got TONS of eggs!
Best of luck with your spawn and keep us updated!!


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

mernincrazy8525 said:


> love the female. what is her coloring?


She's considered a Blue Marble Dragon... she carries a wide variety of colors, but her siblings have shown just white, blue, and yellow


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> I'm really happy you went with this pair.. I really think you'll get some amazing results.
> 
> If you get a male with fins like his father and the color of his mother put my name on him  I don't care if I don't have tank space... I'll MAKE room


I hope to gets lots of that combination! ))


Thanks everyone for the wishing me well! It's soooo tough basing all my breeding attempts solely on behavior >_< lots of youtube videos and several failed attempts have sorta narrowed me down to what's acceptable breeding behavior! Reading about it and actually seeing it/doing it is soooo different.

So far so good.. Monet is building a bubble nest, slowly but surely. The female hasn't flared at any other suitors until this guy  I'll continue to update!


----------



## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

I'd LOVE to have one of the fry if this spawn is successful. Boy or girl, I don't care! I can get a heater and another Kritter Keeper on BigAlsOnline for pretty cheap. That's where I bought my 2 25watt heaters.


----------



## StarSpun (Oct 19, 2010)

How exciting! I would LOVE one of their spawns! Good luck, I have a good feeling about this one!

YAY!


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Well this morning the bubble nest was no where to be seen... he never has blown solid bubble nests :/ I noticed they lost some interest cuz they knew they couldn't get to each other, so I decided to utilize that release and jar again method suggested by vilmarisv. Once released they were instantly attracted to each other. The male enticingly flared  and the female was following him around. I could tell she was searching for a bubble nest in the tank (looking under the IAL and the styrofoam cup).. hopefully this will spur some nest creation. I'll jar her back up in a hour or so!

Since he has built before when housed next to another male, could I set up a tank right next to them and see if another male presence will help him out?? Or would that be too stressing?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I would give him at least another day and then if he hasn't started nesting then put another male near the tank.

Is the top covered securely so the air is really humid? I've found LOTs of IAL (like dark tea colored) and a really tight lid (I use saran wrap for 10 gallon tanks) helps the bubblenest stay together better and stronger.


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Yes it's all covered up and you can see the humidity on the sides of the tank  He's just such a timid betta... lol he needs to step up his manliness!

Edit!: I _just_ went down to jar the female back up, but this method is working great for them, so I left her out! He doesn't nip at her which is good  But he is aggressively flaring and wiggling at her. He has started on a bubble nest under the IAL this time  the bubbles are fantastically sized! The female keeps coming out and watching him, then he chases her away ("No, I'm not done yet!") LOL.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

LOL...sounds like everything is going well  

Tallahassee (the male in my avatar) is/was the same way..he won't start building a nest until the female is released so I never jarred the female when I spawned him because he didn't pay attention unless she was there to keep him in line LOL....silly boys and their ADD :roll:


----------



## cjayBetta (Jan 18, 2011)

Ooo i want one when they spawn  Id love to house a betta from on of the many breeders here


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Picture updates lol 

Monet finally getting a bubble nest together!










Xanthe is peeking out of her hidies:










Looking on while Monet keeps building










Not under the nest, but I love to see them interact!










More later! Hopefully!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

They're looking really good  I'm thinking maybe tomorrow morning? Its harder to predict over the interwebz but I've always been right with my own spawns.


----------



## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Wow Monroe, they are a stunning pair! And I love your avvie, it's adorable~


----------



## GienahClarette (Jan 28, 2011)

Wonderful pictures! I'm so excited to see how this goes.


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

I'm glad everyone likes them ) so before bed I took careful note of the situation. The male is either still building or still messing w his bubble nest. The female no longer hides and will occasionally peek under his nest. He then chases her away; and it almost seems like he catches his mistake and then flares and tries to wiggle dance her back under the nest haha. So far there is very minimal fin damage. Just a few shallow splits. I'm hoping no one gets bored! I'm also hoping 1fish2fish is right and that it happens tomorrow morning ))


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

So nothing yet, but pretty close. They constantly engage each other and it's pretty sweet... They give each other little kisses almost lol. Hopefully this means they're actually closer to spawning!


----------



## Dragonlady (Nov 29, 2010)

Most bettas seem to spawn in the morning if there is no movement outside the tank within 3 feet distance. Good luck with this pair! I hope to see your name on show winnings in the future!


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Sweet couple!


----------



## beat2020 (Dec 31, 2009)

Looks like they're getting close!


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Ahhhh! This is sooooo EGG-citing! 

I want girls, pretty little girls.... uh, boy that sounds so wrong... pretty little girl FRY! Ah, that's 'betta'...

Good Luck, Monroe0704!


----------



## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

They look like they're about to embrace. Here's hoping!


----------



## NIB BETTA (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice pictures. I missed it when my pair spawned. I watched them for hours, they would get close but then she would run off. They decided to spawn while I was at work. I didn't realize it until I checked the nest and saw the eggs. 

Good luck with this beautiful pair.


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

The couple is still just chasing each other around the tank and now the nest is slowly starting to disintegrate... any suggestions on what I could do to tip the scales? They are interested in each other still, but just short of embracing!


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Soft lights! Wine! Micheal Bolton music! Silk sheets! Arrrgggh!


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy said:


> Soft lights! Wine! Micheal Bolton music! Silk sheets! Arrrgggh!


Hahah I wish it was that easy! I'm hoping that since it's both of their's first time that it'll just take a bit longer than usual... I might separate them and introduce her again in a few hours. BUT I wanted to wait until I got some suggestions lol


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm not one of those who likes to constantly remove the female. As long as they are being peaceful towards one another I say let them be. If they start to get too aggressive then I would take them out and re-condition.

I've had a pair that was similar.. just swimming around happy as can be and took 4 days to spawn. After that I started using the 5 gallon instead of the 10 gallon because I think 10 gallons may make it too easy for them to loose one another.


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestion! Since I'm still a newbie, I didn't know what method would work best with them. I typically opt for the more natural circumstances, but I'm here to learn, not to stick to my ways hahah. I'll still leave them be. The male lost a bit of fin chasing the female early on in the spawning, but it's not major and they both still seem active and healthy. I'll just keep track of them!


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Gorgeous fish! How exciting, they look so cute together!!!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Yeah.. with males with really long fins like his there's really no escaping fin damage unless they get right down to business with little/no chasing. Their fins get torn just from the excessive chasing through plants/hides, etc not even from actual biting. Usually it heals right up though in about a week after taking them out of the tank IME


----------



## Dragonlady (Nov 29, 2010)

It is common for the female to test the male by nipping his fins. The female wants a nice strong male that can defend the nest because only the strongest and smartest survive in the wild. She probably nudged his side first to entice him to wrap her and she nipped his fins when he did not do what she expected. She may have rejected him. If she is not head down in a submissive posture it might be a good idea to try again in at least 2 weeks after reconditioning. You could also try another female after reconditioning. ;-) IME, it is not uncommon for male betta imports to be TDTB(too dumb to breed).


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

How about a nice candlelight bloodworm dinner. lol


----------



## mernincrazy8525 (Feb 28, 2011)

sign me up to have a male with the females coloring. I would love to have one of them to breed with my metallic MG female.


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Well... I never would have guessed getting bettas to breed would be so tricky. I always read about how the bettas can be damaged in breeding, and to watch out for aggressive behavior... but nothing about this kind of situation...


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Well the same old same old happened... Nothing lol. They really seemed like they were engaging each other but it is starting to seem like the female rejected the male like dragonlady said. I've separated them to rest and feed them. I may try another pair, or I might just wait the two weeks for this pair to recuperate. They've been the closest to spawning! Why do none of my bettas like each other?? LOL. Oh well this is yet another good learning process... Sorry for those excited about the babies


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

No worries. 

Your fish are safe and sound, that's the most important thing. Maybe next time they'll be more...'breed-y'....


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Next time I'm totally putting on Barry White! It'll be hilarious if they actually spawn then! One of these days I will be successful  I think I owe this all to my light colored females... I'm becoming a master of reading betta body language


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Barry White... you are absolutely right! LOL


----------



## GienahClarette (Jan 28, 2011)

I read something about simulating rainfall to induce breeding in bettas. Has anyone else heard about this?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I really don't think you need 2 weeks to recondition. Normally speaking if you have a pair that is already conditioned but didn't spawn you can usually just take about a week to recondition and put them back together.

I would advise conditioning them this time in total isolation so they can't see any other fish at all for the entire period. That might make them a little friskier when they're finally introduced. I would also try not jarring the female but just adding her at the same time you do the male (in the opposite side of the tank).


----------



## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> I really don't think you need 2 weeks to recondition. Normally speaking if you have a pair that is already conditioned but didn't spawn you can usually just take about a week to recondition and put them back together.
> 
> I would advise conditioning them this time in total isolation so they can't see any other fish at all for the entire period. That might make them a little friskier when they're finally introduced. I would also try not jarring the female but just adding her at the same time you do the male (in the opposite side of the tank).


Yey sounds good! The female does appear to be swollen w eggs still. Once I get home tonight I'll get the female in isolation since the male is already. Would you suggest having one of them in the spawning tank to condition? I don't know much about betta territory so I don't know if it'd help or hurt to have one of them already established in that tank.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Not sure about that one. You can try leaving the male in there and see if it makes him a little more aggressive.


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

I think conditioning one in the breeding tank will make them territorial when the other is re-introduced... which is what you don't want...


----------



## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

...or do you??? Ah... I'm not breeding anybody... ignore me... listen to the other breeders....


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

lol!!


----------



## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

This has been an exciting thread to read! I hope it works out for the pair. It's so disappointing when you can't get them to breed


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

My fish are out side. I always age my water .... cycled? .. IDK. Anyway, since I don't want mosquitoes in my water, I always leave one (usually male) in it. And introduce the female when I think the water is ready.

IME, once a pair is flirting (considering both are in top health) you shouldn't separate them. They will eventually spawn. Sometimes (very seldom) it may take them a week to spawn (specially if temp is low). But they will spawn. Just make sure none is hurting the other..... like your pair - fairly peaceful.


----------

