# questions about breeding PLEASE RESPOND!



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

ok. i dont know if im going to start breeding or not. maybe in a couple years. im only 12 years old. i have a dream... i want to raise the fish i love. i just want to know what you need, and how much it usually costs.


----------



## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=116065

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=87172

I am nowhere even close to knowing very much about breeding, but if you read through these stickies they should give you a look into what it's like to breed them. I would also suggest you read Logistics Guy and MattsBettas journals about breeding Bettas along with reading Spawn Logs here: 

http://www.bettafish.com/forumdisplay.php?f=148

Hopefully an experienced breeder will come along, but this is all the information I can give you


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

+1 elsewhere

Read the stickies, and ask any questions you can come up with (more specific questions).


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Reading the spawn logs can be a good source of info, too.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

yeah i need to know how much money i need to send though. do i need a 5 or 10 gl tank?


----------



## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

That's a very... Complicated question to answer. As far as I know, you can go into the thousands on a spawn equipment, and many have said 500 was low (to my understanding). You'll need a spawning tank, 10g minimum, and numerous grow out tanks and jars. Remember, you can 800+ fry in a single breeding. You need to be prepared to deal with that kind of situation, even if it doesn't occur. Most have 29 gal sorority grow out tanks and mason jars (that are heated) for the boys. There's also the issue of selling the fish. You could end up with hundreds of Bettas, but no one to buy. There are a lot of things to consider before breeding, which is why I haven't bred. You also need to take into consideration how much time it will be to get your fish introduced and the babies healthily raised, taking hours out of your day to do so.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

wow. sounds like alot of work! when i can fit in a new one, i do want a female betta, and my baby betta is a boy. i dont think my dad would want me spawning anyway. i looked at ( i can remember the members name) she had a spreadsheet, shes already up to 280$. ive watched some vidceos, and i also need a sponge filter, but why do u need an air pump? i havnt had that explained to me yet


----------



## hmburkle (Oct 16, 2013)

I am completely new to this as well, but I would say I have spent about $1000.00. 

In terms of tanks, at the moment, I have a ten gallon sorority tank (6 female Betta), a ten gallon spawning tank that required an extra purchase of a sponge filter and a twenty gallon grow out/plant tank that also needed a sponge filter. The tanks all have plants, both at ground level and floating. They also have decorations because the fish need hiding places. The chemicals for the tanks include water conditioner, ph up chemical because my ph here is really low, test kits, bacteria additive, aquarium salt, plant food, etc. 

I am using a mix of flakes, freeze dried live foods, frozen live food, and am culturing worms for my fry. 

My female betta were purchased off aqua bid. So were my "breeding kit" and floating plants

I purchased deli cups for male fry who will have to be jarred down the road from webstaurant.com. These are 32 ounce cups with lid, which are small and will require daily water changes. I spent about 100.00 for shelving and lighting for my walk in closet, which is doubling as part of my fish room. 

My kids think I have gone nuts and so does my sister. But my son, who lives here with me, is stoked. He is 21, mildly disabled and home all the time, so I will have daily help once he gets home from visiting his dad. 

I don't think I am done spending money. I think I will eventually need another grow out tank. I also have not purchased shipping supplies, which based on what I got when my betta were shipped to me, will be boxes, insulation, heat or cold packs, fish bags and possibly a way to fill the bags with air? 

I am learning all this as I go, and maybe there are cheaper alternatives for some of what I spent. The people on the forums are great. I have also had positive experiences on aquabid, Believe almost nothing of what the people at petsmart. petco, walmart, etc tell you. I pull dead betta off their shelves every time I go. It's horrible. Petsmart sells delta tails they call half-moons, Petco lets their beautiful betta languish in 2 inches of water. Even my local fish store gave my misinformation on java moss. 

If you are serious, step one is start saving money and looking for deals, Step 2 research, research, research. Please take your time. I am honestly overwhelmed and flying by the seat of my pants. Don't give up though, just be realistic.

Heidi


----------



## Aluka (Dec 25, 2012)

if u go the cheapest route possible, about 200-300 dollars.


----------



## hmburkle (Oct 16, 2013)

Oh I forgot. I also have two 5.5 gallon tanks for my male betta


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I don't think you need an air pump.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

You don't? I thought u needed it for the sponge filter.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Well, yeah. I guess I was thinking of one of those bubbler things. lol Sorry. Yeah, a lot f breeders use sponge filters turned way down.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

Yeah, I haven't even told my dad I want to start breeding!!!


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I think you might want to tell him before you do it. lol Raising baby bettas is a lot of responsibility and work. Just make sure you have the time and are up to it.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

Yeah, first I'm gonna save up the 500$


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good for you. You want to make sure you have everything you need first.


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I can't really help you on cost since I live across the globe. But from what I read you can make it cheaper by getting supplies from thrift (?) shops or use plastic containers. You can culture your foods, specially during warmer weather. For temporary solitary containers for potential fry, you could use drink bottles (cut the top off).

Pumps are optional. They can reduce water changing but fry/betta won't die without them (I only use them in a few of my grow outs). Unfortunately you need heaters - or find a way to heat every single tank/container. It may be cheaper to breed during late spring or early summer. By the time fry need to be separated, they will be big enough to rehome - thus you won't need that many heaters.


----------



## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

$500? Wow, you need money but not $500. You can find everything you need for less than $50. Possibly less if you really look and ask around for used stuff. You definitely need a heater and fry food. You wouldn't believe how many people have empty fish tanks sitting around that they would be happy to give away.

Containers for the male juveniles. Well, it depends. You can take a conservative approach and only pull out the 20 biggest or most agressive at a time or you can jar the whole spawn. I personally pull the biggest/most aggressive just because I don't want hundreds of containers full of fish to deal with. The rest of the males will tend to stay small in the growout tank until you jar them. I have 32oz plastic containers that I bought but I really didn't need to buy anything. You can use 2 liter bottles, punch jugs, mayo jars, pickle jars, glass vases, etc. Ask family and friends to save these and rinse them out for you. You can decide to keep, sell or give the first 20 away. As you empty containers you take more fish out of the growout. You save you best/favorite ones and keep feeding them and letting them grow. As they get bigger you keep weeding out the ones you do not want to keep. All of your baby fish will not be ready for new homes at the same time. Especially if you take 20 or so at a time. Your females can live together in the growout unless one gets too mean. Then take her out and stick her in a jar.

Breeding these fish and raising the fry is no easy task but it is far more about the amount of work involved and not so much the cost. After having said that, I do agree that you should locate and gather everything you will need before you even start thinking about breeding. Explain the whole process to your parents and show them on paper exactly what you already have and what you need. Explain what you intend to do with the young fish. Explain that you could possibly sell a few if you can get good quality stock. You may wish to ask for the membership to the IBC as maybe an early Christmas gift. It is $14 for someone your age. You could possibly get a free breeding pair through the IBC.

Keep in mind it is now winter in most areas and these are tropical fish. Make sure you are able to keep a hundred fish warm before you breed them. I know my parents kept our house aroung 70 degrees in the winter to save on the electric bill. We wore socks and sweaters, lol. 70 is too cold for jarred juvenile fish. 

The biggest thing you are going to have to do is keep everything neat and clean. Your parents will likely never allow you to do it again if the tanks or jars are dirty and you leave stuff everywhere. The tanks will get smelly if you don't keep the water changed.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

We'll I was thinking I can leave the jarred boys upstairs, because it is 80* up there. I'm def. not going to tell my dad until when the time comes, then I will take a giant trip to Petsmart. I also need to wait till my baby boy grows up And when I have space for a female. My mom knows I want to, but I don't think she knows I'm serious... does any one know how to convince ur strict dad to let you breed At age 12????


----------



## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

> does any one know how to convince ur strict dad to let you breed At age 12????


I think by explaining what the IBC is and asking to join is a big step towards letting him know you are serious. 
Making an itemized list showing everything you need and the price is another good step. You could even go as far as finding stuff on Craigslist and printing the page.
You _could_ adopt a baby betta to see what is involved in at least partially raising one-although the hard work is done by then.
You could look through Aquabid and find very good examples of what you hope to breed. You could print the auction page for your dad to see so you could explain the difference between pet store fish and higher quality fish.
You could offer to start doing jobs around the house or Saturday babysitting for friends/neighbors of your parents to make money for your endeavor.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I think at 12, it's all about proving to your parents that you are organised, have a clear plan laid out and are going to maintain interest and not throw it all in as soon as your interest wanes. 

Breeding is a lot of work. Spawning is the easy part. It's the next four or more months that follow that is the hard part. 

I don't think you need $500 to breed bettas. For example, live food cultures are fairly cheap and a renewable resource. BBS eggs purchased in bulk and frozen can last a very long time, and clear plastic tubs can be used as the spawning tank and grow-outs. 

We have a $2 shop near my house that sells packets of plastic containers for only a few dollars, and I actually raised a whole heap of killifish fry in them until they were big enough to go into a proper grow-out. Otherwise, you could poke holes in plastic drink bottles, insert a suction cap into the hole and stick them onto the inside of your tank/tub and use these to jar the fry into. 

Probably the most expensive things are going to be heaters and an air pump. I prefer air pumps that can run multiple sponge filters or airstones, as then I can run all my tanks and my BBS hatchery off the one pump.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

I'm gonna start with making the money and keeping my room clean.


----------



## JaniceAndFred (Nov 5, 2013)

I eventually would want to breed bettas but first I wanna try hatching bbs. To give to my fishies.


----------



## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

I would jut try to be responsible and make the money last year I did car washes and raked in 70$-100$ a day so jut earn money my breeding set up cost me with 4 breeding pairs an tanks 80&-120$ so it's now that expensive and I would be happy to try to put together a cheap microworm starter culture for cheap if you wanted just let me know If you need any help


----------



## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

I signed your petition, good luck with it and your plans on breeding!!
Bill


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I agree with LBF. Show your dad that you are a responsible person. Make sure you're taking care of your other responsibilities like taking care of other pets, doing homework, helping around the house, etc. Just keep in mind that breeding and raising fry is a lot of work and responsibility .If you're involved in extracurricular activities like sports, clubs, etc then you may not have time. Fry need to be fed regularly and water changes need to be done regularly too, to keep the fry healthy. I'm not trying to discourage you, I just want to make sure you've thought everything out.


----------



## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

I agree with hmburkle. When I started setting up my breeding equipment, I never thought that it would take that much money, but I believe I will hit $1000 sooner or later too. I think the most expensive part is planning where and how you will raise your baby Bettas. You need to plan ahead for that! Don't wait for a spawn and then realize you have nowhere to put them. 

The $1000 budget is with me building my own barracks, own stands, own sump. If you are to purchase pre-build ones, it would cost a lot. Breeding Betta is very tedious since you can't house the fish together when you're not breeding them.


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

Also need to know how to sell. I'm not allowed to have a paypal my mom won't let me use hers and how do u even package them?


----------



## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

if you cant have a pay pal the sell them local i sell them like a garage sale if i ever have a lot so do that thats my opinion and i dont think it will cost 1000$ im probably at 90-120 right now i have every thing and am spawning next week


----------



## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

or newspaper or craigslist ad of ebay but make it local pick up only


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

Really? People sell beta fish on craigslist???


----------



## DatBetta (Nov 14, 2013)

Yea... It's like aquabid but not all about fish... Like eBay but for people near you...


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

Yeah I know what it is I just didn't know people did tht.


----------



## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

A few sellers on Aquabid only accept Postal Money Orders.
Just another idea.
Bill


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

A lot of people allow a cashiers check... What is tht?


----------



## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

You go to a bank,tell the teller you need a cashiers check.
You give them the money and you get a check from the banks account.
Bill


----------



## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

Yeah they do that on Craigslit I see betta fish all the time


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

There's no betas on my craigslist;( I'm going to try to convince my mom I can do this.


----------

