# First Spawn



## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

So I've been doing research for literally a couple years on spawning bettas. I've watched hundreds of videos on youtube and read so many spawn logs and articles about breeding bettas. Well, it's finally become my turn. I just put my male double tail and my female veil tail inside a half filled five gallon bucket with lots of plants. I put her in a mason jar and he's just kept flaring at her. My goal is for color only. The people that I will rehome to have no clue about bettas, only that they have a pretty color haha. They have kept fish over the couple of years though. The parents are a steel blue female and a royal blue male. The worm cultures have been going strong over the past few weeks, and the brine shrimp eggs are coming soon. I will release her tomorrow if he's made a bubble nest by then. I might be jinxing this but here we go!


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

*warning* I'm probably going to spam this thread with my worries XD anyway, he's just been chilling next to her jar and staring at her or flaring when he notices me. He doesn't have a bubble nest going on and she's just staring at him too. Are they not ready? I can't see what I've done wrong.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Is this the new small female? 


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

No, she's a female that I've had since about fall last year. The new female from this week won't eat yet, so I'm not breeding her for a while (if I ever do again)


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

I canceled the spawn *sigh*. He got pale and developed stress stripes and started biting his fins. Oh well, maybe in another couple of weeks. I don't know what I did wrong. He turned pale gray but the femake was fine. Maybe the water inside the bucket was weird. I cleaned it with bleach a month ago and rinsed it thoroughly. I moved him back to his tank and he colored right up and he's eating. The female looks more active than ever when she was put back inside her tank. I fed them high quality pellets and frozen foods. I really don't know what went wrong. I'll try again after my birthday (Feb 25) and try to do things better. But again, I don't know what I did wrong. I added rooibos tea to their tanks and I hope his fin heals quickly.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

I think maybe he's just too young. Even if he's building bubble nests he might not be ready for the real deal just yet 


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## MysticSky22301 (Apr 16, 2016)

How long have you conditioned them? And on what kind of food?


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

I gave them frozen worms from the Sally's pack or something like that from San Francisco Brand


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

I kept the fish on their conditioning diet, and they look ready. He's blowing bubble nests like normal. Should I try again? I think that the bucket was the issue so if I do, I'll try in a huge tub. If I do, should I just put him in there for a couple hours first and then just release the female or let her stay inside the jar for a while? I feel like just releasing would be faster but more risky.


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## MysticSky22301 (Apr 16, 2016)

Actually keeping her in the jar is better until gets breeding bar's or puts her head down in submission every time the male comes over otherwise he can kill her x.x put him in the tub for a day or two and let him get his territory established then start flaring them again and they should be raring to go in a day or so


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

What does the whole turning grayish mean? I thought it was the bucket so I used a 15 gallon aquarium and he just started flaring and got gray again. DOes it mean he's not ready? I read that it's best to breed early, around 4-7 months old.


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## MysticSky22301 (Apr 16, 2016)

He's stressed and not completely conditioned you could try frozen brine shrimp and blood worms mosquito larvae work amazingly well too

Many don't breed before 6-9 month's and up to 18 months it's best to take into account your individual fish


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## SusieG (Oct 19, 2015)

MysticSky22301 said:


> He's stressed and not completely conditioned you could try frozen brine shrimp and blood worms mosquito larvae work amazingly well too
> 
> Many don't breed before 6-9 month's and up to 18 months it's best to take into account your individual fish



Yes I agreed  I didn't have luck with my fish at 4 months, I wait till about 6. And yes, definitely get frozen blood worms. I condition my pairs with frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp and NLS pellets. I feed them 2-3 times a day for at least two weeks ( if it's a new fish, 3-4). 
Don't worry! Some fish just do not spawn the first few times. It happened to me with a DTPK male. When he isidnspawn it was only 6 fry to I dumped them and he is now just a pet lol


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