So you want to breed your Bettas?

[Joshlikesfish]

Seeing so many posts on how to breed Bettas, I thought I might make this. I will explain my method and also note other methods.

I also suggest spawning a Betta with a tail type other than veiltail. They are much easier to sell/move on once they're grown up and they require the same effort. Plakats are usually more aggressive than longer finned bettas

Warning: You may end up with more fish than you can handle. You could get anywhere from 10-300 males. Make sure you are ready and you have everything set up before you start.

Spawning

Items Needed:

Small tank with a lid for spawning

Heater

Pair of Bettas. Make sure the female isn't too big for the male to wrap his body around

Bottle, cage, or another way of separating the female from the male but have them still in view

Suggested items:

Polystyrene cup, polystyrene sheet or Indian almond leaf

Moss and other plants that do not need substrate

Optional items that I don't use but others have and still do:

Betta extract or Indian almond leaf tea bags

Thermometer(doesn't actually help with breeding I just thought I'd add it in as other guides do)

Sponge filter

The steps I take to spawn:

1. Isolate the female wanting to use to breed

2. Feed up the pair on blood worms(3-4 each and feed individually), micro worms, mosquito larvae, flake food and any other live food available

3.Do a 25% water change on the tank the pair is in

4. Set up the breeding tank using tank water. The temperature should be between 24 and 28 degrees. Fill the water to about 15cm depth. Add any extracts if you are using

5. Place the square of polystyrene, the cup broken in half from top to bottom or the Indian almond leaf in the corner of the tank where its easily in view. This is where the male will make his nest. Place the female in her cage/bottle close this.

6. If moss/plants are going to be used, add them now

7. Place the male freely swimming in the tank.

8. The male and female should show interest in each other. He will flare at her, and she will flare back. The female will look as if she is doing a head stand. They may also follow each other around. The female may also get vertical barring, where her body shows dark colored bars along her body. This means shes keen for him.

9. Leave them separated for at least a day. The male should build a nest, but not all males do until spawning. Keep feeding them small amounts of food like blood worms

10. When you are ready to release the girl, do so. Watch them carefully as the male may kill or, or vice versa. The male should woo the female to his nest. Where he will wrap his body around her, shake, and the eggs are released. He will then pick them up and place in the nest. This can go on for a few hours.

11. Once the male starts chasing away the female, catch her and move her to another tank. Pay extra attention to her as she may be injured and weak from the breeding.

12. Congratulations, you have now spawned Bettas! Leave the male to watch the eggs. After 2-3 days they should hatch. The fry will be hanging from the nest and the male should be looking after them. After another 2-3 days the fry will be swimming horizontally and their egg sacks will be gone. They are now free swimming. Remove the male, being careful not to net any fry. Use a net with decent size holes, or your hand.

The wrap

Male catching the eggs

First few weeks

Now you have free swimming fry!

Possible food:

Insuforia(green water)

Micro worms

Egg layers liquid drops from the LPS/LFS(I found them useless)

Feed a few drops of green water 3-4 times a day for the first week.

If you're not using green water, feed a small amount of microworms 3-4 times a day

If using liquid drops, follow instructions

In terms of water changes, some people believe its ok to do water changes from the very start. I personally just top the water off untill its at the top of the tank, then start with daily 25% water changes. Remember to clean the bottoms of the tank and to remove any dead fry.

At two weeks old you need to make sure there is a lid and you can now start feeding brine shrimp if you want. Decap works too, just remember to soak it first otherwise it'll expand inside the babies and they may die

Continue with the 3-4 times a day feeding and 25% daily water changes. You can add an airstone or sponge filter with very little flow if wanted.

At 6 weeks old the fry should be moved to a bigger tank.

Getting older and separating

Items needed:

Grow out tanks with heaters and sponge filters

A way of separating males(will explain later on)

Keep feeding 3-4 times a day. You can slowly introduce a flake food if you like. You can also increase or even decrease water changes

Once the fish start fighting, its time to start separating the males.

A few methods are:

Plastic bottles. Solder some holes into them for water flow (make sure they're not too sharp) and cut the tops off. Put them all in a tank with a bit of flow and good filtration. Add some gravel to each bottle(not much is needed) and fill the tank level high enough so that there is still a few cm of bottle sticking out of the water. Each male has a bottle. Do water changes like normal. Also clean the bottles by soaking in a bucket of water with some bleach added. Make sure to rinse it really well after. Have some spare bottles to put the males in while you clean their homes

Another method is to use pegs to attach bottles to the sides of the tank.

With either method you can let the females swim around, or you can choose to put them in another tank

Individual jars/bottles. Place each Betta in a 2-4L container. Do a 95% water change every 3 days (or more if feedings are heavier). This method only works if the room is warm enough 24/7 for the water to stay warm. Id also suggest something like a barrel full of water at the same temperature as the jars for easier water changes

Drip system.

This video series explains it really well

Betta Barracks. Divided tanks to keep each male separated. You can make these yourself or purchase them. You basically just need to create a series of individual cells that keep the fish separated, but allow for water flow.

Once the fish are around 3-5 months old and are a decent size, they are ready for sale! You've done well to make it this far

Please give positive feedback on improving this guide, and help me correct any errors

[phoenix44]

cool.. might want to correct grammatical errors. Than vs. then.

[Zayne]

Nice work!

[gagaforfish]

Thats really good!

[phoenix44]

should probably add - 'good job'; before someone has a spaz at me.

[Joshlikesfish]

cool.. might want to correct grammatical errors. Than vs. then.

I think I've fixed :dunno:

[Joshlikesfish]

Thats really good!

Your recent post is why I decided to make it lol

I plan to add pictures of the different set up types. I currently don't have any nice tanks and once the room is set up (which is supposed to be friday), I will do some bottles and add the tank pictures

[Stephanie]

cool.. might want to correct grammatical errors. Than vs. then.

:happy1:

[Allister_B]

Items Needed:

Small tank with a lid for spawning

Heater

Pair of Bettas. Make sure the female isn't too big for the male to wrap his body around

Bottle, cage, or another way of separating the female from the male but have them still in view

Suggested items:

Polystyrene cup, polystyrene sheet or Indian almond leaf

Moss and other plants that do not need substrate

Optional items that I don't use but others have and still do:

Betta extract or Indian almond leaf tea bags

Thermometer(doesn't actually help with breeding I just thought I'd add it in as other guides do)

Sponge filter

water? water conditioner?

also you state to use a female who is not to big so male can wrap around her, this is advisable as dragon males mother may freak out if anything happens to dragons pretty tail....

[Joshlikesfish]

water? water conditioner?

also you state to use a female who is not to big so male can wrap around her, this is advisable as dragon males mother may freak out if anything happens to dragons pretty tail....

I thought water was obvious. And conditioner is something I assume people will use as normal with the water change.

And :happy1:

[SamH]

water? water conditioner?

C'mon, water? Really? That's kind of unspoken :-? Water conditioner too, I do 50% daily WCs straight from the tap, no ill effects.

[Allister_B]

its a joke sam are we butting heads again?

[Joshlikesfish]

:facepalm:

[Allister_B]

:happy2:

[SamH]

I'm being serious. What about that implies a joke? :-?

[Stephanie]

:nilly:

[phoenix44]

Teen egos. :dunno:

[SamH]

Teen egos. :dunno:

What does this have to do with my age exactly?

[Stephanie]

Teen egos. :dunno:

+ 1 :roll:

[Allister_B]

Teen egos. :dunno:

haha teen? i was 10 years ago.

[Joshlikesfish]

What does this have to do with my age exactly?

I would also like to know

[DennisP]

Teen egos. :dunno:

23 year old egos. :dunno:

[Joshlikesfish]

Is there anything I can add?

[Allister_B]

possibly add in about the female and her vert lines when keen?

[Joshlikesfish]

The female may also get vertical barring, where her body shows dark colored bars along her body

possibly add in about the female and her vert lines when keen?