How big is a bubble nest supposed to be?

[PENEJANE]

Well I have put my bettas (female in a jar) into a tank that has 5 inches of water (bare bottom tank) with a slow bubbling filter and heater at 79*F (doesn't have 80 lol)

It has already been about 3 hrs and he has got about 1inch of bubbles in one corner of the caved out poly that I put in there (I didn't have any poly cups). At what point would the next be big enough and when would it be the right time to take the female out of the jar and into the tank? Once I have removed the jar should I put in a clump of plants or leave it empty?

Cheers.

[PENEJANE]

Ok I read on another site that when you are trying to spawn bettas you are to leave the light on the whole time and also up untill the fry are about a month old.

I released the female yesterday morning into the tank with him and almost instantly she showed her vertical bars and when ever he approached her she would go head down as they should. But then suddenly he would lunge at her with his mouth open. Is this a sign that he wasn't ready or just part of the courtship? She would even come over to him under the nest and wiggle right next to him under the nest. They would start circling but then he would just jump at her.

This morning the nest was all but gone. The female isn't that badly beaten up just one little rip/tear in her bottom fin. Due to the nest being gone I have now seperated them.

What had gone wrong here?

Cheers

[LYNDYLOO]

Hmmm Pj,

Maybe you need to teach your Male Betta a little about, Foreplay. :lol: :lol:

Very important part in the Mating Game :oops:

Good Luck, hope you have Betta luck next time. :bounce: :bounce:

Lynda

[Faran]

Do you get the Aquarium World? Paul Billaney wrote a great article in there about the mating ritual and courtship. To summarize, the male will give the female a hard time chasing her about. She'll need a hiding spot and will come out and inspect the nest. If it's not good, she'll destroy it. Male rebuilds and if she's happy they'll spawn. you might be lucky enough to see this happen but either way when they're done (takes a while) take out the female as he'll beat her up pretty bad.

Think that's the nuts and bolts. Good luck!

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi Penejane

Breeding Betta's is not a hard task. Rearing the fry is.

I regularly breed fighters and this is what "I" do.

The female is placed into an 18 x 9 x 9 (inches) tank in the evening to get used to being in a "new home".

The water level is 7 to 8 inches deep, and has a bit of Riccia and Indian fern floating on the surface. A small bunch of Lymnophilla is weighted down in one back corner. (You could use a bit of Java Moss)

The next day at about lunchtime I add a divider to threequarters of the tank, the female being kept in the smaller section.

The male is added before bed that night and by lunchtime the next day he has aBubble Nest, big or small.

Once the nest is finished, or before bed that day I remove the divider and let nature take its course.

You may be fortunate to see the actual mating, if so remove the female asap after as the male may kill her or at least beat her up pretty badly.

FACT FILE: Betta's only come together in the wild to breed. The females staying right away while the males stay in their chosen territory keeping all others at bay, except a ripe female. (If she isnt ripe then she is "Brown Bread".

Good luck with your endeavours.

[PENEJANE]

ok if my bettas were to breed during the night how would I know that they have done their thing and to remove the female? because the nest is at the other end of the cup and against the white background I guess it would be hard to see little white eggs the size of salt grains.

Does the males attitude change? I just want to be sure as I don't want to remove the female to early or leave it to late and find her dead.

Cheers

[shiuh]

ok...if you turn off the lights at nite, then they couldnt see thus cant spawn. it is only when the after the spawning you need to turn the lights on 24hrs. that way the male can start guarding and picking up eggs if it drops.

when to remove females: iafter the spawn,the male will take care of the eggs. if the female trying to interfere the nest the male will chase the female away. this is generally when you remove the female.

[PENEJANE]

Well thats what is confusing me. I have been checking on them in regular times and the female is still fat so I guess they can't of done their thing. The only thing I Have to go on if they do it during the night is in the morning the female should be thin again right?

At the moment the female is terrified of him (CT betta) yet with the HM she would happily come over to the nest and do her thing (head down swimming). The CT male is building a ver good nest (better than the HMs attempt) but the female won't go anywhere near him. He will hunt her down and chase her about.

I have read on a number of sites that unless the female is badly hurt that you can leave them together for ages or untill one or the other gets hurt. At the moment she has a couple of rips in her fin and tail but no body wounds as of yet (thank goodness!). So untill bad damage is done am I ok in leaving them together to see if they will still do their thing?

Cheers

:bounce:

[MRSkz]

I've read, and found it to be true in my VERY limited time trying to breed these, that sometimes a female/male will just not like the mate we pick for them. To me it sounds like she just doesn't like the CT. If she's happy with the HM I, personaly, would leave her with him even though his nest isn't as good. You'd probably be more likely getting a successfull breeding, even if it's only a small one, with the HM and end up with a terrorized fem with the CT. Maybe she's just a simple girl at heart looking for a simple HM male :roll:

Another thing you might try is get a couple more fem's. It sure couldn't hurt, maybe one of them will take a shine to the CT and visa versa.

Good luck either way

[AMAZONIAN]

Has Nobody read and thought about following what I have posted.

I posted what I know works for your benefit...........Not mine I can breed Betta's.

Shiuh, in the 20+ years I have dedicated to breeding anabantids; Betta's and Gouramis. Never in all those years have I left a light on at night.

Like you, (and ME).... "FISH SLEEP AT NIGHT" but the male betta can sense the vibrations of a fry falling from the nest, pick it up and blow it back where it belongs..

The fry mainly only fall from the nest as they are hatching. When they wriggle to break out of the membrane of the shell. After that they are basically motionless and hang from a bubble by a secretion in their head.

For those who want to breed Betta's or any other anabantids: ask me how do I do it.

I am willing to explain, but I am not going to bother if you dont want to take the advise I am offering.

[PENEJANE]

I am taking the advice you are offering but so far that hasn't worked for me. Today will be the second day that the female as been in the tank with the male. She is still plump and I am worried that if something doesn't happen soon that I may lose her to being backed up with eggs.

The female is absolutly terrified of the CT male so I was thinking if nothing has improved by lunch time today that I would remove the CT male and put in the HM male who she has been with before.

Cheers

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi Penejane

As I had posted for you earlier, the female will take a bit of a battering from the male and that is why I said to put in some plant for her to hide in.

I havent seen a piccy of your fish but no doubt you are fond of them and concerned for their welfare. I love mine also and do get concerned if things dont go as I think they should. NOTE the "I", not the fish.

One thing everybody seems to forget, I think, is that we are trying to control nature when we setup a species to breed.

I regard a tank as no more than a section of a river, stream or creek...an ecosystem where I am a total foreigner, but not the inhabitants; they know best and they have a "blueprint of their future" imprinted on their brain from the moment of hatching. Plus their natural instinct, which is survival of the fittest.

Dont change the fish around. Seperate them totally for a week and try again, that will relieve some of the stress they are under at present.

Once again good luck, keep me posted.

[alanmin4304]

I think sometimes people forget that you cannot breed fish, you can only give them conditions which will encourage them to.

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi Alan

I'm pleased that I am not on my own thinking I can breed fish. I Cant.

I just set it up so the fish want to breed for me.

Penejane,

this is a pic of the tanks I use for breeding fighters. It was set up on 30 - 01- 06, The fish spawned two days later and I have already started moving fry out of the tank.

I cant seem to load Pic. But will work it out and then post.

"I think I got it"

[PENEJANE]

well going against your words of swapping the males. I did and now they are spawning. I swaped them over at like 8am this morning and came in to them wrapping each other at 10.30am.

I have seen eggs fall but the male doesn't go after them and in the end the female finds them and eats them ( I have not yet seen her spit them into the bubble nest)

Will he get some of the eggs eventually?

Cheers

**excitment is in the air**

Oh and I guess this female is just picky as she was never this calm with the CT betta but is totaly fine with the HM.

[PENEJANE]

HOLY COW!!!!! Well the female is now putting the eggs up in the nest! Yet the male doesn't! hahaha lazy bum! So I now have eggs in the bubble nest.I take it lights stay on now? or is that when the fry are free swimming?

Cheers

WOO HOO

:bounce:

[MRSkz]

Shiuh, in the 20+ years I have dedicated to breeding anabantids; Betta's and Gouramis. Never in all those years have I left a light on at night.

Like you, (and ME).... "FISH SLEEP AT NIGHT" but the male betta can sense the vibrations of a fry falling from the nest, pick it up and blow it back where it belongs..

So if it were me I'd just pop the lights on and off as per normal.

BTW a big huge congrats!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[AMAZONIAN]

Go girl

I am pleased that swapping the female worked. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. You were the lucky one. :lol:

Did you look at the piccy I managed to post?

That will give you an idea of just how basic a setup you require.

It is usually, (IN MY CASE) that BOTH parents pick up the eggs and put them in the nest, but it will be the male who in his own lethargic way will keep the nest in repair and look after the fry until they are free swimming. The nest may only end up being 10 -20mm across.

When you see the female cower away in a corner; sometime today and not want to know the male, take her out.

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi all.

There seems to be something about leaving lights on or off.

FACT:

FISH SLEEP AND CANT WITH THE LIGHT ON.............Can you? :roll:

When the fry are free swimming and they are in the tank by themselves, and you are feeding them "GREEN WATER" YOU CAN LEAVE A "SMALL" LIGHT ON ABOVE THE TANK.

I dont.

If you choose to use a light then I would suggest one of those El Cheapo night lights from the Ware e whare about $3 - 4 dollars.

PJ.

Tomorrow night "PUT 250ml OF "GREEN WATER" INTO THE TANK.

When the bubbas hatch and start to look for food it is front of them straight away.

[PENEJANE]

ok I don't have green water but how do I make some? Would banana skin in tank water in a jug in the hot water cupboard be ok? I also have liquidfry for egg layers, as well as microworms.

How would I know when the water is safe to use?

[LYNDYLOO]

WOOHOO,

Congrats PJ.

You go Girl, finally got the eggs you were wanting. Now see, good things come to those who wait.

Hope all goes well PJ.

Wish you and the Eggies the best of Luck. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Lynda

[shiuh]

Like you, (and ME).... "FISH SLEEP AT NIGHT" but the male betta can sense the vibrations of a fry falling from the nest, pick it up and blow it back where it belongs..

wow..i didnt know that. well you learn something everyday dont you?

congrats PJ on the spawn. Now the challenging part is raising the fry to adulthood. in my experience of breeding bettas, it took me 6 months raising fry to young adults. quite a looooong time for a impatient breeder like me. has anyone got any tips of speeding up growth for betta frys?

i am no betta expert. but i prefer some quickies like guppies and platies. took me only 2-3 months to raise up livebearers. lol.......

[alanmin4304]

I am the one suggesting to leave the lights on. I had a 12 volt pilot light system over all tanks that I left on at night with all fry when I was breeding. This is not strong light, more like moonlight, and indead I have 2 X 15 watt bulbs going continuously on my community tank so the fish (that have no eyelids) don't get so much of a fright when the main lights come on with the timer. This also gives them the chance to eat round the clock and grow faster. I found it worked well with betta fry because I was able to raise embarassingly large spawnings (hundreds). My reasoning was that they are so small that they can only eat small amounts of food at a time and therefore need to eat frequently. With all advice, there is more than one right way to do things, and the correct way is the one that works best for you.

[HandS]

With all advice, there is more than one right way to do things, and the correct way is the one that works best for you.

Couldent of said it better Alan

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi to All.

Your correct Alan.

There is "NO RIGHT or WRONG" way of doing things with regards our fishies.

We create a situation in which the fish live and have the desire to spawn.

Our input starts at the point of the fry hatching. We have to choose the correct foods for them at the right times and make sure it is available to them 24/7 for as long as we have them.

That said, the information which has been posted in the forum is of great value to anyone who wishes to avail themselves of that information.

In a forum, information is shared "PRO BONO PUBLICA". ( For those lacking Latin ) Free for the good of the people.

How people utilise that information is their concern as it is only given in good faith.

The information I have posted on Betta's was such, and as it has worked for me for sooooo long I feel (in a way) qualified to impart that knowledge on to those who desire it.

Everybody has their own way of doing things as that is what works for them, so they are qualified to offer that knowledge (EXPERIENCE) to those requesting or needing it.

I dont like to see "YOUNG HOBBYISTS" put off by loosing a "FIRST SPAWNING" of any species of fish as it is disheartening for them and they tend to say "I cant seem to do it right" and give up.

Dont let that happen to our hobbyists, young or old.

Give them the benfits of your experiences.

Good luck. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: