Gloomy
Aquarium Advice Regular
My bettas spawned and now the fry are free swimming! Whoohoo!!! I got babies!!! Yay! I'm so happy! It looks to be about 50ish or so babies!
Betta Babies!
- Thread starter Gloomy
- Start date
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severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's wonderful Gloomy!!! Congrats on the spawn!
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
Congrats!!
WaterPond
Aquarium Advice Addict
you spawned a veiltail? Well, congrats, that is really exciting
and sorry to poop your party, but what do you plan to do with all the bettas, do you have the facilities to even breed them. Once the males start to grow they will all need seperate tanks. And besides, veiltails are not in that high of demand seeing as how they are th most common. No offense or anything, and dont take this as an attack towards you, i just wonder about things.
and sorry to poop your party, but what do you plan to do with all the bettas, do you have the facilities to even breed them. Once the males start to grow they will all need seperate tanks. And besides, veiltails are not in that high of demand seeing as how they are th most common. No offense or anything, and dont take this as an attack towards you, i just wonder about things.
Esra
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yeah i wonder at what age the males will start to get aggressive towards each other
Congrats! It is exciting! Now the hard part begins.
Actually, there have been people who have experimented with how long you can leave the males together. It seems like they're okay together for a long time, but if you take a male out and try to put him back in just a minute later, he's a goner. But most people do separate them. I forget what the typical time recommendation is though.
And I'm sure Gloomy has thought all about arrangements for the babies (I hope, at least). You don't wind up with accidental broods like you do with guppies. This was deliberate. Lol, and people always say that there's a low demand for veiltails, but how many of us here have one (or three
)?.
Actually, there have been people who have experimented with how long you can leave the males together. It seems like they're okay together for a long time, but if you take a male out and try to put him back in just a minute later, he's a goner. But most people do separate them. I forget what the typical time recommendation is though.
And I'm sure Gloomy has thought all about arrangements for the babies (I hope, at least). You don't wind up with accidental broods like you do with guppies. This was deliberate. Lol, and people always say that there's a low demand for veiltails, but how many of us here have one (or three
)?.Gloomy
Aquarium Advice Regular
I work in a deli...so I got about 200 2lb plastic containers w/ lids for when they get older....This is actually a double tail pair...Not quite sure if the fry will be vt or double tail...A lot of them will be gifts...(to approved homes with suitable equpment)...and er...turtle food...This was just a test run before I get myself a nice fancy pair.
They are in a 38 gal cube now...so there is lots of growing room...
They are in a 38 gal cube now...so there is lots of growing room...
Puriti
Aquarium Advice Addict
Congrats! I had two spawnings of my veiltails over the summer...some of them died but i had a lot that lived! except my grandma overfed them while I was on vacation and only one survived..then it got out of the container I had it in and got eaten @__@ I was so sad..but it lived to be almost 2 months I felt proud!
Good luck with yours! I hope you have better luck than I did X.x hehe
Good luck with yours! I hope you have better luck than I did X.x hehe
Zagz
Aquarium Advice Addict
Congrats! Moved thread to breeding forum.
kostasonia
Aquarium Advice Freak
Do you have photos???
Gloomy
Aquarium Advice Regular
My female died!! Why?! I came home from work....and she was dead...I feel so horrible..She got torn up pretty bad...and wasn't doing well...I put her in betta ICU to no avail...
I tried to get pictures of the fry...but no luck...you can't take pictures of swimming dirt specks...
Here is a pic of Samson...The male...he is a little beat up right now...and annoyed at me for putting him in a cup...He goes back to his own tank soon..
I tried to get pictures of the fry...but no luck...you can't take pictures of swimming dirt specks...
Here is a pic of Samson...The male...he is a little beat up right now...and annoyed at me for putting him in a cup...He goes back to his own tank soon..
Fish Heads
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2006
- Messages
- 22
What to do with your fry?
I used to:
Give them to all the kids in the neighborhood with strict instructions on how to care for them.
Trade them at the LFS for supplies. The stores might take them when they are larger especially if they are unusual or very healthy looking. Most people won't buy babies.
Sell them at community yard sales with bowls, gravel, a java fern, and a small bottle of water treatment. This was for charity. Since most of the bowls and treatment stuff was given to me by all of the neighbors, I could make a good profit for my charity. Can't do this in the winter though.
When you are ready to separate them, it helps to have a trash can full of treated water ready for those weekly or twice weekly water changes.
I also used to make cages for my 20 gallon to house each male from the plastic needlepoint grids at the hobby shops.
Have fun and admire your babies. My last baby is about 4 years old and living in his own 5 gallon tank with a sponge filter.
I used to:
Give them to all the kids in the neighborhood with strict instructions on how to care for them.
Trade them at the LFS for supplies. The stores might take them when they are larger especially if they are unusual or very healthy looking. Most people won't buy babies.
Sell them at community yard sales with bowls, gravel, a java fern, and a small bottle of water treatment. This was for charity. Since most of the bowls and treatment stuff was given to me by all of the neighbors, I could make a good profit for my charity. Can't do this in the winter though.
When you are ready to separate them, it helps to have a trash can full of treated water ready for those weekly or twice weekly water changes.
I also used to make cages for my 20 gallon to house each male from the plastic needlepoint grids at the hobby shops.
Have fun and admire your babies. My last baby is about 4 years old and living in his own 5 gallon tank with a sponge filter.
Gloomy
Aquarium Advice Regular
The fry are getting biggerish....they are now noticeable specks of swimming dirt..
So here's my main plan for the fry....
The males are going as gifts to friends that show interest and that I trust to take care of them...The some are going to the lfs for store credit...They said they would take up to 10 if they are healthy.
I'm keeping the females and setting up a 38 gallon female tank with some otos....Its not a big spawn so that should about cover it...
Do you think that a big female tank would work? All the ones I have ever heard of are 10 gallons...
So here's my main plan for the fry....
The males are going as gifts to friends that show interest and that I trust to take care of them...The some are going to the lfs for store credit...They said they would take up to 10 if they are healthy.
I'm keeping the females and setting up a 38 gallon female tank with some otos....Its not a big spawn so that should about cover it...
Do you think that a big female tank would work? All the ones I have ever heard of are 10 gallons...
Fish Heads
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2006
- Messages
- 22
Check out some of the Betta forums like the IBC (International Betta Congress).
I have only had about 25 spawning attemps with bettas, 20 resulted in eggs, 17 resulted in successfully raising fry to adulthood. I was fortunate to have one of the top winning breeders down the road from me to offer advice, equipment, and breeding stock. Others may have more experience. Never managed to get one to a local betta show. Always split a fin before curtain call.
My females did well in my 20L. They should do well in a larger shallow tank, especially if they had plenty of different areas that they could be queens. This can be done with plants, rocks and driftwood. They love floating plants and would stuff themselves between the leaves to snooze. Bettas love slow moving water, especially the males. Once in a while, the females will attack a tank mate that is weak. I would find a raw spot just behind the pectoral fin.
My problem with my females is if I hadn't bred them for awhile, they would fall victim to dropsy one by one. I suspected that they were getting eggbound or were getting too fat on rich red worms but I never did figure it out. I hope that this doesn't happen to you. I never lost a male to dropsy.
Enjoy!!
I have only had about 25 spawning attemps with bettas, 20 resulted in eggs, 17 resulted in successfully raising fry to adulthood. I was fortunate to have one of the top winning breeders down the road from me to offer advice, equipment, and breeding stock. Others may have more experience. Never managed to get one to a local betta show. Always split a fin before curtain call.
My females did well in my 20L. They should do well in a larger shallow tank, especially if they had plenty of different areas that they could be queens. This can be done with plants, rocks and driftwood. They love floating plants and would stuff themselves between the leaves to snooze. Bettas love slow moving water, especially the males. Once in a while, the females will attack a tank mate that is weak. I would find a raw spot just behind the pectoral fin.
My problem with my females is if I hadn't bred them for awhile, they would fall victim to dropsy one by one. I suspected that they were getting eggbound or were getting too fat on rich red worms but I never did figure it out. I hope that this doesn't happen to you. I never lost a male to dropsy.
Enjoy!!
Sabrehorn
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I had a male and a female betta (both are now in the great aquarium in the sky) in hopes that maybe something would happen. But nothing. Of course I wasn't really trying to get them to breed, but rather let them on their own and if they did, great. But now, I have a 5.5 gal sitting there empty and would like to try again. What are the water parameters I need to look at to breed them? Or, should I even bother?
Fish Heads
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2006
- Messages
- 22
OK Great that you want to breed bettas. It is a great feeling to see the little dots wriggle for the first time. check out the IBC website: http://www.ibcbettas.org/faq.htm AND http://www.ibcbettas.org/members_sites.htm AND http://www.majesticbettas.com/.
5.5 gallon is a bit small but it can still be done with some extra preparation. IT will need to be covered. I used plastic wrap. You will need a bigger tank to move the babies to later especially if it is a big spawn. I used a well seasoned sponge filter. Before the filters were cycled, I had an ammonia alert in the tank.
Even for a small spawn, you will need to set up a water changing tank with pretreated and heated water. Rubbermaid containers work great if they have been thorughly cleaned (I use vinegar and then hot water to wipe down any container before use). You can easily set up some sort of drip system from the water tank into the spawn tank for after the babies have been born - just use some air tubing and either a control valve or just tie a knot in the tube.
You specifically asked about water parameters. Male bettas won't spawn in water that another male betta has been in - fresh treated water. They prefer 7.0 pH but with my hard water, it was better that I left it at the high pH than try to adjust it. Water temp at 79 degrees. Add a bit of aquarium salt and some type of fungus guard to pretect the eggs. When I was breeding, almond tree leaves were the rage. I would sometimes use Spawn Aid or a Betta living water additive. It was sort of like baseball, didn't know what worked but if it went well last time, it was then a ritual to be performed each time.
Bettas seem to spawn just before a big rain. It is the air pressure. I never needed to check a weather report because if a rain was coming, the males would be building nests.
I used a floating live breeder trap. Many times, the female would find her own way out and they would be breeding without my knowledge and then I would later find the female back in the trap.
The male and female need to be conditioned with top quality food before breeding so that they will build up strength and she can develop eggs. The female will look full with her egg tube showing. I used frozen brine shrimp and red worms. Some breeders use ground beef heart. All of these can cause constipation if not rotated with a high veggie food. Frozen foods can be purchased at some pet shops but you may have to ask for it.
Before starting the breeding, what will your food source for the babies be? They are too small to eat baby brine shrimp first. Some breeders use vinegar worms. I suggest an easy first food such as infusoria from a drip. This can be made by adding grass to a jug of declorinated water. Or a commercial first food, which can easily spoil the water if too much is used.
If you are planning to hatch baby brine shrimp for them, please write back so that I can offer a few tips. If the babies swallow the egg casings, they develop swim bladder problems and thus are called belly sliders. When I switched hatching methods, I had no more belly sliders.
Good luck!! And don't get discouraged. My first several attempts failed. And then all of a sudden with no reasonable explanation, the spawns began.
5.5 gallon is a bit small but it can still be done with some extra preparation. IT will need to be covered. I used plastic wrap. You will need a bigger tank to move the babies to later especially if it is a big spawn. I used a well seasoned sponge filter. Before the filters were cycled, I had an ammonia alert in the tank.
Even for a small spawn, you will need to set up a water changing tank with pretreated and heated water. Rubbermaid containers work great if they have been thorughly cleaned (I use vinegar and then hot water to wipe down any container before use). You can easily set up some sort of drip system from the water tank into the spawn tank for after the babies have been born - just use some air tubing and either a control valve or just tie a knot in the tube.
You specifically asked about water parameters. Male bettas won't spawn in water that another male betta has been in - fresh treated water. They prefer 7.0 pH but with my hard water, it was better that I left it at the high pH than try to adjust it. Water temp at 79 degrees. Add a bit of aquarium salt and some type of fungus guard to pretect the eggs. When I was breeding, almond tree leaves were the rage. I would sometimes use Spawn Aid or a Betta living water additive. It was sort of like baseball, didn't know what worked but if it went well last time, it was then a ritual to be performed each time.
Bettas seem to spawn just before a big rain. It is the air pressure. I never needed to check a weather report because if a rain was coming, the males would be building nests.
I used a floating live breeder trap. Many times, the female would find her own way out and they would be breeding without my knowledge and then I would later find the female back in the trap.
The male and female need to be conditioned with top quality food before breeding so that they will build up strength and she can develop eggs. The female will look full with her egg tube showing. I used frozen brine shrimp and red worms. Some breeders use ground beef heart. All of these can cause constipation if not rotated with a high veggie food. Frozen foods can be purchased at some pet shops but you may have to ask for it.
Before starting the breeding, what will your food source for the babies be? They are too small to eat baby brine shrimp first. Some breeders use vinegar worms. I suggest an easy first food such as infusoria from a drip. This can be made by adding grass to a jug of declorinated water. Or a commercial first food, which can easily spoil the water if too much is used.
If you are planning to hatch baby brine shrimp for them, please write back so that I can offer a few tips. If the babies swallow the egg casings, they develop swim bladder problems and thus are called belly sliders. When I switched hatching methods, I had no more belly sliders.
Good luck!! And don't get discouraged. My first several attempts failed. And then all of a sudden with no reasonable explanation, the spawns began.
Sabrehorn
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Awesome post there. I shall print this out and try it and let you know. I do have a 20H that I was maybe looking at trying a nano-reef, but alas, I live in an apartment, so probably not the greatest idea right now. Although I was looking forward to getting some PJ Cardinals, but that's another topic.
One quick question though, does the type and size of gravel make a difference?
One quick question though, does the type and size of gravel make a difference?
Fish Heads
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2006
- Messages
- 22
I never saw any breeders use any substrate of any kind to breed bettas.
The eggs drop to the bottom of the tank where the male and sometimes the female pick them up to put them into the nest. Too much clutter on the bottom will prevent the male from finding the eggs. This is another reason why the water level in the breeding tank should only be about 5 inches deep. Too shallow and the pair hit the bottom, too deep and the eggs scatter too far.
If the male abandons the nest for some reason, allowing the eggs or babies to fall to the bottom, then one can siphon them up with a straw and float them in the tank in a plastic lid. The eggs would need to be gently flushed from time to time with aquarium water and extra care used to not introduce a fungus but it can work.
The eggs drop to the bottom of the tank where the male and sometimes the female pick them up to put them into the nest. Too much clutter on the bottom will prevent the male from finding the eggs. This is another reason why the water level in the breeding tank should only be about 5 inches deep. Too shallow and the pair hit the bottom, too deep and the eggs scatter too far.
If the male abandons the nest for some reason, allowing the eggs or babies to fall to the bottom, then one can siphon them up with a straw and float them in the tank in a plastic lid. The eggs would need to be gently flushed from time to time with aquarium water and extra care used to not introduce a fungus but it can work.
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