Betta breeding project!

[AtoZ Cichlids]

I have taken a dive into the world of breeding bettas! After tons of research I've decided this is what I wish to do. I currently have a solid red veil tail and a young female in a breeding setup (practice mutts) I bought 2 females and a male split tail to make my first attempt. I am new to this and found that this thread will be helpful to me as well as others. I have a small 3 gal steralite tub that the pair is in now. I have them on the bathroom counter with some sunlight from shower window, they have a heater for a 5 gallon and a fine bubble air stone, I have the female in a little critter carrier that you could use for crickets, or lizards, or fish, you've all seen them. The carrier is in the water with the water level above the air vents of the critter carrier ( so she has more room and her water doesn't get as dirty as fast because it can flow through to the tub ) I have the carrier rapped in a fake leafy vine. She has a piece of the vine in the carrier for her to have. The male split tail took no interest... At all, she chased him around. So I put my veil tail in there and boy did she like him. He was afraid of her. She would flare up and corner him, he would freak out ( this happened when I tried putting them in the tub together ) I put part of a fish net in the tub for him to build nest out on. They both take some interest in each other ( this was all in the first 3 days ) as of today I did a 85 percent water change. The female loses color and shows her gear stripes every time I put them together. She is not as bright as before even when she is in the carrier. He flares and follows her closely but now she is scared of him. At first she would flare up and spread her fins, face slightly upward with her mouth above water, she then would take air and release it through her gils, she would wiggle her body and follow him around. She doesn't do this any more, she just swims away from him now that he takes interest in her. He's got a small bubble nest on the net. I will update soon. Hopefully with pics! Also, am I doing anything wrong?
Thanks

Rylan

 

[Scottyhorse]

How are you conditioning them?

Also, JMO, I would only breed the same tail types together, mostly because it will take a few generations to clean up the 'messy' tails. Another thing to consider - will you be able to cull fry? Can you house them all? Do you have a place to take them to when they are ready to rehome?

Just a couple things to consider

 

[AtoZ Cichlids]

I have gone over almost every aspect to breeding bettas. I currently don't have all of the housing I'm going to need but I am still looking for a website or something where I can order the holding containers. I probably won't have a problem with finding homes for the fry, especially since I work at a family owned fish shop I am going to try and get a good pair from the guy we get our bettas from at the store.

Does anyone know any good site for supplies?

And how can I determine the female fin type? without being told by the breeder? I honestly haven't looked far into the female genetics as much. But am currently expanding my knowledge whenever I can find time.
Thanks!

 

[henningc]

I'll likely hear about it, but what I have done is house the fry in a 20L once they are a few weeks old. Observing them you will start to be able to see the males as they flair and get testy with the others. I then house each male in a mason, canning, jar and feed live brine with a small eye dropper. I change out the jars every two days to keep the water clean. You can get the jars at most stores. Another trick I've learned, is take the plastic coffee cans, drill holes in them and place them in a larger tank with an HOB. Each male gets his own container with water flow and filtration. Once they are large enough, sell them to the store. You can use rubbermade containers instead of tanks, just don't fill them too full.

If you P.M. your email, I'll hook you up with a good breeder who will make sure you get females and males that match. He is very resonable as well.

 

[AtoZ Cichlids]

So after taking a break I am thinking of getting 2 good pairs to try again with. I want to try again within the next 2 months and am certain I can do it this time.