Betta breeding question

[Fish_fanatic]

Ok so I have conditioned both the male and the female for a week and a half. They are right now in a 10 gallon breeding tank, and have been there since the morning. The male has made a huge bubble nest under the styrofoam cup and the female is isolated with a glass chimney.

Now my question is when do I release the female? Should I wait until tomorrow? Should I release her now?

Thanks

 

[Christmasfish]

Well I have to comment: I hope that you are doing this for experience and enjoyment and have planned ahead what you are going to do with anywhere from 15-100 surviving fry...hmmm? I have to point out that you don't "make money" with any but the rarest fish . An even that is dinner out amount over upkeep.
That said....

Small Warning Factoid FYI:
Bettas are funny and finicky fish. and they are not going to breed just because they are the same species. That is a fact with many non-seasonal animal's behavior.
Be prepared for the disappointment of one fish or the other finding your partner selection unsuitable. And be ready to separate them and give up if hostility continues after 3 attempts. My daughter has a perfect BF half moon plakat that hates ALL blue fish...she is blue. To breed her to a non blue fish is like to just not bother at all (the color will be muddy). Sometimes a weaker female will show her displeasure by destroying the nest or eating as many eggs as she can before you remove her. And if she refuses to much your male will become enraged and may even kill her (not sexual aggression like a mammal, but the fact that she is an known aggressive in his nesting territory and has to GO. But because the confines..can't go. He reads that as WONT go. Follow it? He will also try to remove her as soon as he has finished breeding..same reasons.)
That said..READY?
Female must show submissive behavior or the whole thing will fail.
She should be tipped head down, with VERY prominent tiger stripes showing. She shouldn't be flaring back at all when you allow her into his space.
If she is especially fearful and has stripes running head to tail along her body ("fear stripe") you may want to provide her some kind of cover before releasing her ..so that she can gain confidence and act coy. Other wise she will just keep running from him til he decides she has to go.
Just because he built a nest...doesn't mean he built it for her. Nor that he is finished yet. Some like to make a mass that sticks up an inch ^_^.
Another reason against freeing a fearful female...odds are you will destroy the nest trying to catch her

There will be some chasing and small fin nicking. Most labyrinths are pretty rough breeders. But...Any body striking or true biting at head and gills requires separation. It is better to condition them for three to four weeks. And good food.Your male need to be well feed because you cannot feed him safely after he is doing fry care. You should be ready to feed your fry as soon as they are free-swimming. Do you have fry food in culture or ready RIGHT NOW?
if you feel you must feed your male in the breeding tank and with the nest...be sure NOT to use BBS! It known to encourage egg eating in your male bettas.
Also be sure to remove him by week 2 if you wish a large spawn. If you just breeding unknown color gene pet fish then go for the the strongest and leave him in longer. He MUSt be gone after the last part of the batch is free swimming.
And that's should be enough..the rest is up to you. Gouramy specie fry are some of the hardest to keep alive into a viable age. Combined with other "small" fry problems is the fact they need to develop the labyrinth organ. And most fade those weeks. You really should have done better research before deciding to breed even a rhinoceros beetle! Much less animals..... :?
Now you have something to digest and regurgitate for your use

:::this factoid provided in part by ANK-Sempiternal Splendens Bettas::::
Username iseanDream

 

[Fish_fanatic]

Yes I do have food for the fry, Liquifry No1. I have had these bettas for about 5 weeks now and have done research. The only reason I am asking is because I have read that when you have a female with very little color you wont be able to see the stripes. The female that I have is white with a some blue on the fins. Since this is my first time breeding bettas I was wondering how long to leave her separated before releasing her.

 

[Christmasfish]

Food ready-Cool..though 5 weeks is barely time to get aquainted with your fish and their health. Since you are counting QT in that.

There is no "time limit", that is a point made.
She needs to show head down posture and not be flaring...
and because you don't know her normal body posture..you cannot ascertain fear. Until she is in the tank.

It's already said;
Body hits or more than 2/3 of finnage destroyed and you MUST separate them. Apply antibiotics and fresh water for the wounds adn try TWO weeks minimum later. Experienced breeders do not wait that long because they KNOW their fish. And can do sucessful pairings becuase of this. If One blue cambodian female is unacceptable they have a sister on hand to try. Or a different male of the same color to try. They have a lot of choices that a person with limited stock does not.

Until she is in the tank and starts running and hiding you can't be sure. But since the female does this to a small degree during NORMAL courting..you have to watch closer than usual for undue running or hostility. Especially since light body bettas are further inbred and more delicat. teh spawn are hard to get in numbers (which is why you see those prices on the "blue Cambodian line by JG).

 

[Christmasfish]

Quotes straight from the IBC Beginner's Guide that is included in your membership package (more in the PDF data files):
"6-8 inches water"
"heated water" at min of "80F"
"A successfull spawn time table looks like this:"
"Day one paired"
"Day 2 female release" ("leave chimmney in" for a barrier)
"Most spawning takes place on the second day. The longest I've waited is 10"
"if unproductive try another pair and come back to this pair in 2 weeks"
"Day 3 Fish spawn""remove female and administer MarOxy to prevent fungus on tears"
"Day 5-Fry Hatch"
"Day 6 Remove male" "in the evening"
"Day 7 In the morning, FEED THE FRY"

Etc etc. This breeder is a newer one from the past 2 years. Not anyone in the Calibur of Jim Sonnier, Atison Phumchoosri or Jackie Granger (bettatalk), Marianne Lewis whom are easy to find online.
But he has judged and has had a couple show winners. And his article is the one chosen for this years intro pack. So it is safe to say his method would work.
No site will tell you what to do next. That is learned by trial and error or passed from breeder to breeder. No site tell you how to prevent faders or select your best.
And the methods vary anyway.
And I am not a "betta breeder" for show fish. I am not an IBC member..
My daughter is. I have bred many species of labyrinth fish besides betta splendens. In the spirit of this site I gave you some tools to work with. Do as you will.
You still never said what you planned to do with offspring if sucessful.....

 

[duaumun]

I would also like to breed bettas, how big a tank, and what can i do with the fry? Not looking for pay...