Help betta breed!!!

[Joostrom]

I need help breeding my betta!! I feel like I have tried everything. So I have been feeding my Bettas frozen blood worms. I have set up my tank properly with live plants to a piece of styrofoam. I have tried several Bettas and no babies made. My male Bettas have all blown bubble nest and my females have all darken their colour and started producing eggs but when I put them together nothing happen they just swam with each other. It's very frustrating!!! Anyone have any advice?

[TheFishBoss97]

How much time did you give them? This is what many betta breeders do I think

if he is making a nest, once its made, take him out, and then put in the female, then take her out, and add the male(if fertilization is necessary, idk for bettas)

[djtypykuhl]

TheFishBoss97, your correct.
my friend breeds bettas, and i have inquired alot about them.
these fish WILL attack the babies, so its best to find a way to carefully seperate the eggs once they are fertilized (that may be your problem)

[Joostrom]

I kept the female separated till the bubble nest was complete and then let her free they swam with each other for three days no damage to either of them they just didn't mate. The female was ready and the male was ready just nothing happened

[ocminpin]

Originally Posted by Joostrom

I kept the female separated till the bubble nest was complete and then let her free they swam with each other for three days no damage to either of them they just didn't mate. The female was ready and the male was ready just nothing happened

Maybe he was being a gentleman!

[Kepo]

I'm not sure how much insight these others have, but I've been breeding bettas for quite some time now. It doesn't sound like you are leaving them together for long enough. Or they just may not be ready. Feed them live foods morning at night. Black worms will condition them every time. You say they just swam with each other, which is what most pairs do prior to spawning.

Make sure your fish are good and ready. Both the male and female. Make sure your water is very clean and chlorine free and add some Indian almond leaves. When both are ready you can tell. The female will flush..if she swims as usual, she's not ready. the male will dance around and flare, more of a showy dance than an aggressive one.


Introduce the female in a floated clear container in the breeding tank containing the male. Do this at say 12 noon or shortly there after and leave them. Make sure the breeding tank is in a quiet location. At nightfall, if BOTH male and female are still interested in each other, release the female, turn off the lights and let them be. They should spawn by the next morning if they are not bothered. But your fish need to be ready to breed. Bettas tend to breed better right before a storm or when the barometric pressure is high. If possible, save your fish and time and plan a spawning for a stormy time.


Just a few other things, the male tends to the eggs and fry till they just become free swimming. There is a possibility that he may eat his first batch or so if he is young. Don't expect your bettas to be pretty when they are done spawning. They are aggressive breeders and will nip each other. This is why show bettas are no longer shown after they are spawned. Spawning should only be preformed to further genetically superior stock.


Oh and make sure you have weeks of supplies to hatch baby brine shrimp and raise other live foods.

[Kepo]

Btw, how old are these betta? Keep in mind betta are in their prime from 3 months- 9 months old. Any older than a year, they could be too old to breed.

[Joostrom]

Well I'm not full sure how old my Bettas are I know they are pretty small.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Kepo

I'm not sure how much insight these others have, but I've been breeding bettas for quite some time now. It doesn't sound like you are leaving them together for long enough. Or they just may not be ready. Feed them live foods morning at night. Black worms will condition them every time. You say they just swam with each other, which is what most pairs do prior to spawning.

Make sure your fish are good and ready. Both the male and female. Make sure your water is very clean and chlorine free and add some Indian almond leaves. When both are ready you can tell. The female will flush..if she swims as usual, she's not ready. the male will dance around and flare, more of a showy dance than an aggressive one.


Introduce the female in a floated clear container in the breeding tank containing the male. Do this at say 12 noon or shortly there after and leave them. Make sure the breeding tank is in a quiet location. At nightfall, if BOTH male and female are still interested in each other, release the female, turn off the lights and let them be. They should spawn by the next morning if they are not bothered. But your fish need to be ready to breed. Bettas tend to breed better right before a storm or when the barometric pressure is high. If possible, save your fish and time and plan a spawning for a stormy time.


Just a few other things, the male tends to the eggs and fry till they just become free swimming. There is a possibility that he may eat his first batch or so if he is young. Don't expect your bettas to be pretty when they are done spawning. They are aggressive breeders and will nip each other. This is why show bettas are no longer shown after they are spawned. Spawning should only be preformed to further genetically superior stock.


Oh and make sure you have weeks of supplies to hatch baby brine shrimp and raise other live foods.

The only thing I would add to kepo's breeding method is temperature. I find my best breeding temp is 78 to 80 degrees. Males will sometimes build a nest in cooler temps than the females want to spawn in. If the female is ready, she will show her stripes (unless it's a cambodian) and respond to the male with her gills flared when he approaches her.
I use the 3 day rule. If no spawning has occured within 3 days of introduction, I place another female in a clear container inside the tank so the female thinks that there's competition for the male. If that still doesn't induce spawning, I switch the second female for another male to get the loose male to think there's competition for the female. If the temp is right and you tried the jealousy trick and it didn't work, either your fish are not ready to spawn or they just don't like each other. Try using different mates.
FYI: I've had spawns in as little as 45 minutes from introduction to as long as 1 week. You have to watch the fish to make sure that the male isn't just going to kill the female for being there.

Hope this helps...

[IchthyChris]

Also... I don't think anyone mentioned the water should be shallow. I have the most success at about 3-4 inches. No more than 5. Most everything on this thread is pretty accurate.

[Joostrom]

Yea I have tried everything! Could it be that I am keeping my females In a tank with other community fish

[IchthyChris]

I keep my females in a community tank too. Maybe if you raise the temp of the community tank?

Make sure you pick a female that is nice n fat with eggs. Their belly will get bulgy and maybe a lil bit white-ish. The ovipositor (white thing at the end of the anal fin) will stick out a bit when she is gravid. That's where the eggs come out. Another sign that she's ready.

[Joostrom]

I also have my males in the same tank as my community tank they are just in their own little containers. Would that make a difference?

[IchthyChris]

Originally Posted by Joostrom

I also have my males in the same tank as my community tank they are just in their own little containers. Would that make a difference?

It might help if they were separated and males couldn't see the females for a week or more, then reintroduce them. Also try putting them together right before a storm. The change in barometric pressure could induce spawning.

[Joostrom]

Thanks everyone I will let you know if I'm successful!!

[maggie3]

I have a male and female betta. They are in a divided 10 gallon tank. He flares at her and she develops stripes, but he does not create a bubble nest.

I have conditioned them. I have tried putting them together (that didn't work, he just chased her and tormented her). I have a glass chimney and he chases around the glass at her. But not a bubble nest in site! He does leave a bubble here and there but that is all.

I have successfully bred bettas in the past but now I am stumped. I really don't have a place to put him if I should try other males. He shows his colors brilliantly but that is all.

Please help. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

[Kepo]

Originally Posted by maggie3

I have a male and female betta. They are in a divided 10 gallon tank. He flares at her and she develops stripes, but he does not create a bubble nest.

I have conditioned them. I have tried putting them together (that didn't work, he just chased her and tormented her). I have a glass chimney and he chases around the glass at her. But not a bubble nest in site! He does leave a bubble here and there but that is all.

I have successfully bred bettas in the past but now I am stumped. I really don't have a place to put him if I should try other males. He shows his colors brilliantly but that is all.

Please help. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

Cover the tank with Saran wrap and make sure you have a heater so it stays nice and humid in the tank. If your house is as dry as mine in these winter months, the bubbles just pop as he makes them. if this works make sure you are quick when opening the tank as the nest will shrink quickly.

As for your bettas not spawning, it is probably not because there is no bubblenest. Usually if a pair is good and ready, they will spawn regardless and he will make one after the spawn or during. I really stress the age limit of betta spawning. If your fish are older than a year, they very well might be too old. My last pair that spawned were 3.5 months old...which is prime breeding age.

Just make sure you have lots of space for all the babies if your spawn is successful. Some full females can drop 200-300 eggs during a spawn.

Good luck!

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by maggie3

I have a male and female betta. They are in a divided 10 gallon tank. He flares at her and she develops stripes, but he does not create a bubble nest.

I have conditioned them. I have tried putting them together (that didn't work, he just chased her and tormented her). I have a glass chimney and he chases around the glass at her. But not a bubble nest in site! He does leave a bubble here and there but that is all.

I have successfully bred bettas in the past but now I am stumped. I really don't have a place to put him if I should try other males. He shows his colors brilliantly but that is all.

Please help. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

There are a number of possibilities as to why no spawning. 1 IS age. The fish might be too young or too old. (I do take issue with not breeding over 1 year old. I've successfully bred fish that are over 2 yrs old.) Older fish make bigger babies.

As for no nest, some fish do not build nests prior to spawning. It's not an issue.
If she is ready, sometimes he will need to be coaxed into breeding which means that she will be taking a beating until he succumbs to her desires.
The best things to make sure of is that the temp is high enough (I try to stay between 78 and 80 degrees), there are few if any distractions for the male (Put the breeding tank away from other fish tanks or high traffic areas of the house) and there are plenty of places for her to hide in while he is chasing her (I use about 12-1/2" or 3/4" PVC connectors in a 10 gal tank).
I usually only give the males about 3 days to produce before taking other steps however, you must watch the fish's actions. Ripped fins are expected so what you need to watch for is if he is hurting her body. If he's taking body shots then get her out of there! You would then need to rethink whether this male should remain in your breeding program.

Finally, the tank should be completely covered. Using clear plastic wrap or a glass/plexiglass cover to keep the air inside the tank humid. This will be especially important when the fry start to develope their labrynth gland.

Take all these things into consideration before trying to mate them again.

Hope this helps

[Joostrom]

So I finally saw my Bettas mate but now it's been a few days and I don't see any black dots in the bubbles. They mated around Wednesday at 9 so I figured by today I would have seen some changes? Any ideas?

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Joostrom

So I finally saw my Bettas mate but now it's been a few days and I don't see any black dots in the bubbles. They mated around Wednesday at 9 so I figured by today I would have seen some changes? Any ideas?

Just to be clear, you saw the fish mate and saw them put the eggs into the nest?
If this is the case, my bettas hatch within 48 hours at 80- 82 degerees. What's the temp in your tank? Colder water will delay the hatching. The colder, the longer.

As for seeing black dots, I usually look at the underside of the nest. You should see the little tails wiggling or hanging there ( you may need a magnifying glass unless you have really good eyes )and an occasional fry drop and swim back up to the nest. It's not always easy to see the fry from the top. You'll also need to watch the male. He should be caring for the eggs in the nest as well as the fry when they hatch. If he is indifferent to the nest at this point, he/ they may have eaten the spawn. ( This happens frequently with my Black Bettas)

At this point I wouldn't change anything yet. Just understand that the temp may be an issue and keep your eyes on the bottom of the nest. If you see the eggs, keep waiting. If you see the wigglers, Congratulations