Betta stocking?

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Crawdaddy

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
423
Location
Montgomery, TX
Hello all. I just set up a 4gallon tank with a half moon. I was wondering if there was anything else I could put in it that won't get eaten? Also, what are the rules for trying to breed the betta's? Do I need separate tanks, a permanent divider? Any help would be appreciated.
 
For breeding them u will oviously need a female and at least 2 more tanks onefor fry and one for the female after spawning
 
IMO, the only tankmates that could work in a 4g are snails, or MAYBE shrimp. Lots of bettas eat shrimp, so it's a bit of a gamble, but it can work for some people.
As for the breeding, that is more complicated. I will let somebody who has experience with it to answer that portion of your question.
 
You need 3 tanks. One for the female, one for the male, one that's a breeding tank. Put their tanks next to eachother, let him flash for a bit. Put him in the breeding tank, right next to her tank, so they can see eachother. He'll build a bubble nest. Only when it's large enough, put her in. You will need to watch them carefully, the courting process is violent. Nipping and chasing is normal, they'll probably have torn fins afterwards, but it can easily turn deadly if one decides they don't like the other. Eventually, if they don't turn too agressive, the female will approach the bubble nest and inspect it. If she likes it, the male will wrap her, and they'll breed. He'll wrap her a few times, each time giving less and less eggs. When there are none, remove her immediately, because she will either try to eat the eggs, or get attacked by the male who will think she'll eat the eggs. He takes the fertilized eggs, that have dropped to the bottom, and brings them to the nest. He'll take care of them for a while. They'll eat the egg sacks from the bubble nest when they hatch, so food right away for them is optional. You have to take him out once they start getting independant.

Then, once the fry start showing colors, you'll need a small container for every male fry. The second you can tell they're male from color or tail shape, remove them and put them into the containers. The females can stay in the breeding tank.

There's so much that can go wrong with each step, though, so I strongly encourage you to do your research. Find a whole bunch of articles, and read them through a few times.
 
Thank you. It's a lot more involved than I thought it would be. I might just hold off for awhile. I was hoping that the 4gal would be big enough that I could add a couple of tank mates. I don't know how excited I am about snails though. Will think about it.
 
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