BETTA OBSESSION

(Betta Breeding)

There is several ways to get Bettas to spawn, the first, second even the third attempt may not be successful.
this is where you research, looking for breeders and asking around on the internet & pet shops will help,
you will find there is more about this Hobby than just setting up a pair together. There is alot of Work and Time associated with betta breeding, not to mention if you happen to get a over 500 eggs lol!
But it can be a very Fun hobby and always amazing when they finally spawn!

Getting started:

A list to help get your spawn started and raise healthy fry for the next 4 weeks

A 5-10 gallon tank (2 1/2 gallon can be used but not advised)
25 or 50 watt submersible heater to keep temperature of at least 80ºF
thermometer
A Styrofoam cup cut in half (the male will build his nest under and keep fry together)
Mesh divider or candle chimney to protect the female while in the tank
Plastic wrap to cover the tank if house temperature is below 75%
First food for fry - Liquifry No.1 for Egg Layers & culture of Microworms, frozen BBS
Treated water: Stress coat, Aquarium Salt, MarOxy (1/8 tsp.)
Indian almond leaf, spawn aid or Black Water extract (helps speed spawning process)
Air pump with Airline tubing to a sponge filter
Valve with 2 outlets
Live plant (Java moss ,hornwort) for the female to hide and to start Infusoria into the tank
Eye dropper or Turkey baister

Selecting the right pair

Males: Finding when a male who is ready to spawn, males are ready to breed around 4 months but I have heard 3 months old, I would not advise it since there barely getting out their grow out tank and chancing they might eat their eggs being so young. (It's best to wait until fully matured)
The Male will make a bubble nest to store females eggs and constantly flaring and showing off at other bettas or even at the reflection of himself, especially when he sees a female, this is when you know He's ready.
most male bettas will show aggressiveness in their little cups at pet stores making a huge bubblenest, and then you get him him and he becomes lazy, and stiff, barely moving, this is where conditioning comes in.
Most pet stores don't usually take good care of bettas, leaving them in their cups and never feeding them, if your looking to breed a pet store betta, examine them all and choose wisely.

Females: This can be so difficult and deceiving selecting a female ready to spawn, it's basically all up to her when the spawn will happen, I try to find a females who are well conditioned and healthy. Selecting a female with vertical stripes, she will have light vertical lines showing across her body, only darker colored bettas will show this.

(I've had pastel color females show vertical while spawning)
Also like the males, females can show aggression, they also will flare and show off to other bettas
also conditioning your female is very important to carry eggs.

Conditioning: For the next 2 weeks you will have to get your pair well conditioned for spawning,
I have spawns with one week of conditioning, the longer is better depending on your pair, this is what I mentioned earlier with picking the pair.
You need to feed them well with the best of food, plenty of live food, Live or Frozen Brine shrimp, Blood worms also freeze dried works.
Feed them three to four times a day or more, the female's tummy will soon swell up with eggs and the male will need energy, he will be taking care of his nest for 24 hours a day until they are free swimming.
Also a 100% water change every day is a must.
Place them next to each other to see if they are compatible, sometimes the most beautiful bettas will not show any interest in one another, they should flare and look as if they want fight and jump out their bowls, this is a sign their ready! if they are not showing these signs, the spawning process for them might take longer and it's best to select another female or male.

Spawning Tank: One week before spawning set up a 5 or 10 gallon tank, fill the tank to half of treated water, Place the styrofoam cup (cut in half) up against the front of the tank. add the live plant, the submergible heater and sponge filter, set the heater to heat the water to 85 degrees. Run the sponge filter on high for at least week before placing the pair together.

Introducing The Pair: This sometimes can be the most exciting part or aggravating part of the whole spawn,

Put the the male to the tank first. Then the female, separate her in a hurricane glass, or a divider she will get vertical bars when she about to spawn, and fill up more with eggs while she is looking at the male.
he will be showing off, flaring and try to break the divider or glass between them, if he doesn't blow a nest right away, the male will while they spawning to keep the eggs in the cup. and sometimes he did it with out a nest.

don't worry just lower it until it's above the heater after they spawn (I siphon with an airline tube or turkey baister).

it's really up to the female when they spawn, and doesn't matter with the male building a bubblenest. leave them separated for a day or longer, to prevent the nipping and biting of the fins on them both, this the courting possess and them getting to know one another, yes it's weird, the male will attack and chase her all over the tank, this can go on for hours and sometimes a few days, she will run away hide and look scared, sometimes get horizontal stripes (fear stripes), but this is the way bettas mate and show love to each other lol, they both will change to a more darker color, she will come near him tease and flare at him, he will chase her and it goes on like this.
Now They might not spawn right away, just watch closely to their behavior, she might get beat up badly, if she has a few of her fins nipped, leave her in, but showing signs of body damage or severe bites take her out immediately!
at the end of the day I always to separate them, in the dark alot can happen, especially to him, I've had experience with a male who was severely ripped to shreds by the female, so I never leave them together at night. I usualy feed them while their in the spawning tank, but make sure you remove the left over food and waste out of the spawning tank making sure the floor of the tank is immaculately clean.

When their about to spawn the female will rub against the male as if they were dancing around the tank, and flaring at the male, then she will start to get all clamped up and start swimming like she is floating, he will still chase and bite her but the only difference she will not run so much but actually come near his nest, and start to swim head down with a little wiggle with her swimming, she may look like something is wrong with her like she's dying but this the way she is ready to submit herself towards him, and start nudging him in his side, he will then embrace her. She will float on her side to the top and look as if she is dead and in shocked and he will also, but with in seconds they snap out it and start all over again lol.
Eggs don't usually fall in the first embrace and can take up to a hour of embracing until you see eggs falling, he will then start catching them or picking them up off the ground and blowing them up in the cup, she usually will help him and they both will work as a team. She can drop 10 to 50 eggs at a time
(I noticed my DTs had the triple amount than My ST females)

It's best to leave them together until she is running away and hiding or until he is chasing her away, this her way of saying she has no more eggs. You have to carefully remove her and place her in treated water with salt and betta max, bettafix or some Indian almond leaf this will heal her wounds faster, any nipped fins should grow back in 2 - 3 weeks and try feeding her.

Hatching Eggs: Once you take female is out the male will continue to pick up the falling eggs and blowing them back in the nest. He will build a make bubbles. he will picking up the eggs and make them stick together in the bubble nest for the next 24-36 hours when the eggs begin to start hatching (warmer water temperature will hatch sooner).

The eggs start hatching if you take a magnifying glass up close you will see tiny tails attached to the eggs and will start to wiggle around, they will fall to the bottom and try to swim back up for the first day and stick to the cup and the glass or until they become free swimming and the male will continue to pick them up off of the bottom of the tank and place them back in the nest. It's best not to feed the male while he is tending his nest, it might give him an appetite or a feeling he needs a snack, if you notice his stomach is at any time full, remove him immediately!

he is an egg eater and you will artificially hatch the eggs your self, I have done it before and raised healthy fry, you will then need to lower the water 3 inches, add an air stone and turn it up high, alot of the eggs might catch fungus with out the father to clean so you will have to use the turkey baister and create extra movement in the tank, as many times during the day you can, this works best for me.
Be sure to remove fungus affected eggs after they hatch to keep the water extra clean and avoid ammonia poison for the fry.

After about 2 days, all the fry should have hatched, carefully remove the male, try to distract him with another male on the other side of the tank and not catching him with fry near or in his mouth, this part is sometimes so delicate. Once the male is out, treat him the same as the female with Bettafix for a few days to help heal any fin damage.

Ok Spawning was actually the easy part now the fun begins with the raising the fry!

I will be adding my raising fry page in the next few days. check back.

Feeding Fry

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Betta Obsession

P.O. Box 605066
Cleveland, OH 44105-0066
Voice: (216)271-7982