subject: Betta Fish Breeding - Some Things You Need To Know [print this page] Betta fish breeding can be a challenge but if you are equipped with the information and knowledge on how to handle them, you can however do the breeding pretty easily. You have to have the patience and effort though to be able to breed Betta fish successfully.
You will need all the information you can get from different online resources and help from local breeders or aquarium experts about betta fish breeding and you have to study the behaviors of these fishes and the tips and tricks on proper care for them to be able to make everything easier.
If you think you are ready for it, then you may start by choosing the fishes you want to breed. You can look at local pet stores or online pet stores for the fishes of your choice. The right time for breeding is when these fishes are between six to twelve months.
The materials you will need in betta fish breeding include a ten-gallon spawning tank, a submersible heater and a sponge filter with a gang valve. The tank should be filled with only up to five inches of water and the water temperature should be eighty degrees. In addition to the spawning tank, you will also need a 55-gallon grow out tank.
Fish foods are also necessary in betta fish breeding. For the baby bettas, you will need micro worm and brine shrimp cultures. The male and female bettas also need specialized feeding in preparation for the spawning process. Aside from blood worms or live brine shrimps, you may also consider giving them roaches, crickets, and other insects.
Before starting to breed a betta fish, you should also plan where you want the young bettas to go. If you want to sell the fry, you have to contact potential buyers for them. If creating a genetic line is what you want, you only have to choose the best fishes to continue breeding and give away or sell the others.
Another important thing that you should know about betta fish breeding is that these fishes are territorial, thus it is suggested that you start breeding male and female bettas in separate tanks or you may use one tank with a removable divider to keep them apart. You can place them together in the breeding tank after three to ten days of being apart or if you think that they are ready to be together - especially when you notice that the male fish starts to wrap his body around the female fish as she spawns and the male releases sperm.
Keep in mind also that to stimulate the male bettas to build bubble nests, twenty percent of the water in the bowls or aquariums should be changed each day.
The female betta should also be removed after she released the eggs. You can also treat the breeding tank with anti-fungal medications so the eggs won't be killed by fungus.
A little fry usually emerges in the bubble nest after two days. When the baby fishes start to swim freely, the male betta should be removed from the nest or else he will eat the baby bettas.
