subject: Breeding Betta Fish - Do You Know What To Do? [print this page] With their flowing fins, unique personalities, and beautiful colors, it's not hard to see how breeding betta fish has become so popular. Accomplishing this really isn't that difficult, provided you have proper guidance. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unsound information out there and it's not hard to get confused. As someone who has successfully bred Betta fish for over a year now, and even created a small home business out of it, this article should provide some tips that will point you in the right direction when breeding your Betta fish.
As a Betta owner, you are lucky because it's easy to tell the two genders apart, males generally larger, more flowing fins. While females usually have shorter, less elaborate fins. When choosing one of each, you want to make sure that both fish are healthy. Their colors should be vibrant, and each should be active.
Once you have your fish, you have arrived at one of the most important steps of all: the preparation. This stage is important because it's so often overlooked. To give your betta fish the best chance of a successful courtship, you want them to be in optimal condition. In the two weeks leading up to mating, you will want to buy live food to feed both of your fish. While still being careful not to overfeed, you'll want to give them extra food portions during this time. Don't forget, Betta fish aren't very good at monitoring their own sleep patterns. For this reason, it is important to turn lights off early and give your fish lots of rest leading up to the mating.
Also, during this stage you want to be setting up your tank. First and foremost, this should mean a thorough cleaning with hot water. Be sure to clean off rocks, plants, and many other accessories you may have added. You don't want to use soap as even small traces of residue can be quite harmful.
So what else? Another tip, although not necessary, is to cut a Styrofoam cup in half and place it on top of the water. In doing this, you will have created a small floating house type structure that your male Betta will likely feel safe creating his bubble nest under.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure when breeding Betta fish that you are male and female are introduced gradually. Use a divided, or side-by-side, tank setup for a few days prior to mating. This helps to ensure a positive experience when the fish are in the same tank.
