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Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
If you search on the internet about information about cleaning your Betta Fry tank then you will find many different methods and ideas on how best to go about it. I know when I first started I was left a little confused by the varying opinions. Therefore at the end of the day I ended up just developing my own method. Therefore read on and I’ll explain how I go about it, but first of all here’s a few common questions I’ll try and answer along the way, as they were questions I originally had that I couldn’t find a suitable answer to.
When should you start cleaning the bottom of your fry tank?
When should you start adding water to your fry tank?
What’s the best method of cleaning the bottom of the tank?
How often do you need to clean your tank?
So to start off with the question of when to start cleaning your tank is quite simple. I start as soon as the fry are large enough for me to see, so that I can confidently distinguish them from the waste on the bottom, without needlessly siphoning fry from the tank. Therefore, when you start will depend on how good your eyesight is, how large and how quickly your fry are growing and how much waste is on the bottom of the tank.
I add at least one Mystery Snail and one Bristlenose Catfish to my fry tank after a couple of days so the waste from both of these does accumulate. I’ve found that Bristlenose are great for keeping the sponge filter clean and also the area around aquarium heater which can be difficult for the Mystery Snail to access. The Mystery Snail I’ve found, is great for eating any excess fry food on the bottom such as Microworms etc. so both of these do serve a useful purpose.
So taking these factors into account, I would say start cleaning as soon as possible. Another thing you will need to understand is not all spawns are the same and not all females will have the same size eggs. Some females are physically larger than others and will have larger eggs and as such the fry will be larger. Therefore when you read somewhere that says start cleaning you tank after a week, then I would say that this is just a guide. Don’t take it literally. If your fry are large enough for you to see clearly before then, then start as soon as you can.
When I did my research I discovered that fry will grow quicker when water is changed more regularly and from experience I tend to agree so you may in fact be able to start after just a few days. Therefore before you do start you’ll have to add water before hand. So after about 3 days I will add about 2 litres of aged, conditioned water, than is preheated into the fry tank. How you go about this is very important.
Firstly, I get a small container (about 0.5 to 1 litre) of this water and float it in the water in my Betta fry tank until the temperature is the same as the water in the tank. Then I very gently release it into the tank. Remember your fry are still very fragile at this stage but you should still be able to release it without causing any turbulence/current in your tank. Just imagine there is an axle right through the centre of your container. Gently rotate the container around the imagined axle while keeping the container in the same position and you’ll find you can easily release the water without causing any current at all.
Therefore what you’ll find, if you’re using a 50 litre tank, is it should only have about 20 litres of water in it due to the low water level of 10 to 15 cm for spawning. So by adding an extra 2 litres you’re really only adding about 10% which will not be enough to stress your new fry. Then I add more water again the next day or if you want, you can even add the same amount of water again later in the day.
Then when you clean the bottom of the tank for the first time (with the method I’m about to explain) you will find you’ll probably remove about 3 litres so over a period of a few days the volume of water in the tank will increase until it is nearly full. Therefore after about 10 days you’ll find you should be able to do about 50% water changes without it having any adverse effect on your fry, taking into account that you increase the amount of water you add each day.
This is my 8mm Siphon. I use this when the fry get larger. You can see the extra piece of clear hose fitted over the end that goes into the tank to stiffen it. I prefer to use 6mm hose when the fry are still small.
Therefore the method I use to clean the bottom of my fry tank is a siphon. Now using a siphon might be considered a pretty basic operation but when it comes to siphoning waste from the bottom a fry tank, that is covered in tiny Betta fry, it can become a bit tricky. So for starters I use 6mm clear plastic hose and having enough control over it so you can position it exactly where you want it is vitally important. I’ve heard that attaching a chopstick to the end is one method but what I did was get some 8mm hose about 20 cm long, slice it along the length and then fit it over the end of the 6 mm hose. This will then make it stiff enough so you then have enough control over where you want to position it.
Then the fun part begins, siphoning the waste without siphoning your fry as well. So the first point I’d like to make is it can take about 20 to 30 minutes the first few times but as your fry get larger it does become quite a bit easier and quicker. Being able view inside your tank from above will also make it easier as well. Therefore to do this effectively it does become a two handed operation and does require some amount of co-ordination. I use one hand to position the end of the siphon inside the tank and I place one finger on the other hand over the other end of the siphon which is in the bucket.
This is the important part. The finger over the end in the bucket is used to control the flow of water. If it looks like you’re about to siphon a fry then just block the end in the bucket with your finger and the flow will stop. It’s as easy as that. Therefore you’ll find that the whole operation is controlled by just one finger on your bottom hand (in/above the bucket) as you are constantly releasing and blocking the flow as you select what you do and what you don’t want to siphon.
Then from time to time you will find that you maybe weren’t quite quick enough and a fry will get siphoned but if you’ve still placed your finger over the bottom end quite often you’ll find the water flow will stop and the fry will be trapped just a few centimetres inside the hose. This is the reason why I use a clear plastic hose and why I don’t use a chopstick. It’s so I can easily see inside the hose to confirm if it was a fry or just some waste.
If it’s a fry I just slowly raise the bottom end of the hose so it’s above the end in the tank and then slowly release my finger and the fry will be released back into the tank. Then just place your finger back over the end again and lower it back into the bucket and continue siphoning. It’s as easy as that. It does take some co-ordination but I’m sure before you know it you should be able to do it in your sleep.
Now from time to time you will find that 1 or 2 fry will end up in the bucket, so once you’ve finished, have a good look inside the bucket. I then use a white styro foam cup to scoop it up and return it to the tank. Also don’t use a black bucket. Find one with a contrasting colour such as white or maybe yellow as it will make it easier when searching for siphoned fry.
Next up is the question of how often to siphon your tank. Well this is up to you. I do mine everyday, if not every second day. The more often you do it, the quicker your fry will grow. It has been reported that fish will release a hormone into the water that will limit their growth. Therefore slowly getting to the stage where you’re doing about 40 to 50% water changes per day will help them to grow faster. At the end of the day though it is up to you but I’ve found that as your fry grow larger it is easier to clean/siphon the tank.
My Plant Floater holds Java Moss and Indian Almond Leaf. I squirt Microworms into it and the fry will swim through the gaps the eat them before they slowly sink to the bottom. Keeping you plants on the surface makes cleaning the bottom easier.
Another thing I’ve started doing recently is to place my Java Moss in a mess plastic container that floats. This keeps the bottom of the tank clear and makes the job of siphoning the bottom easier and less time consuming. If you like you can use Riccia Fluitans or water sprite, which both float unaided instead of the Java Moss.
Therefore, in a nut shell, I start adding water after just a few days, in small enough amounts so the Betta fry don’t get stressed, but also at a rate so I can fill the tank as soon as possible. I then slowly increase the amount I add each day. I start cleaning/siphoning the bottom of the tank as soon as I can see the fry clearly and use a 6mm clear hose. As the fry get larger I then use a 8mm hose as this will get the job done even faster. As far as how often you should clean it? Well, as I said, the more the better but I’ll leave that up to you.
Therefore cleaning you Betta Fry Tank can be a chore but how much work it takes does depend on how you go about. Hopefully some of my methods can help you or maybe you’ve got some better ideas. If so then why not leave a comment below so you can share them with everyone else. You never know what might be obvious to you might not be to others.
Cheers
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- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
- Microworms
- Feeding Your Betta Fry
Worm Bin
My Worm Bin = Free Betta Food
I've had my Worm Bin for quite a few years. As you can see it looks a bit weather beaten but it still does the job very well.
When I bought my Worm Bin (aka Worm Farm) a few years ago to recycle organic kitchen waste into garden fertilizer I never thought I’d find this use for it. Free, Live Betta food!
Last autumn I found some White Worms on the underside of the worm bin lid and looking very similar to Grindal Worms I decided that they might make a tasty snack for my Betta Fry. They were really easy to harvest as well as they crawled up the inner sides of the worm bin, above the compost, so it was just a matter of harvesting them with a pair of tweezers.
So first of all you might be wondering where they came from? Well they just happened to move in all by themselves. Whether they were already in the compost when I bought the compost worms, I’m not sure, but they certainly have turned out to be very welcome guests.
Just harvest your White Worms with some tweezers and then let them rinse in some aquarium water for a day or so.
Therefore after I started feeding my Bettas the white worms it then dawned on me that the worm bin was also loaded full of lots and lots of composting worms as well. They would also make quite a nutritious snack as well but the composting worms presented a few problems that the white worms didn’t.
Firstly, the composting worms were less inclined to crawl the sides of the worm bin and were mostly covered in compost. They were also full of compost on the inside as well so I was suspicious that bacteria might be a problem if I was to feed the composting worms to my Bettas.
The other problem with the compost worms was most of them were too large for adult Bettas to eat in one piece. They were simply more than just a mouthful.
Place the compost worms in a cup so they can excrete their waste until they are clear inside. Then you can rinse them in some clean water and cut into bite size length for your Bettas.
So this is what I did. I first selected juvenile worms. I found that there was enough of them in the compost bin to supply a fairly good amount of food. Next I placed them in a white styro foam cup half filled with aquarium water and over a period of a couple of days the worms would purge themselves of everything they’d eaten from the compost bin.
Because the worms were slightly translucent you could see the line of compost within their body but after they’d purged themselves it was all sitting on the bottom of the cup and their bodies were then clear. I’d then place them in another cup for a while so they could rinse themselves and then feed them to my Bettas.
So what I’ve found is the compost worms make a good food for adult Bettas that are being conditioned for breeding or even just as to supplement their diet. The worms will also live in the water for quite a few days so if you’re going away for a few days you can add as many as you need to your tank so your Bettas don’t go hungry.
The other thing I also discovered is you can easily cut the larger compost worms to size with a sharp pair of scissors so they are easier for your Bettas to swallow.
White worms can also be treated the same. I’ve actually fed these to my Betta fry straight from the compost bin but it probably wouldn’t hurt to rinse them also in some aquarium water for a day. One thing I’ve noticed is the white worms only seem to survive for about 2 days while submerged so you can’t rinse them for as long as the compost worms.
White Worms form clumps when submerged in water, which makes it easy to cut them smaller if required.
The white worms are also about 4 times longer than Grindal worms so if you want to feed them to your smaller fry then it’s just a matter of cutting them to length. Now I know you’re probably thinking that cutting enough white worms to length to feed lots of fry is going to be time consuming but here’s what I’ve found. While they’re in the water just swish them around and what you’ll find is they’ll cling together to form a tight clump. Just lift the clump out of the water with some tweezers and then cut it with your sharp scissors. Just do this 3 or 4 times and before you know it you’ll turn 20 or 30 white worms into over 100 wriggling little worms you can then tip into your fry tank.
Then just stand back and watch you fry go crazy over them. I once saw two fry grab the same white worm. Each fry had a different end and it was just like a tug of war. I watched these two fry fight over it for more that 5 minutes before I decided to leave them to it. I’m not sure who won the prize but it certainly shows just how much they liked the white worms.
So there you go, if you’d like to feed your Bettas something a little different every now and again then a worm bin might just be the answer, as once you’ve paid for it the food is free.
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Aquarium Heaters
Aquarium Heaters are an item that can get overlooked when it comes to fitting out your new Siamese Fighting Fish tank. Male Fighting Fish are quite often sold in pet stores and do have a reputation for living in small containers and tanks. As a consequence, often there isn’t enough room left in their small container for the aquarium heater so the sales assistant often advises a heater isn’t required.
Don’t believe it. If your Siamese Fighting Fish’s container is too small for an aquarium heater then it is way too small to keep your Siamese Fighting Fish in. One male Fighter will need at the very, very minimum, about 4 to 5 litres of water but 10 litres is even better.
Therefore it really begs the question, when do you need an aquarium heater for your Siamese Fighting Fish tank? Well the first thing to understand is Siamese Fighting Fish are a tropical fish and as such prefer a water temperature of at least 20 deg C (68 F) and ideally about 25 – 27 deg C (80 F). So if you can’t consistently maintain a minimum of 20 deg C then an aquarium heater comes highly recommended for your Siamese Fighting Fish tank.
Now the next thing to understand about Siamese Fighting Fish is they will survive in cold water for short periods of time but that is all they will do ….. survive ….. for awhile anyway. Cold water and Siamese Fighters don’t mix. It will make your Siamese Fighting Fish susceptible to disease and sickness. He will be miserable and will most likely die well before his time.
Therefore if you find yourself in a pet shop being told something different, then don’t believe it. You’re being misinformed.
Therefore once you’ve made the decision that your Siamese Fighting Fish’s environment warrants an aquarium heater then the next decision is what type? Well the first point I would like to make is this. Aquarium heaters are not an item that you should skimp on. Lets face it, what you are doing is placing an electrical device into a body of water. Everybody knows that water and electricity don’t mix and despite the fact that aquarium heaters are purpose build to be placed in water, it would be safe to say that there are some heaters that are better than others.
Some aquarium heaters aren’t designed to be submerged below a certain level while others can be fully submerged. Therefore, if you’re after a submersible aquarium heater then make sure you read the specifications as you may be disappointed when you get your heater home and discover it isn’t fully submersible.
Next up you will need to decide the correct size aquarium heater you require. As a rough guide, the amount of litres equals the amount of Watts. Therefore a 25w aquarium heater will be suitable to heat up to 25 litres of water. Make sure you check the packaging though and follow the manufacturers recommendations.
Aquarium heater safety is very important as well. It is essential that you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. There is also an important point that can also be overlooked as well.
Many people understand that aquarium heaters come with a thermostat that will maintain the water temperature within a certain range. What some people don’t realise is that it will only do it when the aquarium heater is submerged in water. If you were to turn on your heater without water in your tank it will heat up very fast, melt through the plastic/rubber suction mounts very quickly and if you are using a plastic or acrylic container it will melt through that as well. So you can see, aquarium heaters can be dangerous when not used correctly.
Therefore you can see that following the safety recommendations is vitally important when using aquarium heaters.
So if you’d like to house your Siamese Fighting Fish comfortably in the warm water he requires and your climate or room temperature can’t provide it then you will need to use an aquarium heater. Remember just follow the instructions, do your homework about aquarium heaters and your Siamese Fighting Fish will be happy, healthy and eternally grateful.
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Giant Betta Fry
These Bettas come from Halfmoon giants lines and are just over a month old. They are a combination of Halfmoon Plakats and Longtail Halfmoons. They come from Sydney and if you’d like the full story here it is at My Bettas
Males
Females
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Breeding Crowntail Bettas
Breeding Crowntail Bettas – Spawn No 5
This is the story of my 5th Betta Spawn and I think it’s going to be a long one as both my previous spawns were ended when the male ate the eggs. Therefore because these spawns probably don’t warrant an article each, I’ve decided to incorporate them here as both lead into this article.
So hopefully if you’re new to breeding Bettas or even if you just like reading about it then you’ll get quite a bit out of this article, as I know I did.
Crowntail Female - I told she may have double tail genes due to the extended dorsal
So basically this is the story of trying to find a worthy male for my red and blue Crowntail female. I bought here from the Aqueus in St Kilda along with her original partner, a beautiful red Crowntail male.
So this pair first mated on 30 July 2010. The courtship went well and they were both suited (they didn’t try and kill each other).
Red Crowntail Male
Unfortunately though, dad ate most of the eggs after 1 day. He then tended to the Bubble Nest for another two days but it eventually dissolved.
A few days later I found 1 fry in the tank but it didn’t survive.
I then tried them again about 3 weeks later and despite her being ready, he just wasn’t interested at all and didn’t make a Bubble Nest.
So here are the videos below of the initial courtship and spawn.
Red Crowntails Courting
Red Crowntails Spawning.
So that was the female Crowntails first spawn. After she was introduced to the male for the second time she was quite despondent as he wasn’t interested so I paired her with a Black Lace male with melano genes.
During the courtship she seemed a lot keener than he was and if she’d just backed off a little I think they would have spawned without them trying to harm each other.
In hindsight though I probably should have let them get to know each other a bit longer. Although when I removed the glass he did have a small Bubble Nest which was obscured by the edge of the cup. I ended up separating them after a few minutes as I got the impression he was trying to tell her to wait until he was ready. Maybe I misread the signs but I just wasn’t prepared to loose the female. Anyway watch the video below and make up your own mind.
Black Lace Male x Red Crowntail Female
Next up I tried to pair her with a Turquoise Halfmoon. She was way too dominant for him and in the end he basically just ran away from her. He was scared. Watch this, it’s a little long but I thought it would be better unedited.
Turquoise Halfmoon Male x Crowntail Female
In the end the male went and hid in the Java Moss so decided to call it off before he died of fright.
After these three failed attempts I then tried her with two other males but didn’t even get to the stage of removing the glass as their interest was negligible and their Bubble Nests were nearly non existent.
Finally I removed her and placed her in a container between two male Crowntails I’d been given. One of the males took a shine to her straight away so I conditioned them both for a week before placing them in the spawning tank.
In the meantime though, I drained all the water from the tank and cleaned it thoroughly. I then added the Black Lace again, this time with a different female. I’d been conditioning them for over a week and had placed them next to each other to get to know each other. He’d been building Bubble Nests and she’d developed vertical stripes.
Also just while I think of it, the female Crowntail never developed vertical stripes on any of the occasions she was with a male, despite being somewhat keen to breed.
Therefore the Black Lace’s new female was steel blue and the intent was to breed some Halfmoons with Melano genes. His father was a Melano and I was hoping she would also have some Melano genes as well. Therefore I placed the Black Lace and his new female in the spawning tank together. I placed her in a plastic container. Within about 3 hours she’s jumped over the top and the courtship began.
So there were a few interesting points about this pairing. Firstly, she was quite a bit smaller than him and despite my reservations with the match up I still decided to go ahead and try. Secondly his attitude toward her was totally different to what he displayed to the Crowntail.
He showed no aggression to her whatsoever. In fact he was nearly aloof and looked disinterested even when she was placed in the tank. This of course could most probably be attributed to the fact that she was subservient to him and was cautious approaching him due to her size.
Here’s the video below. You will notice that because of the size difference he had a lot of trouble wrapping around her. There is also one occasion where he had her the wrong way around. Therefore I suspect that maybe a lot of the eggs weren’t fertilised.
So what was the outcome of this spawn? Well the timing for me wasn’t great as we had some friends staying and just as we were to go out for lunch they started to spawn (no the fish, not our friends). Therefore I set the video going and off we went. About 3 hours later I returned to catch the male just finishing off the last of the eggs. Yes, he was my second egg eater. The Bubble Nest was also completely gone and yes you guessed it the video stopped after 1 hour so it didn’t actually capture what happened.
Therefore at 3:30 in the afternoon exit 1 Black Lace and 1 Blue Steel female and enter my Crowntail pair. That’s right I replaced them there and then. This pair were conditioned and ready to go. So just briefly here’s the time span.
Tuesday afternoon the pair were placed in the spawning tank separated by glass. Wednesday morning she was placed in a plastic container and the glass was removed. By lunchtime his Bubble Nest was well underway, so based on the fact that she hadn’t displayed vertical stripes in past and was never one to jump over the plastic and in with the male, I decided to release her into the tank.
These two turned out to be a good match and she didn’t dominant him like her previous potential partners. As you’ll see in the video below they did get a little bit rough under the Bubble Nest and managed to destroy it on a couple of occasions.
So by Thursday lunch time when they started to spawn there was practically no bubbles in the nest at all. This obviously worried me a bit as based on my last attempts it looked like it was heading for disaster again but he actually built the Bubble Nest as they spawned and in the end he managed to pack quite a few eggs all into one very small Bubble Nest in the back corner of the cup.
Spawning went for about 1.5 to 2 hours and by mid afternoon the female was back in her container getting pampered and fed.
What happened next though then surprised me again. I’d read about this before but still being relatively inexperienced in breeding Bettas I hadn’t yet witnessed it. I won’t tell you what it was though as it’s probably best if you watch the video.
Then late Saturday afternoon, about 28 hours after spawning the eggs started to hatch.
Late Sunday, most of the fry were then free swimming. There were still a few fry around the Bubble Nest but they seemed to be independent of the bubbles. Therefore I decided it was time to remove dad. He was mainly just sitting back watching the action. There were now fry swimming all over the tank.
So my next problem was how to get him out without causing too much disturbance. I didn’t want to go fishing around in there with a net, plus dad just didn’t want to move away from the Bubble Nest, so here’s what I did.
I found an area of the tank where there were very few fry and floated a few bloodworm on the water surface. Poor old dad just couldn’t help himself. He looked at them for a few moments, torn between his hunger and duty. Then he couldn’t help himself. He swam up to them and being slow and tired he was easy to scoop up into a styrofoam cup.
So why did I use the cup? Well I figured that if I manged to scoop some fry they would be easy to see on the white background so I could then return them to the tank, via a syringe.
So finally, here’s the video. I hope you enjoy it.
So that’s pretty much how it went and just in case you’re wondering why I placed the plastic lid in the tank . . . ? ? ? Well all the previous males had made really small Bubble Nests. So not being sure if it was just coincidence or there was an actual reason/problem, I though I give him another option just in case.
As you can see he took the other option and shifted house (so to speak). What I didn’t count on though, was that he would be smart enough to move it. And no, it didn’t float up there all by itself as it’s still there now as I write this, 3 days later. Therefore he obviously knew where the warmest part of the tank was and just in case you’re wondering what the temperature was . . . ? ? ? Well the temp gauge on the front of the tank indicated 28.5 deg C (83 F), so who knows maybe it was about 30 deg C over the heater?
So now as I write this it’s Monday afternoon, 6 days after they were introduced into the tank. The tank is now full of lots of little black dots with tails and now it’s up to me to get them through the rest of the way.
So why not leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
Cheers
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- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
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Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
Recently I’ve had some visitors to the website that had been searching for an answer to this question…….Do some Bettas like to take breaks while spawning?
Well, as I write this I’m now the grand old veteran of 3 spawns so maybe I’m not the most qualified to answer this question but having videoed each of my spawns now, I have learned quite a bit about Bettas spawning, as each pair were quite different.
My first pair were very young and were first timers and despite getting the job done to the extent where I was able to raise 45 fry the male did leave most of the eggs on the bottom until the end. The female didn’t help at all in collecting them.
My second spawn was very systematic. The pair would come together, he’d squeeze the female to release the eggs and fertilize them, then break away and start collecting them before they’d get to the bottom and then he’s place them in the Bubble Nest. The female would then recover and swim to the bottom to collect the rest and then also deliver them safely to the Bubble Nest. They repeated this with military precision about 20 times without a break and when they were finished he chased her away and that was that.
It was very obvious when it was all over.
Therefore as you can see in the video above it was obvious when to remove the female.
BUT this is NOT always the case……….
So where my second Betta spawn looked like it had just come out of the “Betta Spawning Handbook”, my third spawn was different again. These two were all over the place and really did look like first timers. They did take breaks and there were a couple of times when I was unsure if they’d finished. Twice they stopped and recommenced. In the end after a break of about 30 minutes he seemed to lose interest all together. She swam away and then came back and watched him tending to the Bubble Nest. He would subtly move her on but the signs weren’t as obvious as in the video above. In the end I decided to remove her.
So therefore when your Bettas do take breaks while spawning the question for you is to decide if it’s a break or whether spawning is over and it’s time to remove the female. I have found that being able to video my spawns is extremely advantageous as it helps me to understand Betta behavior. Also in this case I used the video to estimate how many eggs were already released and in the Bubble Nest. This can help with your decision.
Also if you come into your breeding room and discover you Bettas spawning then it can be difficult to judge how long it’s been going on or when it actually started. During my first spawn the female released lots of eggs each time they came together but they came together less often.
As spawning commensed my second Betta female only released between 1 to 5 eggs the first few times and then it build up to about 20 eggs for about the next 15 or so times. Then they just stopped and that was that.
When my third pair spawned, the amount of eggs released each time varied throughout. It started off with a few, then she released more, then she released less and then more and so on. So with this pair, if you were to start observing half way through spawning it would be difficult to guess at what stage they were at, based simply on the amount of eggs that were being released. You may even get tricked into thinking it has only just commenced.
So as I’ve discovered Bettas do take breaks while spawning on some occasions and the reasons why are probably many and varied. The important point for you is to decided is if it’s a break or if it’s over.
So if you can, film your Betta spawns, as you will gain experience much quicker and then you can use your judgment to pick up the subtle signs. Then you will be much better equipped to decide if your Bettas are simply taking a break while spawning or if they have in fact finished spawning.
My third Spawn. Red Crowntails.
If you like my videos then why not subscribe to MX Bettas YouTube Channel as I’ll be adding more in the future.
Why not leave a comment below……………
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Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
I decided to write this article for a couple of reasons as I have been asked recently if I could email some photos of my Breeding Room/Area. The other reason was because I’ve heard some breeders in my local area don’t like to breed Bettas during the winter as it’s too cold.
Therefore it’s important to point out that breeders should always breed when it suits them as breeding Bettas should always be an enjoyable past time. So if summer is the preferred season then so be it. For me though I like winter, as breeding Bettas is an indoor activity and in the summer I like to spend most of my time outdoors. Also if no one else in your area breeds during the winter then you won’t have any competition selling your Bettas. So if you like breeding Bettas and the only thing stopping you from doing so during the winter is the cold then please read on and I’ll show you how I go about it.
So to start off with I have written about my Betta Breeding area in a previous post but I have updated it since then so it’s probably worth going over again. Therefore I haven’t got a Breeding Room, I have an area in the back of my garage that I use for breeding Bettas. The reason I chose to do it this way is it has a concrete floor that I can spill water, fish food or anything else on without it being an issue.
It is also close to our laundry which means I have hot and cold water close by that I don’t have to carry through the house. Now another thing worth mentioning is the typical overnight temperature lows we get here in Melbourne during the winter range from about -2 deg C to about +5 deg C. Therefore if you live in parts of North America or Europe where your temperature drops well below freezing for most of the winter then this set up may not be applicable to your situation. You may be better off breeding inside your house but nevertheless I hope you can still find some helpful information here anyway.
So here is a picture of my Betta breeding area. You can click on the image to enlarge it if you like.
It is divided into two areas and not because I planned it this way it is because I added to it recently. Therefore the first point worth mentioning is plan well ahead if you wish to make your breeding area permanent. To be honest though, when you start this hobby you probably won’t know the extent to which you will go with your Betta breeding program. Therefore I didn’t make my Betta breeding enclosure too permanent as I knew it was going to be work in progress, so I made this area out of scrap timber and cement sheet.
So what I started with was just one breeding tank in the area in the left with one container of heated, aged water that was standing by for water changes. Now you can see I have 3, 50 litre breeding tanks on the left and on the right I have an area where I can separate and jar fry. This is just on a very small scale at this stage and I will shortly be adding a larger barracks arrangement soon on the opposite wall, where I can comfortably separate and keep larger quantities of Bettas. Therefore I may use this area to add another breeding tank………….maybe!
Therefore the first point worth mentioning about my breeding area is that it’s fully enclosed. This means the radiated heat from the tanks heats the area inside and thus reduces the amount of electricity required to ultimately heat the tanks. This upcoming summer I hope to have my final plans settled for this breeding area so I will redesign it slightly and add some more insulation to make it even more energy efficient.
Lighting is another consumer of electricity. I used energy efficient light globes which helps with consumption. I will also paint the inside of the enclosed area with white enamel paint when I redesign the area. The white paint will make the area brighter when using low wattage globes. Another consideration with lighting is the different requirements for tanks with different stage fry. For example when the male is tending to the Bubble Nest it is best to keep the light on 24 hours a day until the fry are free swimming. This is so he can retrieve fallen eggs and fry.
Now if you have fry in other tanks it probably won’t be suitable for them to have the light on during the night. Therefore you may want to consider setting up a light over each tank so the required tank can be lit all night and then covering the other tanks to simulate night and day. Or the other option is to have a light you can move around to position where required.
Another consideration with lighting is to have to facility to have bright light if you intend to video or photograph your spawn. You many have noticed my original videos were not of very good quality and this was of course due to insufficient lighting. I have videoed all of my courtships and spawnings and have found this very beneficial for many reasons. It will give you an idea of how many eggs are in the nest. You can compare this with how many fry hatch. Also if something goes wrong and you are not there to witness it then at least you may not be left guessing. This is especially beneficial when you are new to breeding and still learning the ropes.
Air pumps are another consideration. I use one variable speed air pump so I can adjust it to suit my requirements. It also has two outlets. I’m using it (see photo) to operate 4 sponge filters and it’s only on low. If I wanted to I could turn it up to also operate 2 or 3 Brine Shrimp hatcheries. So make sure the air pump you select has plenty of variable capacity. The other option is to add extra air pumps but I think it is more energy efficient to have one adjustable air pump that has a large capacity rather than having several smaller ones.
You may also notice my power point is on the outside. I don’t have any condensation issues if the lids/covers are left on the tanks but if I was to forget and leave a lid off then I do get some condensation on the roof of the enclosure. Therefore I have elected to leave any unsealed power connections such as the power adapters on the outside.
The way you arrange your tanks is also important. I have mine side by side at the same height. Now I must say I didn’t plan this as it’s just the way it turned out but inadvertently I’ve found this to be an advantage and the reason is this. It comes in very handy when cleaning/siphoning your tanks.
When the fry are young they are very small and when they get large enough so you can confidently siphon the bottom of your tank without siphoning fry you will find being able to look directly into your tank from above to be a real advantage. I’ve found that the best view you will get of the fry when cleaning the tank is from directly above and not through the side of the tank. Therefore if you have enough space above you tank so you can lean over the top of the tank to see in, you will greatly decrease the chances of siphoning fry from your tank and hence make this task much easier and less time consuming.
Also consider the height above the ground that you place the tanks. Make sure it is suited to your height so you can lean over the tank without getting a sore back. So you can imagine if you were to stack your tanks on a series of shelves one on top of the other then this task may be more difficult.
Another consideration is how you orientate your tanks. You can see the ends of mine are exposed and I’ve arranged them this way purely because of the space I have available. It may be preferable to arrange them so the sides are exposed as you can then display your mature fry more clearly. This I found to be a minor consideration though, but well worth considering. How you do it though will just come down to personal preference and of course the space you have available.
In the compartment on the right I have plastic 55 litre plastic container that is positioned higher than the breeding tanks so I can gravity feed heated, aged water into the tanks after cleaning. Now the first point I would like to make about this is DON’T PLACE AQUARIUM HEATERS IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS! ……… and here’s the reason why………….
DON'T place AQUARIUM HEATERS in Plastic Containers.
This heater was sitting on the bottom of this plastic container mounted on the suction cap mounts, so the heater wasn’t touching the plastic.
I accidentally plugged in the power cord (while the plastic container was empty of water) thinking I was plugging in a different heater and within no time at all this was the result.
The heater burnt through the plastic mount and then fell on the bottom of the plastic container and started to burn through it as well. Lucky for me I was nearby and alerted by the smell. If I hadn’t turned off the power the consequences may have been disastrous.
Therefore here are some important points about Aquarium Heaters.
- The thermostat will only work when the heater is submerged in water.
- If you turn the heater on when not submerged it will get very hot, very fast and will cause damage.
- To the best of my knowledge there are some heaters on the market that will switch off or control the temperature when not submerged but they will only do this for a short period of time which means this is not a permanent solution to this problem.
Therefore you can see that Aquarium Heaters need to be treated with the utmost respect and manufacturers guidelines should always be followed.
Having heated water at hand to top up tanks after water changes is very beneficial and I am currently trialling another method of doing this that is safe. So once I have tested it I will write a post about it. In the meantime I’m sure there are many great ideas and methods out there so if anyone’s got one then please leave a comment below or if you like I’d be happy for you to write a post and publish it so everyone can benefit.
Therefore there is another lesson to be learned here. Label your power cords so you don’t get them mixed up.
So just one more point about safety. What you mount your breeding tanks or water storage tanks on is vitally important. Water is not light as 1 litre of water weighs 1 kg. Therefore your shelving and benches needs to strong and rigid. The last thing you want is for the whole thing to come crashing down. That would be a disaster!
Also if your surface bends or flexes under the weight of one or many tanks full of water then your tanks may develop a leak. You can probably also bet that it will develop over night or when you’re not around and what you may be confronted with is a pool of water on your floor, dead Bettas or Fry on the bottom of your tank and a very hot Aquarium Heater that has melted through it’s mounts and is lying on the bottom of your tank.
Therefore DIY has many benefits but always consider safety and try consider the worse case scenario if something were to go wrong.
Shelving is also important within your breeding area and can be used to store equipment and food cultures such as microworms etc. So allow for shelf space because just like cupboards inside your house you can never have too much. You may also want to incorporate an area for Brine Shrimp Hatcheries. I haven’t done this yet but I do intend to.
A piece of equipment that I already had in my garage that has become invaluable is a small bar fridge that I use to store drinks. The freezer area has come in handy for storing frozen foods such as frozen bloodworm and the chiller area is good for keeping brine shrimp eggs as well as adult brine shrimp. If you have the space and can afford the expense it will save you the hassle of keeping these items in your normal refrigerator which might just keep you onside with the rest of the household.
So you can see there are many aspects and considerations for a Betta breeding area. This article is far from being definitive and what I have mentioned here is probably just the tip of the iceberg as I’m sure there are many more great ideas out there. If anyone wants to share them then please leave a comment.
The most important points to consider when designing you breeding area is it must be convenient for you so it doesn’t become too labor intensive. Remember you need to enjoy your hobby and not let it rule your life or become a burden. Smart design is the obvious answer and looking for solutions.
Happy Betta Breeding!
Possibly Related Posts:
- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Microworms
- Feeding Your Betta Fry
Halfmoon Betta Fish Guide Contents
If you haven’t read my revue on the Halfmoon Betta Fish Guide you can read more here.
HALFMOON BETTA FISH GUIDE Contents
Introduction to Halfmoon Betta Fish
Physical Appearance and Show Standards
- Identifying true Halfmoons
Choosing Fish Stock
- Identifying healthy fish
- Male and female selection
Caring for Adult Fish
- Environment
- Temperature
- Water quality
- Food
- Owner
Halfmoon Betta Fish Genetics
- Finnage
- Color
Breeding
- Selecting breeding pair
- Conditioning
- Spawning tank preparation
- Spawning
- Raising fry
- Fry food and mortality rate
- Water condition for fry
Jarring and Sexing of Young Adults
- Sexing male/female
- Jarring considerations
Common Halfmoon Diseases
Fry Food Culturing
DIY Halfmoon Betta Fish Projects
Useful References
This eBook is one of the Best I’ve come across for caring for and breeding Bettas. I’m just about to start reading it again as I’m about to start my 3rd spawn shortly. As I write this I have two pairs to choose from. One is a Halfmoon pair and another is a Crowntail pair. I haven’t decided which will go with first but as far as the information in this eBook is concerned it doesn’t matter. It is good enough for whatever variety of Betta Splendens you are breeding.
Find out more about Halfmoon Betta Fish Guide here
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Microworms
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish – Microworms
Microworms are a small nematode that are an ideal size for Betta fry. They will fall to the bottom of your fry tank and wriggle around so they are an easy food for fry that have just left the bubblenest. The other great thing is they are readily available in most localities where fish are bred.
Therefore to start off a culture you need a medium such as a slice of bread, corn meal, a wheat breakfast cereal, some oats or something similar. You then place the medium in a plastic container, add just enough water to make the medium moist but not soggy, then sprinkle some dry yeast over the top and then add the Microworm culture. Then in a few days when the culture matures you should have Microworms climbing the side of the container which you then harvest and feed to your fry.
So that’s Microworms in a nut shell, pretty straight forward really? Well for me that’s the way it started out and then my cultures slowly peetered out as I didn’t plan ahead. I then tried to revive them which wasn’t very successful so the first point worth mentioning is to have several cultures going at the same time that are at different stages. You could start with 2 cultures and then start a second two about 1 week later and then another 2 in a weeks time. Now these time frames and quantities are just a guide and you will quickly work out how many culture you will require for your specific needs.
The next discovery I made was the medium you use is vitally important for several reasons. When I first started I was using a popular Australian breakfast cereal which is made primarily of wheat and comes compressed into the shape of flat brick. Now the reason I used this was because the the author of the article I did my research on stated that she had tested several mediums and discovered that this wheat based product was the one that smelt the least. You see the biggest draw back of most Microworm cultures is they do smell so if you have your breeding tank set up in your house the smell can be unpleasant (that’s just one of the reasons why my set up is in the garage).
Therefore after my first cultures started to peeter out I started some more using the same medium and for some reason the microworms just weren’t climbing the side of the container which made them difficult to harvest. Therefore I decided to start some more cultures using a different medium and the one I chose was oats. We already had instant oats in our cupboard as we boil them into porridge for breakfast, so for me this was the obvious choice. So what I did was place the oats in a saucepan and add about an equal amount of water to boil them into a porridge. This will take you about 3 or 4 minutes if you use quick oats (not rolled oats) and then you’ve got your medium. Then place it in a container, add yeast and the Microworm culture and in 3 or 4 days they will be ready to harvest.
It's not my intention to promote one retailer over another but if you live in Australia these are the oats I used. Not bad for $1.19!
Just in case you're wondering, this is what's inside the plastic. And yes there are no preservatives and practically no salt.
Add about a 50/50 mix of oats and water to saucepan and then cook into a porridge. Depending on the oats you use, it should only take 3 or 4 minutes.
When cooked it should have a consistency like this. Then place it in the fridge to cool before placing in the plastic container.
Once cooled place the porridge into a plastic container. Sprinkle some dry yeast on the surface. Add some Microworm culture and then mist lightly with water.
You can see the Microworms climbing the side of this muture culture. Just scape them off the side and place in 1/4 cup of water from your tank and then squirt them gently into your tank to feed your fry. Since I made this culture I've decided that tall round containers are better as it makes harvesting better and less messy. When I used wheat this container was ok but this culture has oats and the Microworms are so prolific they are also on the inside of the lid as well.
So this is what I did and the amazing part was the Microworm culture really took off. I had so many many Microworms climbing the side of the container it far exceeded any of my previous cultures with the wheat. They were so much easier to harvest and just looking at them they actually looked larger and more active than than my previous Microworms. You see, when I harvest them I scape the Microworms from the side of the container and then place them in about a 1/4 of a cup of water from the breeding tank. I then suck them into a syringe and then squirt this solution gently into the tank for the fish to feed on. Therefore when they are in the syringe they are quite easy to see and it does appear the microworms from the oats culture are much larger and active than those from the wheat culture.
Therefore I mentioned this to my wife who is a Nutritionist and she wasn’t surprised at all. She said that oats are high in protein, low in saturated fat and salt, there are no added preservatives, plus they have other beneficial qualities as well. So basically oats are great for humans and what I’ve now discovered is Microworms seem to do well on then as well. So it stands to reason if you feed your Microworms the right food then this could only be good for your Betta fry as well.
So as I write this I’ve been using the Microworm cultures that are made from oats for the last 2 weeks and my fry are doing well. It is basically all I’ve been feeding the 5 fry that are left from my second spawn and they do appear to be growing well. Therefore if you research Microworms on the internet and if you check enough sources you’ll find some breeders don’t think much of the nutrtional value of Microworms and will basically just start their fry off on Baby Brine Shrimp nearly right from the start. Other will recommend Microworms and say that the nutritional value is fine.
What I tend to think though, is the opinion that you form will be based on what you feed your Microworms. I have noticed a stark difference between the Microworms from the oats culture to those from the wheat culture. Therefore if you’re tempted to feed your Betta fry Baby Brine Shrimp because the nutritional value is better than Microworms then it may be worth experimenting with Microworms from an oats culture. As I said I’ve only just started using these Microworms so the jury is still out for me. In the next few weeks though I will be starting my third spawn and I intend to just feed the fry on Microworms until they are larger enough to eat Grindal Worms. So this will be a good opportunity to put it to the test.
Therefore don’t get me wrong I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t feed your Betta fry Baby Brine Shrimp and if you are happy hatching and harvesting them by all means keep doing what works for you. For me though, I find Baby Brine Shrimp to be a bit of a pain. After all, you need to make your hobby as enjoyable as possible and if there are aspects to it that are a bit of a drag then find a better way that is easier (but just as effective). That way you won’t burn out and will be around for a long time to come.
So give the Microworms in an oats culture a go and please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how it went. I sure there are other additives you can add to your Microworm culture to enhance their nutritional content even further and I will be researching those as well. So please stay tuned for more about microworms.
This isn't the best photo but the haze in the bottom of the syringe is Microworms
This is what microworms look like in the bottom of your tank.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
- Feeding Your Betta Fry
Feeding Your Betta Fry
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 12 – Feeding Your Betta Fry
If you’ve just finished reading my previous article then you’ve probably already recognized the importance of planning ahead when it comes to fry food. Now the first point to make here is you can get artificial fry food from the pet store. The store assistant told me she knew a breeder that only fed her Betta fry on the liquid food which she was trying to sell me and the breeder never had a problem. I decided not to bother though as I already had microworms and vinegar eels and decided to stick with those. Therefore I’m not going to advise one way of another but I stuck with live food so if you’re that way inclined as well then please read on.
Therefore the first decision you will have to make is when to start feeding your fry. If you’ve got java moss in your breeding tank then there should be enough infusoria in the water to keep the fry alive for the first few days. If not then you will have to start feeding straight away.
The next question you might have is how much do you feed them? Well that depends on how many fry you end up with of course and whether they are small like my first spawn or a little larger like my second spawn. Not really a very conclusive answer is it! Well that’s the situation I was faced with when I first started and to be honest it wasn’t until recently that I made some discoveries about Microworms that made it all a little clearer for me. As a consequence I’ll write an article dedicated to culturing Microworms so I’ll explain it more clearly there. Interestly though I actually found a comment from an experienced breeder in a forum who said that after breeding Bettas for some years he’s still not sure extally how much is the right amount. Therefore at this stage I’d just say it basically comes down to judgement and experience.
It is important to note though that if you do overfeed them you can run the risk of excess food going rotten and contaminating the water but having said that I tend to think that it is best to overfeed slightly rather that underfeed and this is the reason why. If you have decided to add some Mystery Snails then they will eat any left over food and therefore you shouldn’t have a problem with water contamination.
Mystery Snail Eggs. I must say I did get a surprise when I first saw these. The Snails will lay their eggs above the water line.
In fact I don’t feed my Mystery Snails at all so as to encourage them to do the job they are in there for. As a consequence though they must still like the conditions as they have grown considerably and have now twice laid eggs on the lid of the breeding tank which I believe is only done when conditions are to their liking.
The next question is what to feed them? If you go for live food then you will find that different breeders have different ideas on this but the main consensus I discovered was to start them on microworms and then progress onto freshly hatched Baby Brine Shrimp, BBS. The reason why is Baby Brine Shrimp are highly nutritious and the breeder I spoke suggested your fry will grow faster when fed the BBS.
Now the other thing I was warned about when feeding your fry Baby Brine Shrimp is it can lead to a Swim Bladder Disorder if you feed your fry too much. So it is best to alternate this with another food such as Microworms. So maybe BBS in the morning and Microworms in the afternoon.
The other food that can come in handy is Vinegar eels and although they are not considered to be very nutritious they can come in handy as a backup if you’re having trouble with your other food, as they are relatively easy to keep.
There are other foods you can feed your fry as well that such as Daphania, Tubefex Worms, Grindal Worms, Mosquito Larvae and Infusoria. At the end of the day the food you decide to feed your fry will ultimately depend on what you can source locally. Therefore take advice from your local pet store, aquarium or Betta breeder.
I fed my Betta fry a combination of Microworms, Baby Brine Shrimp, Grindal Worms, Vinegar Eels, Artificial Daphnia Powder and White Worms.
Therefore here is what I’ve concluded from each of these types of food.
Basically I found Baby Brine Shrimp to be a pain in the backside. Now I know nearly every Betta breeder will recommend them but really for me, it was just a whole lot of work that I though was unnecessary. Remember Breeding Bettas should be enjoyable and the last thing you want is for it to consume your life to the extent where you burn out and lose interest after one or two spawns. So I’m all for finding ways of doing things that make things easier but still obviously work. Therefore I’m not going to go into what’s involved with hatching Baby Brine Shrimp as it’s all over the internet and if you want to research it and still want to give it a go, then fair enough!
Grindal worms, I found to be very worthwhile when the fry get large enough to eat them. You can use them to condition your Bettas for breeding and also to fatten them up again after you remove them from the breeding tank. I’ve got several cultures of these but I haven’t gotten them to the stage where I can produce enough of them to continually harvest them for my fry but when I find something that works I will write an article about it.
Vinegar Eels are a microscopic nematode and will live in a 50/50 culture of apple cider vinegar and water with a few slices of apple added. I’m lead to believe they aren’t all that nutritious but are handy to keep as a back up food which did come in handy for me on a couple of occasions. For me though I thought they were a bit of a pain to harvest as you have to separate them from the mixture as you don’t want to have to add vinegar into your breeding tank. I strained them through a fabric dust mask but I found this to be time consuming and really only bothered to harvest them on a few occasions.
Artificial Daphnia Powder was a fry food I bought from the aquarium that wasn’t specifically made for Betta fry but I thought I’d try it anyway. To be honest it wasn’t very successful. The fry would nibble on it but only as a last resort. I think the Mystery Snails probably ate most of it.
Therefore it was the Microworms and White Worms that I had the most success with. These for me were the least labor intensive once I got the cultures sorted out. So I’ve decided to write about these individually. As for the other foods I tried and I didn’t recommend, my advice would be to research each of them and then make a decision, because what doesn’t work for one person may in fact work for another.
So if you like to read about what worked for me then follow the link to read about Microworms
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 13 – Cleaning Your Betta Fry Tank
Possibly Related Posts:
- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
- Microworms
Betta eBooks
