Breeding Betta Fish – Siamese Fighting Fish | MX Bettas

Breeding Betta Fish – Siamese Fighting Fish

Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank

Published October 27, 2010 | By admin

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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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged Betta Fry, Betta Fry Tank, Bristlenose Catfish, Microworms, Mystery Snail, Siphon | 2 Comments

Breeding Crowntail Bettas

Published September 13, 2010 | By admin

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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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged Betta Courtship, betta fish, Betta Spawning, bettas, Black Lace, Breeding Bettas, Crowntails, Melano gene, siamese fighting fish, Steel Blue | 1 Comment

Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning

Published August 18, 2010 | By admin

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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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged betta fish, Betta Spawn, Betta Spawning, bettas, Breeding Betta Fish, Bubble Nest, siamese fighting fish | Leave a comment

Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather

Published August 9, 2010 | By admin

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!

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Microworms

Published July 17, 2010 | By admin

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.

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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged Baby Brine Shrimp, Betta Fry, bettas, Breeding Betta Fish, Bristlenose Catfish, Microworms, Mystery Snails, siamese fighting fish | Leave a comment

Feeding Your Betta Fry

Published July 17, 2010 | By admin

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

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Raising the Betta Fry

Published July 17, 2010 | By admin

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 11 – Raising the Betta Fry

For me this is the fun part as it is enjoyable watching your Betta Fry grow and develop and eventually evolve from tiny dots that eventually form into the shape of an adult Betta. Having said that though it can become quite labor intensive if you let it as you are now their prime carer and how successful this stage becomes will be entirely up to you.

Therefore I tried to streamline this process as much as I could without taking shortcuts and as a consequence I had some wins and I had some losses so as I write this article my first spawn is now 9 weeks old and my second spawn is 6 weeks old. So how are they both going?

Well as you’ve probably already read I originally thought than none of my first spawn had survived but when I discovered they had, I could only count 10 fry. As they got larger though, they became easier to see and now I estimate that there are now about 45 healthy survivors. After the fry from my second spawn left the bubble nest they were larger in size than the first spawn and very much easier to see. In fact the bottom of the breeding tank was just covered in them. They were everywhere. At one stage I think I counted about 200 fry but they are quite difficult to count when moving around so I counted quickly and as a consequence you find you miss a few as you count so this is a conservative estimate.

Over the next 4 weeks though they did appear to slowly reduce in numbers and one morning after siphoning the bottom of the tank I counted about 150 fry. Now looking back now this reduction in numbers is probably normal as some fry will die naturally either because they are malformed, not very strong, don’t have a very good immune system or for whatever other reason. Nevertheless it is probably safe to assume that this is probably normal and just “natures way” so to speak.

Over the 4 week period though I had noticed that they were slowly getting less and for some reason didn’t quite seem to see it that way. In fact I started looking for reasons and then assumed that maybe the Mystery Snails were eating them during the night. Quite often I observed the snails moving along the bottom of the tank feeding like a bulldozer with the fry in many instances moving out of the way, just at the last moment. Therefore I assumed that maybe during the night the snails were running over the sleeping fry and some of the fry were falling victim to the snails.

As a consequence I started taking the snails out of a night and then placing them back in during the day. This didn’t seem to have any effect though and by week 4 I decided to remove the snails for a few days to see what would happen. Therefore the fry were then left in the tank all by themselves. Now this actually coincided with something else which was to play a part in what was about to happen next.

My original Microworm cultures were starting to get old and difficult to harvest from. I had started some new ones but for some reason they were taking forever to get going. Plus my brine shrimp eggs were getting old and the hatch rate was getting less and less so right about the time I removed the snails from the breeding tank my food resources were starting to go bad as well.

Therefore on the Saturday morning I cleaned the bottom of the tank and replaced about 30% of the water and then placed just one snail back in the tank. I then tried to feed the fry some Microworms but none were climbing the side of the container so I skimmed some from the top of the culture which included taking some of the mixture as well. There didn’t appear to be many microworms in this mix though so I then decided to feed them brine shrimp eggs that still hadn’t hatched.

So now I was in situation where I was under pressure to feed my hungry fry but my food sources were going bad and as a consequence I decided on that day that several smaller feeds would just have to do. The only problem was the quality of the food wasn’t very good so what the fry were getting were brine shrimp eggs that were past their “used by date” and microworms that contained more of the culture than the actual worms. Therefore you can probably guess where all this is heading.

Yes that’s right……..disaster. The next morning I came out to feed my fry and the first thing I noticed was there were noticeably less fry. In fact it was very noticeable. About 100 had perished overnight and now there were only 50 left. Unfortunately though that wasn’t the end of it. The next day there were only 10, the following day 6 and now for the last few weeks it has remained steady on 5. This was very disappointing indeed.

Now the interesting point was the first morning after the fry started to perish I siphoned the bottom of the tank, replaced most of the water and only found the remains of two fry. Out of the 100 missing fry nearly all the remains were missing. The mystery snail had cleaned the bottom of the tank and taken away any remaining signs of those fry.

So I suppose it begs the question, did the Mystery Snail devour 100 fry in one night? Well I tend to think it is unlikely. Fry will get out of the way of a feeding Mystery Snail and for this to occur in such a large scale, out of the blue, is not consistent. Plus the next night I lost about 40 fry and then 4 fry and then finally 1 fry and then it stopped. Also, my first spawn was also subject to 2 Mystery Snails and there hadn’t been a problem with any missing fry at all in that spawn.

Therefore the most obvious conclusion was that it was the quality of the food, combined maybe with overfeeding, (as they there were quite a few unhatched brine shrimp) that was the cause. So when it comes to food it is important to ensure that you plan ahead so as to avoid a situation similar to what I was faced with. To go from 150 fry to just 5 in a matter of a few days can be very disappointing especially if you’ve bred a pair of Bettas that you feel have potential to produce some interesting fry so hopefully I’ve given you some insight into how to avoid making some of the mistakes I did.

Next up I would like to write about fry food, how I eventually got it right and some interesting observations I made.

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 12 – Feeding Your Betta Fry

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Caring for the Male Betta

Published July 17, 2010 | By admin

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 10 – Caring for the Male Betta

When I first envisaged writing this article I thought it was going to be pretty straight forward but as things panned out this didn’t turn out to be the case. You see, when I removed the male (from my first spawn) from the breeding tank there were no major dramas and so I thought it would be safe to expect the same the second time as well. Well, how wrong I was as things didn’t go well for my second male at all.

Therefore, once the Betta fry start leaving the Bubble Nest it’s then time to remove the male Betta. I have heard that some breeders will actually leave the male in the breeding tank but I found that my second male got to the stage where he was just doing his job too well and was capturing and returning fry to the nest well after they were ready to leave. The other reason for removing him is that after he’s tended to the fry and gotten them to the stage where they’re ready to leave the nest, he was well and truly ready for some rest and recovery himself. Therefore because the male Betta probably hasn’t had any sleep or food for up to 5 days or so it is important to remove and pamper him so he can make a full recovery.

Now once again the story of how both my males reacted and recovered after they were removed from the Betta breeding tank was very different. My first male recovered quite quickly and was returned to his display tank a day or so after being removed from the breeding tank. The only noticeable difference in him, was his appetite was a bit lacking for about 2 weeks afterwards but the biggest change I noticed about him was he did appear to have a slight case of depression as he did look a little despondent from time to time. Nevertheless he was mostly back to his old self, sparring with the other males either side of his tank.

The way my other male Betta reacted after his removal from the breeding tank though was much more severe. To start off with, after he was removed from the breeding tank I placed him in a small container to recover. He thrashed around like you wouldn’t believe for a few minutes as if he was trying to get back to look after his fry. He’d done a fantastic job in the breeding tank and in his mind he just wasn’t ready to leave.

I then left him in his recovery container for a few days and despite also suffering from a slight loss of appetite he seemed to be doing ok so I then returned him to the display tank with the other male Bettas. The first couple of days he seemed ok but then I stopped paying close attention to him and this is when things really started going wrong. I did notice that every now and then he seemed to be resting on the bottom of the tank and then one morning after I turned the light on he was lying on the bottom of the tank motionless as if he was dead. After a couple of minutes though he soon recovered and then started to swim.

It was then that I got the shock of my life as when he left the bottom of the tank and started to swim I could see that his anal fin was completely missing. He had developed a case of Fin Rot and it had developed very fast. I was shocked and despite having read about fin rot I didn’t realize just how fast it could totally destroy a fin.

So where did I go wrong and why did this happen? Well if you’re experienced in keeping Bettas you’ll probably have a fair idea already but looking back now it all started to go wrong even before I placed him in the breeding tank.

You see when I purchased my Betta he had the most beautiful Halfmoon Butterfly finnage and after I got him home I placed him in a display tank with plastic plants. Now I’m not going to suggest not using plastic plants but if you do, it is important to use plastic plants without sharp edges as after a week or so in the display tank my Betta had frayed the ends of his fins on the plants. As a consequence his finnage was looking a bit tattered and you may have already have noticed this if you’ve watched the videos in the previous articles.

Therefore use plastic plants that are soft or use live plants or java moss. The plastic plants I had in the tank were not very sharp at all and there was no way you could scratch your finger with them so you can imagine it doesn’t take much in some cases to damage the fins of a Halfmoon Betta. So be warned.

Now the other point worth mentioning here is that some of my other males also had damaged fins as well from the plants but they didn’t contract fin rot so the obvious question might be why did it happen to this male? Well like most things, the fin rot in this case, wasn’t caused by just one thing. This male was in recovery from performing a task that had taken up quite a bit of his physical resources and as such he was under nourished, tired, stressed and as a consequence his immune system probably wasn’t working as well as when he was in peak condition.

Therefore he wasn’t in a position to fight off infection and the end result was fin rot.

So the first point I would like to make is the importance of conditioning both your Bettas before breeding. Make sure they are both in the best condition possible before you place them in the breeding tank. Next up after you remove the male from the breeding tank keep him isolated for as long as it takes until he recovers (this also applies to the female as well). Pamper him, feed him well, make sure he regains weight and observe his behavior. Both my males had depression, the first one mild, while the second was severe. My first male didn’t really regain his appetite until 2 weeks later and my second male never regained his appetite at all and in the end just stopped eating altogether. Also make sure the water is clean and changed regularly. You can also add treatments to the water to fight of infections and treat wounds that may have been a consequence of the courship.

What you use though, to treat the water, I will leave up to you as it will depend on what you can source from your local aquarium or pet store, so seek advice. As far as treating fin rot goes, it would also be best to seek advice from the same sources. If fins are damaged though, keep an eye out for fin rot and take action immeadiately as it can take hold very quickly.

In the end the outcome for my prized male Betta was not a happy one. I treated him for fin rot for about 1 month but he seemed to just give up in the end and his eating got less and less until he didn’t eat at all for the last two weeks. The final straw came while changing the water in his container and the last part of his tail just came away and he was left swimming with no tail at all. Therefore I was left with no alternative than to put him to sleep. It was very sad.

So hopefully if you are still reading you can now appreciate just how quickly things can go downhill if you are inexperienced. I did consider skipping this article as it’s not a particularly happy one but I felt that there is much to be learnt from this story. Therefore if you are at all curious as to how bad fin rot can get then I’ve included a photo.

Therefore condition your Bettas well before breeding and then pamper and watch over them closely after you remove them from the breeding tank and you shouldn’t have a problem.

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 11 – Raising the Betta Fry

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Betta Bubble Nest

Published July 13, 2010 | By admin

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 9 – The Betta Bubble Nest

Since I’ve now managed to get my second Siamese Fighting Fish spawn to the free swimming stage I’m still far from being an expert but there was a few things that I have noticed about the Betta Bubble Nest that I thought would be worth mentioning especially since they were things I hadn’t come across elsewhere in my research.

Firstly though, the Betta Bubble Nest is where the tiny Bettas eggs are stored until they hatch and then afterward the fry will live off their yolk sacs for a few days until they can then swim away from the nest. It is made and maintained by the male Betta until the fry are ready to leave the nest.

Therefore if you do your research on this topic you will discover that most breeders use half a Styrofoam cup that has been cut along its length as it should easily float on the surface of the water. They also use a piece of tape to secure it to the side of the tank so it doesn’t float away. What I discovered in my first spawn though was the cup just seemed to stay where I left it as I had my filter turned on ever so slightly and the small amount of surface current just seemed to keep it in the opposite corner.

During my second spawn though I’d tried the same method but discovered that for some reason my cup slowly started to sink (despite coming from the same packaging) over a period of a few days. Not much though, only about a few millimetres, but enough to put some doubt in my mind as to how it would last once the male started to make his bubble nest in it.

So the solution was obvious, it had to be secured. Now most breeders just use some tape and secure it to the side of the breeding tank but I had a couple of problems with this idea. Now I’m not going to tell you not to use tape but I will explain my reasoning and then it’s up to you to decided.

Firstly, tape obviously has some sort of chemical in the adhesive and despite the tape being above the water line there is still quite a bit of condensation on the inside of the tank wall (see the photo). So there is some chance that some of this residue will end up in the water. Now that fact that some breeders use it suggests that this isn’t a problem but then again not all tape is the same everywhere so who’s to say just because it worked for the majority that the minority won’t have a problem with it.

After all when you read the trouble some breeders go to, to maintain water quality (and rightly so, water quality is very important) and then introduce tape to the water it makes you wonder? After all when the tape is removed it will leave some residue behind and despite it being above the water line at the start, the water level will rise as you add water later as the fry get larger. You can bet then that some of that adhesive residue that was left behind will then get absorbed into the water. So maybe I’m pedantic but I’ll leave it up to you to decided. Enough said.

I used string to suspend both ends of the cup to stop it from slowly sinking and then taped the string to the outside of the breeding tank.

Therefore instead of using tape I used string, threaded it through the gap between the two pieces of glass used for the lid/cover and then taped it to the outside of the breeding tank. This also enabled me to secure both ends of the cup to keep it balanced so it wouldn’t sink.

The next thing I discovered during my second spawn was the male Betta was having a bit of trouble keeping all the eggs in the bubble nest. One or two would fall out so he’d go and retrieve them from the bottom and when he’d place them back in the nest he’d dislodge more eggs and so the cycle would go on and on, it was a case of……..put some back and then knock some more out. This makes for a lot of work for Mr Betta.

Now during my first spawn the male Betta didn’t have this problem at all but the second spawn had two or three times the amount of eggs the first one had. This led me to conclude that the bubble nest in my second spawn was very cramped for space as it spilled over the edges of the cup.

Therefore the next time I breed Siamese Fighting Fish I think I’ll place both the halves of the cup together so if the male needs more space, he’ll have it. Now having said that though, I’m sure that in most cases the male will just extend the bubble nest on the outside of the cup if he needs to but this male didn’t so maybe in hindsight the extra cup side by side may have encouraged a larger nest. Who knows? but if it makes less work for the male then it’s worth it.

The next thing about bubble nests I’ve discovered is, if you’re new (or even experienced) it might be best to place the Styrofoam cup on the side of the tank closest to where you can view it and the reason why is this. If you can view it clearly you can keep an eye on how things are progressing.

Now during my second spawn I did this initially and the male Betta seemed reluctant to build his nest in it so I concluded he wasn’t happy with the position and wanted a bit more privacy. Therefore I added the other half of the cup just around the corner where I could still see it but was slightly more private. He then had two choices for his nest but amazingly when he did build his bubble nest he chose the first cup so in the end I suppose privacy really wasn’t the issue and he was just taking his time. As it turned out though he did use part of the second cup as there was a small bubble nest there as well that I noticed had fry dangling from the bottom.

Therefore as I said before, I think it’s best to add both halves of the cup side by side and then let the male decide from there. As far as privacy goes it didn’t seem to be an issue. At the end of the day the male will decide where he wants to build his bubble nest so if he doesn’t like where you’ve placed the cup he may just go and make it somewhere else anyway, without a cup.

Therefore encouraging the male Betta to make his bubble nest where you can see it clearly has several advantages for a new breeder. As you’ll find when you research this topic on the internet most experienced breeders will tell you the eggs will hatch between 1 to 3 days after spawning. Now I took this to mean that they will all hatch at about the same time within this time frame and it wasn’t until my second spawn that I discovered this wasn’t quite the case. You see, during my first spawn the bubble nest was on the other side of the tank and my lighting wasn’t as good as it could have been so the fry weren’t as easy to see.

For my second spawn, because I’d placed the cup where I could see it more clearly I noticed that the fry don’t all hatch at the same time. Some of the eggs hatched after one day and then the rest continued hatching up until the end of the second day (in this case). So what I found was that some fry that hatched early got a head start eating their yolk sac and then some even preceded to leave the bubble nest while the others were still hatching.

Now some of these were retrieved by the male Betta and placed back in the bubble nest but I’m sure there were quite a few that weren’t as he was very busy retrieving falling fry as well.

So what I found was that some fry were at the “free swimming” stage (this is where they can swim horizontally away from the nest) while others had just hatched. This then presents you with the problem of deciding when to start feeding your Betta fry. Now I tried to research if “free swimming” meant the yolk sac was all eaten but couldn’t find a definitive answer so I just decided that once they’d left the nest it was time to start feeding them. You see if you don’t feed them straight away they can get weak and then lose the ability to find food and then die. Having said that though if you do decide to add Java Moss to your breeding tank, I’m led to believe it will add some Infusoria to the water so any “early developers” will have some food to sustain them for a while if you’re slow to feed them.

Therefore what I found was for a day I was feeding free swimming fry while the male Betta was still tending to the rest of the fry in the bubble nest. Then on day three after the first fry started to hatch I discovered that the male Betta was catching free swimming fry and placing them back in the nest. There was still a few fry that appeared to still be reliant on the nest, but it was then I decided it was time to remove the male as most of the fry had left the nest or were continually trying to and getting put back in.

Just a few hours after Dads removal the bubble nest was empty and the fry were all free swimming. How many I had at this stage I wasn’t sure but they were quite a bit easier to see than the fry in the first spawn as they were noticeably larger.

So you can see how important it is to have a clear view of the bubble nest so you can keep an eye of how things are going. That way you can then judge when to start feeding the fry and when it’s time to remove the male.

The other thing to take into account is the importance of keeping the area below the bubble nest clear of any Java Moss. If you decide to place Java Moss in your Betta breeding tank make sure it’s up the other end (this is another advantage of a larger tank) as eggs will fall to the bottom during spawning as well as during their time in the bubble nest. Also once the fry hatch they will also fall from the bubble nest, sometimes to the bottom, and they will have to be retrieved by the male Betta as well.

Another point worth mentioning is the fact that you will have to leave a light on 24 hours a day for the entire time the male Betta is tending to the bubble nest so he can maintain it correctly. You will also find that in a large spawn as this one was that the male will be very busy and will make many, many trip to the bottom of the tank and back.

Therefore I’ve concluded that the next time I breed Bettas I might limit the water depth to just 10 cm. The recommended depth is 10 to 15 cm and I used 15cm on both occasions but I feel that by making it just 10 cm you can reduce the workload for the male Betta quite considerably.

In the video above you can see the dark lines in the bubble nest which are fry hanging down. Occasionally you will see one or two drop from the bottom and then swimming back up again. Some will also fall and have to retrieved by Dad. You might also notice Dad knocks some free while replacing others. The amount of fry hanging from the bottom gradually seemed to increase over a 12 hour period as they hatched (despite some leaving the bubble nest) and then decreased again as they started to swim free. This bubble nest was full of a lot of eggs and fry and didn’t really seem quite large enough. Dad was kept very busy replacing eggs and fry for about 3 days after spawning.

Another item you may find helpful for checking the bubble nest is a magnifying glass. The fry are very small and although visible you may find any type of magnification helpful. Another method I tried to use to get a better view of the fry was my camera. Unfortunately, it didn’t have a manual focus and the auto focus kept focusing on the side of the tank rather than the subject, the fry. You many have already noticed this from the video above.

So these are the basics about bubble nests and what I’ve learnt so far from my two spawns. As I’ve tried to display, both my spawns were different so there will be a very good chance that your’s will be different as well. Therefore the biggest lesson I’ve learnt so far is to do as much research as possible and not to expect things will go exactly how someone else has described it in a book or on internet site.

If you read only one person’s version of how the very inexact science of breeding Bettas is meant to go then there is a very good chance that you will be left scratching your head and wondering why “this didn’t happen” or “why something happened you weren’t expecting”.

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 10 – Removing and Caring for the Male Betta

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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged Breeding Betta Fish, Bubble Nest, siamese fighting fish | Leave a comment

Tending to the Bubble Nest.

Published July 13, 2010 | By admin

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 8 – Tending to the Bubble Nest

This is the job of the male Betta and entails looking after the eggs while they hatch and then looking after the fry right up until they are free swimming (swimming horizontally and able to leave the nest). So once the male Betta has driven the female away after spawning or it becomes apparent that they have finished, you can then remove the female. Try and lure the female to the other end of the tank, away from the bubble nest and then carefully remove her, being careful not disturb the bubble nest at all.

The for the next few days it is all up to the male Betta to look after the bubble nest and how my two male Bettas performed this task were very different indeed. So firstly with my second spawn, it did mostly go to plan and most of what I’d learnt, I’ve documented in my article about Bubble Nests (next article) but this article is more about my first spawn and what I learnt from that.

Therefore my first spawn started off pretty much going to plan. The fry hatched after two days and there were quite a few tails dangling from the bottom of the nest. Now during this first spawn the male wasn’t kept as busy as the male in the second spawn, retrieving falling eggs and fry and I suppose that simply came down to the fact that there weren’t as many eggs but he was doing a good job maintaining the bubble nest anyway.

So by the end of the second day I decided to give him a feed as he hadn’t eaten for about three days. Now some breeders won’t feed the male at all until he’s removed from the tank as they believe that feeding him will encourage him to eat the fry as well. Others on the other hand believe that if you do feed him he won’t get hungry and this will stop him from eating the fry. Knowing what I know now after my second spawn I don’t think it matters. If the male is that way inclined he will probably do it antway, regardless of whether he’s hungry or not.

During my second spawn I didn’t feed the male at all. He was in the breeding tank for 6 days without eating and he was really, really busy. He was constantly collecting fallen eggs and fry day and night and his work ethic was second to none. In fact he really didn’t like being removed from the breeding tank after his job was done and thrashed around in his recovery tank like a crazy fish try to get back into the breeding tank as he felt his job just wasn’t finished.

After watching the work load of my second male I tend to think next time I’ll go for 10 cm water depth. During his time from spawning all the way through to tending to fallen eggs and fry he must have made 1000′s of trips to the bottom and back. So if it is a big spawn the male’s workload can be very high so decreasing the water depth can make a huge difference in reducing his work load.

Therefore getting back to the issue of Dad eating the fry, I tend to think that with the workload of this male and the fact that I didn’t feed him at all, he must have been hungry and yet he just kept doing his job and there was never an issue.

So this turned out to be a very good result. Unfortunately though this wasn’t the case with my first spawn as the story I’ll tell next is how it all started to go wrong through a series of bad decisions and once again, inexperience.

Once all the eggs had hatched it was easy to see there were quite a few fry hanging from the bottom of the bubble nest and the male had been doing quite a good job of looking after them. That night I decided to feed him and then left him happily tending to a bubble nest full of fry. The next morning though, when I returned most of the bubble nest had disappeared and there were only a few fry left. Straightaway I then suspected he’d been eating them so I removed him and then went searching for fry.

To my dismay though, I could only find about 10, and half of them were hanging around the inlet to the corner filter which I still had turned on. Now this is where inexperience starts to come into play and instead of turning the corner filter off (which should have been obvious) I elected to leave it on. Plus being inexperienced as to how much food to give them I decided that more would be better than less so rather than risk polluting the water with lots of uneaten food I decided it would be better to leave the filter on.

So, that was that, the male appeared to have eaten most of the fry and it appeared as if I only had a handful left. Therefore I left the breeding tank and went to contemplate what I had done wrong and what to do next.

A couple of hours later I then returned to see how many fry I could count and guess what? I couldn’t find a single fry, not one! I then looked around the corner filter and checked the inlets and inside I could see some small dark dots partially concealed by the filter wool. The conclusion was obvious, I just made another mistake by leaving the filter on and worse still it appeared as if the last of the fry had fallen victim to the filter.

I then searched the rest of the tank for quite some time but couldn’t spot one single fry, at all. It was then that the reality really hit me. In just a few hours I’d managed to wipe out all my fry with a series of mistakes I probably could have avoided if I done my research a little better and hadn’t been so quick to act.

I really did feel very disappointed so I went away to assess where I’d gone wrong. Firstly I shouldn’t have fed the male (as I said above, now after my second spawn I’m not sure if it would have made any difference but I won’t do it again in the future), secondly I shouldn’t have used a corner filter (I was advised to use a sponge filter but decided on the corner filter because I already had it) and thirdly I should have turned the corner filter off.

So the result was beyond question, my fry were all dead but for some reason I left the heater on and decided I’d check again in a few days to see if any had survived. Two days later I checked again and unfortunately I still couldn’t see even one. Therefore I decided to admit defeat. I turned off the heater and removed the Java Moss from the tank and then decided to siphon the water from the bottom of the tank.

The Bristlenose Catfish had left quite a bit of waste on the bottom as well so I started by siphoning this out first. Now as I got to the stage where I’d removed most of the waste and about half the water from the tank I then discovered one fry. One, single, solitary baby Betta fry………..all by himself. Well this was interesting, I was then faced with the decision of whether to raise this single fry or continue cleaning the tank and just start again from scratch.

Now I suppose I could have just placed him in a jar which might have been an interesting exercise but as it turned out what I was about to do was about to become very obvious. As I stood there contemplating my next move I then spotted another fry and then another. Eventually I then discovered that there was still about 10 fry left in the breeding tank. All of a sudden with the Java Moss removed and most of the Catfish droppings removed it was much, much easier to spot the fry.

So the solution was then obvious. I then decided to replace all the water (along with the waste unfortunately) back into the tank as I figured that there was a fair chance that I’d also managed to siphon out quite a few fry as well. Plus, being late autumn, the water in the bucket was getting cold fast and the water temperature in the breeding tank had already dropped to 24 C (75 F) . Therefore, very gently, all the water got tipped back into the breeding tank again, the heater got turned back on and the Java Moss got returned as well.

Therefore this was an interesting lesson to learn. In just a few short minutes I’d gone from being disappointed with my first attempt at breeding Bettas to relief at having been given a second chance so I was very happy indeed, even if it was only 10 fry that had survived.

So now you’re probably wondering just how many fry had actually survived. Well initially my count was 10. After 1 week, I could then count about 20 and then after three weeks my tally then went up to about 30. So how many fry actually got siphoned into the bucket and then survived getting tipped back (ever so gently) in the breeding tank? Well I honestly don’t know and could only count 10 that were left in the breeding tank but you can bet there were probably a few more. Whether there was 30 in there I doubt it, so it appears as if some actually survived their journey, through the siphon hose, into the bucket and then back into the breeding tank and there is a fair chance that there were quite a few more that got siphoned and didn’t survive their round trip as well.

Therefore it makes sense that there were quite a few fry in the tank before I started siphoning it and they were difficult to see due to the java moss and the catfish waste.

So it then begs the question, did the male Betta actually start eating the fry or had the majority just left the Bubble Nest as they do naturally when they start free swimming and were they all just hiding in the java moss with some falling victim to the corner filter? In other words did Dad get falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit?

Well it’s hard to tell, but can I just say this. My second spawn I estimated had up to 350 eggs. Way more than the first and after the fry left the nest I could easily see quite a few of them swimming around. I couldn’t see 350 though, or even 100 but they were still there swimming around in small groups so it was obvious that quite a few either hadn’t hatched or there were a lot swimming in the java moss making them very difficult to see.

Therefore for all you new breeders thinking of taking up this hobby. Understand this right from the start. Newly hatched fry are very, very small and depending on your eyesight they may be hard to see or even invisible. So if you wear glasses make sure you’ve got them on and if you don’t it mightn’t hurt get a magnifying glass so you can see them more clearly.

The other interesting observation I discovered was this. My first Betta pair were not fully grown and were not as large in size as my second Betta pair which were more mature and what I observed was that the eggs from my second spawn did appear to be larger than the eggs from my first spawn so it stands to reason that the fry from my second spawn were larger. This of course is why they were much easier to see swimming around in the tank just after they left the nest. Therefore if your Betta parents are small in size then expect them to have smaller fry that can be very difficult to see. So it may be a case of just being patient and waiting for then to grow in size.

So my conclusion of what happened to the fry is this. I’m happy to give Dad the benefit of the doubt and say that initially my first spawn just didn’t have as many fry as my second, some of the fry fell victim to the corner filter and then quite a few fell victim to my incompetence with the siphon and bucket. As to whether I’d feed the male for my next spawn while he’s tending the Bubble Nest I tend to think not. After all when you find something that works once I think it’s best to stick with it, at least until you’ve tested it some more.

So just before we go any further here’s a point worth mentioning. You will have to leave a light on for the entire time the male is tending to the bubble nest because as I said he will be on duty day and night for the entire time. The second point I’d like to make is most references suggest a water depth in your Betta breeding tank of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches). I used 15 cm on both occasions as my theory was the more water the harder it would be to pollute, so therefore the water quality would be better. I will write about this some more but I tend to think with the workload of my second Betta male I’ll go for a water depth of just 10cm next time and then after the male is removed slowly add water over the next few weeks until the fry are larger enough to see well enough for siphoning to begin.

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 9 – The Betta Bubble Nest

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Posted in Breeding Betta Fish - Siamese Fighting Fish | Tagged betta breeding tank, bettas, Breeding Betta Fish, Bristlenose Catfish, Bubble Nest, siamese fighting fish | Leave a comment

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