Betta Spawning
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 7 – Betta Spawning
In the world of Bettas, spawning is performed by the male wrapping his body around the female and gently squeezing her so she can release the eggs as they embrace (see the videos below). As the eggs are released he releases his sperm into the water and the eggs are fertilized as they then drop slowly to the bottom of the tank.
So as I mentioned earlier in a previous post, this is why the male needs to be at least the same size or preferably, slightly larger than the female to accomplish this successfully. Now this is just another instance of how my two Betta pairs varied as well. My first pair spawned about 7 or 8 times and each time she released quite a few eggs.
My second pair were different again as the first time no eggs were released at all and the second time only about two came out. I walked in just as this happened and was disappointed because I assumed this was the end and number 1, I’d missed witnessing most of it and number 2, as I said in the last post, the bubble nest was very small indeed and I hadn’t expected it to start for some time.
In fact as it turned out this was just the beginning and in total they actually came together about 20 times in about 90 minutes and I estimate there may have been up to about 350 eggs. So this was very different to my first spawn and not only that the way the pairs worked together to retrieve the eggs was very different as well.
With my first pair the male mostly retrieved the eggs and then mostly only at the end. The female just hung around the bubble nest after she’d released her eggs and the male didn’t actually collect the eggs after each time they came together.
This male collected most of the eggs at the end and you might even notice an albino Bristlenose Catfish in the frame toward the end which I’ll talk about some more toward the end of this article.
With my second spawn though the Betta pair really had their act together and worked really well as a pair. He would release the female before they fell to the bottom and start catching eggs, while the eggs he’d missed would then be collected by the female and transported in her mouth up into the nest. In fact I think that on a couple of occasions he may have released too early as some eggs were still being released by the female after he’d broken away so maybe some eggs might not have been fertilized. Having said that though, I have read that he releases quite a bit of sperm into the water so he doesn’t have to be as close as you think.
This pair worked together well as a team collecting eggs. Notice the bubble nest wasn’t as large as the one in the previous video. After the female was taken out, he added to the bubble nest then.
So as I said, my first pair came together about 7 or 8 times in about 30 minutes while my second pair came together about 20 times in about 90 minutes. Therefore the next question might be how do you know when it’s all over so you can then remove the female?
Well with my second spawn it was pretty obvious as the male just decided it was over and drove the female away from the bubble nest.
This is how it is meant to happen I believe, but during the first spawn it was quite different. The female just hung around the nest and not much happened for quite a while. He tried to engage with her several times but she seemed to lose interest.
In the meantime there were still quite a few eggs lying on the bottom of the tank and one of the Bristlenose Catfish I’d added to keep the algae under control was hanging around them and appeared to be foraging for food near them. Therefore I decided it was time to then remove the female.
So this was my first major mistake, adding Catfish to the breeding tank. I did this as I thought it would be a good idea to add an “algae eater” to help maintain the water quality but as it turned out it was a bad idea. The Bristlenose Catfish swam through the eggs on about 5 occasions and it was hard to see if it actually ate any but it did seem to be attracted to them so it wasn’t a good situation. Another point about catfish is they do take quite a bit of catching, as they are fast and agile. Therefore if you want to remove them you do end up causing a disturbance in your tank which isn’t ideal in a breeding tank
Therefore, because of the Catfish, I was pressured into removing the female, maybe before I needed to. Once the female was removed the male then got on with the job of collecting the eggs (or saving them from the catfish) as he was no longer distracted by the female.
So you can see how inexperience can easily trip you up. My second spawn went much more to plan though, as I’d learnt from the mistakes of the first. Adding Catfish was a bad idea but the next mistake I made would turn out to be much more serious than adding Bristlenose Catfish and in the end I’m amazed how lucky I was to get away with it as the outcome in the end was better than I’d expected.
Here’s more about Bettas Spawning
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 8 – Tending to the Bubble Nest
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- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
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The Betta Courtship
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 6 – The Betta Courtship
So now you have the your Betta breeding tank ready and your two Bettas have been conditioned and now ready for the main event therefore it’s now time to bring them both together.
Firstly though can I just say when I researched this I discovered different breeders have slightly different variations on how to go about this and having now done this twice I can understand the reason why. Both my Betta pairs behaved differently during the courtship and also during spawning. So what I’d like to write about here is how both pairs were different, how I went about bringing them together and what I learnt along the way.
So the first piece of advice I got was to introduce the male Betta to the breeding tank a few days before the female so he could feel at home and establish his territory. You will find that not all breeders will do it this way though and some will add them both at the same time. Therefore the advice I was given seemed feasible enough so I added the male about 3 days prior to the female for both my pairs.
Next up you add the female Betta and what I found is some breeders will add her straight into the breeding tank and others will place her inside a plastic drink container with the top cut off and then place this inside the breeding tank. I followed the second method and I think this is just common sense. The Betta courtship can be very physical and to just throw her in with the male without a proper introduction (so to speak) might be a bit too much to ask.
Therefore you need to understand that not all Betta couples will get on. Sometimes the males will get quite physical with the females and also vice versa so I think it pays to take the introduction slowly. Having said that though, both my couples got on fairly well and I didn’t witness any signs of aggression or any wounds that were inflicted during their time together.
Therefore I placed my female inside a plastic drink bottle and then placed this in the breeding tank with the male. Now the first thing you will observe is the male with come straight to her and start flaring his fins and circling around the bottle. She will develop vertical stripes on her body and this is an indication she is ready to breed and the male will start building his bubble nest.
Now this is where my two males differed right from the start. I paired a 4 month old brother and sister in my first spawn and after I purchased them I took them home and placed them in my 4 berth Betta Tank side by side. She developed the vertical stripes nearly straight away and he started to make a bubble nest in this display tank.
So when I placed them together in the breeding tank he went off nearly straight away and started on his bubble nest. It was obvious, these two were ready to spawn and they had been for a while. When I tried this with my second pair the female did display the vertical stripes in the display tank but the male didn’t build a bubble nest. In fact when I introduced the second pair to their breeding tank the male Betta went and looked at the Styrofoam cup but didn’t start on the bubble nest for about a day and a half.
So at this stage what I’ve discovered is if you place the pair you’d like to breed next to each other prior to placing them in the breeding tank you may get some indication of whether they are likely to breed. Having said this though, if they don’t show any signs it certainly isn’t conclusive that they won’t breed together. All this might to do in give you an indication of the likelihood of success and the likelihood of needing a second pair on standby.
The next decision you will have to make in when to release the female. Now one method I’ve heard is to have the height of the plastic bottle just above the water line in the breeding tank so the female can jump over the top when she is ready. Now I tried this in my first spawn and 5 hours later it was apparent they were ready to be put together (his bubble nest was well under way and she had the vertical stripes) so I just released her into the breeding tank with the male Betta.
During my second spawn though, as I said, the male seemed reluctant to start on the bubble nest so I left the female in the plastic bottle overnight for about 17 hours. I then concluded that maybe the male wasn’t happy where I’d placed the cup as it was at the front of the tank where I could see it easily so I placed a second cup in the tank just around the corner where he could have some more privacy.
Now the other thing to take into account is that some breeders recommend not releasing the female until the male starts on the bubble nest. After 17 hours though, I decided to throw caution to the wind as some breeders don’t even bother with the plastic bottle, and I released the female into the breeding tank.
So now when the male and female are together for the first time and it can get quite interesting as aggression can now become part of the courting process. In both my spawns though I didn’t see any sign of this (not suggesting it doesn’t happen though). They then chase each other fairly frantically around the tank and then stop for a rest for awhile and the male will also take breaks and go off and build his bubble nest.
The male in my first spawn spent most of this time building his bubble nest, then every now and again he’d round up the female and take her to the nest to show it off. It was quite amusing as it was like he’d show it to her and she’d say “not good enough yet Dear” and then swim off leaving him looking dejected. He’d then get back to work again and then eventually he’d built quite a bubble nest that covered all the area of the cup.
During my second spawn though it was much more “matter of fact”. He’d chase her for a while and then they’d rest at opposite ends of the tank and it wasn’t until about 12 hours after she was let out of her plastic bottle that he even started on his bubble nest. Therefore the following day, about 26 hours after her release, with a bubble nest that covered only about 30% of the area of the cup they caught me off guard and started to spawn. Based on what happened with my first spawn and the slow progress the second male was making with his bubble nest I just assumed that spawning was going to be at least another day away if not more.
So as you can see these fish are all individuals and I’m sure most experienced breeders can tell you how much things can vary from Betta pair to Betta pair. Both my pairs got on well enough to spawn but if you do have a pair that are incompatible you can then replace the reluctant male or female with the appropriate standby Betta and then try them together. It may pay to give them a few days before you start swapping them around though. Don’t rush in. As I said, my second male seemed to be coasting, building his bubble nest and then next thing they were spawning.
Therefore I’m sure experienced breeders know the many signs as to the likelihood of success but if you’re new I think it pays to give them some time to get to know each other. Having said that though, if you feel the aggression is getting too much and one Betta is inflicting too much damage to the other then it would be best to intervene, remove the culprit and consult with the breeder you bought your Bettas from for advice.
The First Betta Pair I breed from were both Halfmoons, the male was a Marble and the female was copper colored. Notice the vertical strips on the female and the male showing off. This male spent quite a bit of time working on his bubble nest.
The second pair I bred from were also Halfmoons and the male was a dark blue butterfly. When I bought him he had a beautiful Halfmoon tail but because of my inexperience I placed him in a tank with plastic plants that had sharp edges. As a consequence the edges of his fins got damaged. It was a hard lesson to learn but luckily not fatal.
Therefore next up is spawning and I’ll write about how once again both my spawns were different and how my inexperience nearly cost me my first batch of fry.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 7 – Betta Spawning
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Apple Snails aka Mystery Snails
Apples Snails, Pomacea bridgesii can make a useful addition to a Betta breeding tank. Now the first thing to understand is, they are also known as Mystery Snails here in Australia (and in particular Melbourne). Therefore when you go to purchase an Apple Snail at your local aquarium, depending on where you live, you may have to ask for a Mystery Snail otherwise you might just get a blank look as I did.
Apple Snails don't just clean the bottom of your tank but they'll keep the sides clean as well.
Therefore Apples Snails are freshwater snails and come from tropical areas so they are well suited for a Betta breeding tank. They are also very good at removing algae but more importantly they are also good at removing any uneaten fry food. As a first time Betta breeder I found it difficult to judge just how much food to feed the fry. Just after they leave the bubble nest they are very small and when hidden amongst the Java Moss it is difficult to know just how many fry you actually have. Therefore you are faced with two scenarios, over feeding and under feeding.
Obviously you don’t want to under feed them as they will starve and die or at best their growth will be retarded. Therefore it is best to overfeed them (not excessively though). The obvious problem with this is the tank soon accumulates an excess of rotting food contaminating the water, leading to a decrease in water quality. So this is where the Apple Snail comes into play. Apples Snails will remove any uneaten fry food and help keep the water in your tank clean.
Now if you want you can add them to the tank while you’re getting it ready for spawning to help keep the algae under control although this is not essential I’m lead to believe. If you do add them at this time make sure they are removed before spawning as they will devour any eggs on the bottom if given half a chance. Also after you remove them make sure you vacuum any snail waste from the bottom to ensure the breeding tank water is as clean as possible for spawning. Therefore if you do add them before spawning add extra water right from the start to take into account water that is removed when vacuuming out the waste. The idea is to end up with a water level between 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches).
If you haven’t added your Apple Snails before spawning or if reintroducing your Apple Snails the best time to do it is after the male has been removed and the fry are free swimming. This is when you start to feed your Betta fry so it’s also time for your snails to go to work. Now the next question is how many Apple Snails to add? I’ve been told 1 and I’ve also been told 2. In the end I added 2 and I suppose it’s one of those things there’s no real answer to, as some breeders don’t even add any and just rely on constant water changes to maintain the water quality in their tank.
Therefore what I’m writing about here is how I went about it and what worked for me. As I said earlier, breeding Bettas isn’t an exact science so once again research, considering other peoples opinions and using your own judgment to make your own calculated decisions is essential.
At the end of the day, during my first spawn I added 2 Bristlenose Catfish and then later on, 2 Apple Snails. This I feel was an overkill and it really only worked out this way because I couldn’t get the catfish out of the tank without causing too much of a disturbance and then discovered the snails were better at eating any left over fry food.
Therefore you can see just how easy it is for inexperience and lack of initial research to trip you up.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
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Conditioning Your Bettas
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 5 – Betta Conditioning
The importance of conditioning your Bettas for breeding cannot be downplayed. If you intend to breed your Bettas soon after you’ve purchased them then start this process straight away. In the meantime you can be setting up your breeding area and Betta breeding tank.
Therefore I suppose it’s safe to say that if you’re going to breed any type of animal, number 1 you want to select quality parents with desirable qualities and number 2 you want to ensure they’re in the very best physical condition before you put them together. So the first part you’ve now already got covered when you selected your Bettas. Therefore you now need to get them into shape and apart from the obvious this is why it’s important when breeding Bettas.
Firstly, the female needs to produce eggs and off course the quality and quantity will be dependent on the condition of the female. The courtship with the male can also get physical and involve quite a bit of evasive swimming and in some cases defending herself. Plus the female also does most of the initial work collecting and carrying eggs from the bottom of the tank to the bubble nest in between spawning which can last from 30 minutes to several hours.
Secondly, the male also needs to be in peak condition. He will have to be in the breeding tank for 4 or 5 days without being fed and will build a bubble nest, exert quite a bit of energy chasing the female, spawn with her and help carry eggs up to the bubble nest. Then after spawning is finished and the female is removed it is up to him to maintain the bubble nest, collect any falling eggs from the bottom of the tank and then look after the fry until they are free swimming. This whole process can involve several hundred trips between the bottom of the tank and the bubble nest.
Therefore you can see the importance of conditioning as it can be quite physically demanding on both the parents.
So the next question is, how to go about it and what I would suggest is to research this topic from as many credible sources as you can find, it’s that important. What I did though was feed both the parents twice a day, for about a week, a diet of dried Black Worm and live Grindal Worm. They need a high protein diet. What you use for food though, will probably have a lot to do with what you can source from your local area or online.
Therefore can I just say this, conditioning your Bettas and how you go about it is important and might just be the difference between the male surrendering to his need to eat and decimating the nest of fry or you having a good outcome and ending up with a breeding tank full of lots and lots of free swimming fry.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 6 – The Betta Courtship
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- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
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Bristlenose Catfish
I love Bristlenose Catfish and reckon they add greatly to nearly any fish tank. The way they scamper around the bottom and sides of your tank searching for food can be quite amusing as they dart in and around objects at quite a rapid pace.
There are many species of Catfish and these ones are a member of the Ancistrus family. They grow to about 15 cm (6 inches), like a water temperature similar to Betta Fish and feed predominantly on vegetable matter but unlike Bettas, they do prefer oxygenated water so adding a filter is a good idea.
Bristlenose Catfish aren't the most attractive fish but they can play an important role in the overall health of your Betta Tank.
So first of all, it is important to point out exactly why you might want to add them to your Betta Tank. They are algae eaters and as such can form an important role in keeping your Betta tank clean. They are ideal for adding to community tanks that house several female Bettas or you could add just one with a male Betta in a suitably sized tank to help keep it clean. But how do Bristlenose Catfish perform in a Betta Breeding Tank?
Well, when I first started breeding Bettas I decided to add a couple to the breeding tank to keep the algae problem under control and this is what I’ve discovered.
Firstly, they will remove algae from your tank but as a result they will also create quite a bit of waste. Now in most tanks this isn’t a problem as it can be vacuumed or suctioned out when required. In a tank full of Betta fry though, the last thing you want is to have to remove is water from the bottom of your tank, for at least the first couple of weeks, as there’s a fair chance you’ll be removing Betta fry as well. Therefore the Bristlenose Catfish waste may present a problem. Now to be fair though, I had two Bristlenose Catfish and two Golden Apple Snails (aka Mystery Snails) in the tank and didn’t have a problem with water quality.
My solution was to gently add water to the tank to decease any effects of contamination. After about a week I then very gently baled out about 25 to 35% of the water from the surface and replaced it with clean water. I also believe the Java Moss also helped protect some of the water quality.
Now the other thing that I did observe when my Bettas were spawning was one of the Catfish was lurking around underneath the bubblenest and swam right through a pile of Betta eggs while foraging for food. In fact he did it about 5 times and looked as if he may have been snacking on some eggs. Catfish are meant to be mainly herbivorous though but you can feed them shrimp and worms from time to time so the fact that he came and went about 5 times does indicate that maybe he was being a bit opportunistic and maybe felt these were a bit of a rarity and worth coming back for.
Therefore based on this I don’t think Bristlenose Catfish are a good addition to a Breeding tank especially at the beginning. They are also quick, agile swimmers as well and can take some catching with a net so it does cause some disturbance to the tank when trying to remove them. Another point worth mentioning again is Bristlenose Catfish do prefer oxygenated water so during the first few weeks your air pump will be turned down low which is not ideal for the Catfish. Later on though when the fry get larger, the air pump is turned up higher and the bottom of the tank can be easily cleaned without removing fry you might then be able to introduce some Catfish.
So there are many benefits to adding a Bristlenose Catfish or two to your Betta tank but if you’re thinking about adding some to your Betta Breeding tank then it may not be a good idea right from the start. An Apple Snail might be a better choice as they can be easily removed if they cause a problem like the Bristlenose Catfish did.
Update: Recently I was searching for information about Bristlenose Catfish on the internet and came across this eBook, Keeping and Breeding Bristlenose. Not wanting to spent the rest of the day trying find the information I was after, I decided to purchase it.
Anyway I found it was quite a good read and answered all my questions. Therefore I don’t have any trouble recommending it as the author is quite credible and the information I thought was first class.
So if you’d like to find out more just follow this link, Bristlenose Catfish Resource
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Buying Betta Fish for Breeding
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 4 – Buying Betta Fish for Breeding
This is the fun part and I don’t mean it tongue in cheek. I find this really enjoyable going to look at lots of different types of Bettas and deciding which ones I’d like to take home to hopefully turn into even more Bettas.
But before we get under way here’s some important considerations right from the start. Although I’ve called this Part 4 you can obviously do this before you set up your Betta breeding tank. In fact it’s probably better if you do, so you can get a head start getting them ready for breeding.
So the first question is where to buy your Bettas from? You can by Bettas from pet shops, aquariums and of course Betta Breeders. I think that by far the best place to get them, especially if you’re new to breeding Betta Fish, is from a breeder. Firstly most of the Bettas in pet shops are either too old, not in good condition or as what some Betta hobbyists might call “rubbish”. In other words they aren’t very highly regarded. They are mostly Veil Tails and although they might have a fantastic color combination or look great to an uneducated eye they are still regarded mostly as “common”.
Therefore understand this, if you are successful you might just breed a few hundred Bettas in your first spawn and then find that because you made the wrong selection you end up with a lot of Bettas that you may have trouble even giving away. Therefore you will find that most breeders will have better quality Bettas to sell you.
The next thing you will discover is that most breeders will be helpful and give you some information that you just won’t find in a pet shop. Don’t become a pest though and hassle them all the time but on the other side of the coin though if you find a breeder that won’t give any information at all then go find one that will (unless they’ve got some really great fish of course). At the end of the day though you will find many breeders actually love what they do so I’m sure most won’t have any trouble talking about their fish.
I’ve purchased Bettas from two different breeders and found both were a wealth of knowledge and gave me tips that I would never have found anywhere else, including the internet.
The next reason you might want to buy your Betta Fish from a breeder is an important one. You will be able to buy juvenile Bettas that are brothers and sisters. That’s right brothers and sisters! Unlike we humans breeding brother and sister Betta isn’t a problem and it does have it’s advantages. Firstly, there is no guarantee your Bettas will get along so bringing together two siblings that have already, previously shared a tank will increase your chances (or their chances) of success. Now just in case the two you select don’t turn out to like each other the solution is to buy 2 males and 2 females. The theory being that out of the 4 Bettas you should be able to find 2 that will get along and mate.
The other thing you will discover about juvenile Bettas is they are much more virile. Believe me they are ready to mate. Now when I bought my first Bettas for breeding I didn’t know about buying 2 pair and just bought 1 pair. As it turned out we came home with three Bettas because the breeder found out it was my daughters birthday and gave her one extra female as a present (thanks for that). When we got home I placed them in our 4 Berth Betta tank, with him in the middle (my daughter called him Spyro) and one female either side. He kept going from one to the other flaring his fins and basically showing off and within a couple of days started to build a bubble nest. The copper female formed vertical stripes which was an indication she was ready and the other female actually got under the dividing glass and into his tank twice and started chasing him around. In the end I could have paired him with either female.
These Bettas were about 4 months old when I bred from them and you will find that when they get to about 12 months the likely hood of breeding diminishes.
Another advantage of buying Bettas from the same spawn is typically the males will be larger than the females and if not, at least the same size. This is important as the male wraps his body around the female during breeding so if his relative size is less than the female he will have trouble accomplishing this task and in the end it just won’t happen. So the male needs to be larger but make sure he is not twice her size as this could present problems as well. At the end of the day though, discuss this with the breeder and he/she will help you select Bettas that are matched.
So these are the basics to selecting some Betta Fish to breed from and to be honest what I have touched on here is just the tip of the iceberg. Other considerations are breeding to achieve certain characteristics, such as color and fin variations and these things are probably best discussed with an experienced breeder.
Therefore you can see there are many advantages in buying your Bettas from a breeder and I tend to think it is the way to go. There is one train of thought though, that suggests that for your first attempt you should just get some “run of the mill Bettas” from the pet shop and experiment with them. I think the underlying message here is that you probably won’t be successful so don’t waste your time on quality fish??? Well as far I’m concerned, that’s just one way of looking at it.
To my way of thinking though, I find this a bit negative. I think that if you plan to be successful there is a fair chance you will be. After all there is an amazing amount of information available on the internet, here in this blog, from Betta eBooks written by experts and of course from the breeder you buy your Betta Fish from.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 5 – Betta Conditioning
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Betta Breeding Tank
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 3 – The Betta Breeding Tank
The Betta Breeding Tank you select will play an important part in just how successful you will be at breeding Bettas. It will, along with lots of other factors play an important role in just how many of your Betta fry actually survive to become fish.
Therefore it pays to point out right from the start that Bettas are just like most other fish and will breed in basically any suitably sized container you can find that will hold water, if of course the conditions are right. So having said that lets assume that you want to breed Bettas in a manner that will give the fry the best or at least a good chance of survival.
So before we get into it I’d just like to tell you a quick story that might just save you some wasted time. When I first inquired about breeding Betta fish at the the aquarium I was told all you needed to do was add 1 male Betta and 3 female Bettas to a tank and then just let the male choose the female he preferred and then let nature take it’s course. Now when I mentioned this to a breeder you can expect the response I got. Laughter and not a good idea. Fair enough, I thought!
But on a visit to another aquarium I was told a similar story. Therefore it left me wondering…….is this an urban legend or do some hobbyists breed Bettas in this manner? Well to be honest I don’t really care what the answer is. You see knowing what I know now I don’t think that this method is a good method. The only reason I mention it here is so you don’t get conned or side tracked in a direction that may waste you time and money.
So why isn’t this method any good?
Well there are lots of reasons but if you keep reading they will become very apparent as you read on. If you’re going to breed Bettas then try and get it right.
The Betta Breeding Tank
What I discovered was some breeders prefer a 20 litre (5 gallon) tank and some prefer a 40 litre (10 gallon) tank. I went for the larger size and in fact ended up with a 50 litre tank and the reason why I went for the larger tank was this.
The water in your breeding tank will get polluted. It will get contaminated with fish waste, uneaten fry food, dead fry, algae, and waste from any algae eaters you may care to add such as Mystery Snails (aka Apple Snails) or Bristlenose Catfish. You will of course have a filter to help keep the water clean but here’s the catch. After the fry eat their yolk sac they are nearly invisible. They are very, very small and if the air on your filter is turned up too much some of your fry will fall victim to the filter.
In fact some breeders recommend turning off the filter all together for the first week or so after the fry leave the bubble nest. Also removing water or vacuuming the bottom of the tank isn’t recommended either as you can suck up fry with the water and you probably won’t even know it.
So what you’ll find is for at least the first week, you won’t be able to remove or filter any of the water for fear of culling fry. Therefore my theory is this, the more water you have in the tank the lower the percentage of contamination. But of course once again there is a catch.
When the mum and dad Betta spawn the depth of the water should only be 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) deep and the reason is this. The eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank and then dad Betta has to collect them in his mouth and then place them in the bubble nest that’s on the surface. If you make the water depth too great, all you’re doing is increasing his work load and making it hard for him.
Therefore a larger tank with a larger surface area is preferable to a larger tank with a smaller surface area as you can obviously add more water for your 15 cm water depth.
Place the foam supplied with your tank on a flat surface and then place your tank on the foam
Another point I discovered when buying a tank is it should not only have a lid (which should be obvious) but you will also need some foam to place underneath. The foam is to absorb any irregularities in the surface you place it on which should hopefully stop it from bending slightly and causing a leak.
Now the first tank I bought, the foam cost extra and was only mentioned to me by the sales person as a after thought. Needless to say the second tank I bought was from a different store and surprise, surprise this time the foam was included in the cost which was less than the first tank I bought (about 30% less). Therefore make sure you get the foam and secondly shop around to get the best deal on a tank.
The Breeding Tank Water
The water quality in your breeding tank is obviously very important and everything you add to it apart from the Bettas and their food is designed to add to and maintain it’s quality. Therefore there has been much written about water so I would advise reading as much about this topic from as many different sources as possible.
Water obviously isn’t the same everywhere so what you add to your water to treat and condition it will depend on the water you use. I used a water conditioner that removed Chlorine, Chloramine, Ammonia, detoxifies Nitrites and Nitrates and provides Slime Coat.
Java Moss comes in a ball about the size of a golf ball. When spread out in your Betta breeding tank it covers a larger area.
I also added Java Moss to the breeding tank. Without going into too much detail here Java Moss does have many benefits, is suited to stagnant water (such as a breeding tank) and is really easy to look after. You can use it as a living plant in your breeding tank which will add a sense of security for the female (or maybe even the male) if the mating session gets a little too “rough and tumble” (as can happen). The other advantage is it will spread itself around areas on the bottom of the tank which means that when you feed the fry Microworms you can drip them over the Java Moss which keeps more of the Microworms off the bottom. This has an advantage in that I’m led to believe that too much feeding from the bottom can lead to the fry having damaged or no Ventral Fins.
The Filter
This was the first major mistake I made. I was advised to get a sponge filter but went for the cheap option and used a corner filter that I already had. As a result I caused quite few fry to fall victim to it. Now I’ll admit straight up, the biggest cause was probably more the fact that I had the air turned up too much rather than the fact it was a corner filter and not a sponge filter but knowing what I know now I reckon the sponge filter is a better option.
Why?
Well the corner filter has less inlets which basically means for a given air flow from your air pump the suction will be greater through the inlets. Whereas the whole surface of the sponge filter is an inlet therefore the suction is spread over a wider area and as such reduced. Therefore you may say that the sponge filter will be less effective at doing it’s job (of filtering) for a given air flow and yes, you’re right, it will be. But that’s the point and the trade off is this, in return for not sucking up all your fry your filter won’t be very affective at filtering your tank. In fact some breeders recommend just turning your filter off all together for the first week after the fry leave the bubble nest.
Sponge Filter with weight on bottom and clear plastic air line. This is the one with the finer sponge. I'm not sure if it makes a difference but I tend to think the more you've got going for you the better your chances of success.
So the consensus is this, get a sponge filter. I did after I discovered fry in the corner filter, I left it off for a couple of days and then turned it on very, very gently when the fry were about 5 days old. Therefore there is a difference in opinion between some breeders as to whether you should have it off or on for the first few days. I left mine off for a few days and didn’t have a problem. If you decide to leave it on have it running very slowly. Of course at the end of the day it will all come down to the quality of you’re water.
The interesting thing I did find out about sponge filters though was that you can get some with finer sponges. The second one I bought had a much finer sponge on it than the first one. Therefore if I was to compare the two I think I’d go for the finer sponge. Now I’m not going to say that if you use a finer sponge you can turn up the air earlier because your fry won’t get sucked into it, but at some stage the fry will grow to a size where they will be too large for this to happen. So if you do use a finer sponge this will happen before it will with a courser sponge.
You will also need an Aquarium Air Pump to run your sponge filter. There are many different types you can choose from and I would recommend getting one with a larger capacity than you initially think you require. If you like you can view my Aquarium Air Pump set up by following the link.
Just in finishing, another thing I discovered about sponge filters is this. They do have a weight on the bottom to weight them down. The first one I bought floated for about the first 3 or 4 days. Probably because I had the air turned down very low. Therefore when you install your sponge filter turn it up high and give it some time to become saturated so sits comfortably on the bottom of the tank before adding fish.
The Aquarium Heater
Don't waste your time with cheap Aquarium Heaters. Plus add a Temperature Gauge or Thermometer.
This is obviously a very important piece of equipment. Don’t skimp here and buy a cheap one. One of the first ones I bought was a cheapie and it broke for some reason. Luckily it wasn’t in my fry tank. Get a good brand and then shop around for a good price.
It is also possible to buy aquarium heaters that aren’t submersible. I wouldn’t bother with one of these, get a good quality submersible one. Remember water and electricity can be a deadly combination therefore read the safety instructions thoroughly and make sure you follow them.
Also most aquarium heaters will have a temperature setting so you can set the thermostat. Don’t just rely on this to make sure the water temperature is right. Get an aquarium thermometer as well so you can cross check that what you’ve set is correct and just in case you’re wondering the ideal temperature is 27 C (80 F).
The Styrofoam Cup
Now this is a piece of equipment you shouldn’t have too much trouble sourcing and whoever came up with this idea certainly was quite inventive. Basically you just get a syrofoam cup and cut it in half along it’s length and use one half as means for the male Betta to attach his bubble nest to.
Styrofoam Cup
Make sure you position it at the opposite end of the tank to the filter and keep the area below clear as the Bettas will most likely spawn below it. As a consequence the eggs will drop to the bottom to be collected by the male and then placed in the bubble nest. This is the reason why you don’t add gravel to the bottom on a Betta breeding tank and one of the reasons why just not any old tank will do for breeding.
If you want you can tape it to the side so it doesn’t move but I didn’t bother as the light current from my filter seemed to keep it in place. Remember you don’t really want any current at all from your filter as it can disturb the bubble nest. It seemed to stay in place ok for me though so do what ever works for you.
The Betta Breeding Tank Set Up
Betta Breeding Tank. Filter, Aquarium Heater and Java Moss are at one end while in the foreground the styrofoam cup is positioned for the bubble nest. Note the temperature gauge and Mystery Snail to the right of it.
This is what my breeding tank looked like. It’s pretty simple really. I’ve added two Mystery Snails to keep the algae down and also clean up any left over fry food. For my first spawn I was advised to use a Bristlenose Catfish to do this job. I added two small ones and found that they do add quite a bit of waste plus I did observe one hanging around the bottom of the bubble nest during spawning and, disturbing some of the eggs while foraging for food. I’m not sure if he actually ate any eggs but he did get pretty close.
Therefore for my second spawn I’ve decided to just use Mystery Snails as they are easier to remove if required. Bristlenose Catfish are quite fast and once in your tank they are difficult to remove without causing a disturbance which is not ideal in a tank full of fry.
So once your tank is set up wait a couple of days to ensure your water temperature is correct, check for leaks and if you like add some water from your established tank to introduce some good bacteria to the breeding tank. Another way to achieve this is add the sponge from your new sponge filter to your established Betta tank for a few days to absorb good bacteria or if you’re really starting from scratch then ask the breeder you bought your breeding Bettas from for some water from one of his/her tanks.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 4 – Buying Betta Fish for Breeding
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 Breeding Tank Set Up
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 2 – Setting Up your Betta Breeding Tank Area
Please note: This post has been updated and you can find a link at the end of this page to go to the update.
So you’ve made the decision you want to breed some Betta Fish so I’ll salute you straight away. I guarantee that if you do your homework and have a love for Bettas you will get vast amounts of pleasure from this very satisfying past time. It can be very exciting waiting to see the results of your work as your fry grow from minute dots that you can barely see to juvenile fish that take shape and form color.
Therefore you’re now confronted with the task of deciding where to start. Well the first two things you will need to do is set up an area for your Betta breeding tank and select some Bettas to breed with. Now maybe you’ve got your pair picked out already and maybe you’ve made a good choice, but then again maybe you haven’t either. Therefore I’ll write about this topic a little later but for now this post is about how I went and set up an area for my Betta breeding tank.
First of all, research is once again important and the more you do the better. Remember once you fill your tank with water it won’t be easy to move and probably impossible once you have fry in it. Therefore get it right, right from the start. The biggest reason why some, lots or all of your fry won’t survive will be you. What you do, what you don’t do and what you misinterpret is important.
Therefore one important point is this, your breeding tank needs to provide an environment where the water can be maintained at 27 C (80 F) and not only that, the air above the water in the tank needs to be humid and at a similar temperature. Now this can quite easily be achieved by placing a lid/cover on the top of you tank to keep the warmth in, but remember this. You are going to have take the lid off to remove the parents and feed the fry each day. You don’t want cold air rushing in when the lids off because this may cause some temperature fluctuations within your tank.
Therefore where you place your breeding tank is vitally important and is the very first decision you will need to make. It is preferable and beneficial to place your breeding tank in an environment that has a similar temperature to the tank water i.e. 27 C (80 F) especially if you live in a cold climate or wish to breed during the winter. If you live in a hot climate then of course you may have the opposite problem, keeping it cool enough.
Now I live in Melbourne, Australia where winter overnight temperatures can drop to about 0 C (32 F) overnight. We also don’t heat our house during the night, nor was I interested in heating a room or did I have a room to turn into a breeding room. Therefore I decided to set up my breeding tank in the garage. Now I know you’re probably wondering why I’d want to heat the garage instead of the house and the short answer is, I didn’t, but before I tell you why consider this.
I chose the garage over the house for lots of reasons here’s just a few;
If there was an accident it would be easier to clean up the mess,
Microworms and Vinegar Eels do smell (fry food),
It was easier to set up and heat on a smaller scale,
It was close to the laundry so I had easy access to water. Having a tap close by is important as you don’t want to have carry buckets of water long distances.
Plus for lots of other obvious reasons as well.
Therefore where you set your tank up is important. As I said before (it’s worth repeating), once it’s set up and full of water and fry you can’t shift it. It will be stuck there for several weeks so consider your own personal situation and find the most appropriate position right from the very start. Consider your local climate (weather) and the season you choose to breed in, as this will also affect how you go about it.
Therefore I’ve chosen to breed in autumn and into winter and this is how I went about setting up an area for my breeding tank.
Firstly as I said there was no way I wanted to heat the whole garage so what I decided to do was build a small enclosed area where I could set up a controlled micro climate.
I used cement sheet for the walls and two doors. It was all made from scrap I had in my garage Notice the doors don't go all the way to the top to help keep warm air in. I will eventually get around to painting it but I'm not too concerned about the appearance. It's how it works that matters.
Here it is with the doors open. The tank on the left has 10 day old fry while the tank on the right has just been set up. After I've finished using the tank on the left I will orientate it in the same direction as the one on the right. That way I will be able add the the 30 litre plastic container in between. This is an example of the importance of planning. Originally I just had the tank on the left and the plastic container where the 2nd breeding tank is. But I had to remove the plastic container when I added the second breeding tank because I'd orientated the left tank in the wrong direction. Now I can't shift it until the fry are old enough to be moved. Also notice the shelves at the rear. These were pre-existing and come in handy for storage. You may want to add shelves to keep juvenile males after removal from the breeding tank. I will probably add another area soon for this purpose but you can incorporate this right from the start if you want.
So what I did was section off a small area of my work bench and enclose it. In my case the area was 120 w x 90 h x 80 d cm (48 x 36 x 32 inch). Now the size you chose may be different to this but here are some of the things I considered.
Firstly it allowed me to place two breeding tanks and a large plastic container inside which I could store water in. Plus there was room for shelves to store equipment, food and of course individual fish in smaller containers for later on.
So the next question was how to keep it warm inside. Well, what you will find is the tanks will radiate heat inside the enclosure which will in effect lessen the work the aquarium heaters need to do to keep the water at a constant temperature. So the end result is less energy required to heat your tanks and a more constant temperature.
The next important consideration to take into account will be electricity. I had an external power point just around the corner and decided to add a 6 way power outlet with on/off switches. As you can see from the photo I’ve got 2 heaters, 1 air pump and 2 lights plugged in. I mounted the power outlet on the outside just in case condensation became an issue over time. Therefore I cut a hole in the side for the power cords to exit and then plugged it with a rag to help keep the warmth in.
6 Way Power Outlet
Hole for Electrical Cords
I added a Rag to keep the warmth in.
Next up you will need to add a light. I used an 8w fluorescent light as it doesn’t use much power and provides plenty of light. The only problems is it isn’t great for filming as you’ll see with my up coming videos. Apart from that it was fine.
8 w fluorescent light
Therefore this was the basic set up I used. I’m sure there are probably many different ways you can go about setting up an area for your breeding tank.
This set up cost me next to nothing to make. Remember when you do this for the first time you never really know what will work best for you. You can copy an established breeders set up if you like but if you place the emphasis on providing the right breeding environment for your Bettas rather than spending a fortune or making a complex set up or dramatic changes to a room in your house you can use your first few spawns to work out exactly what YOUR needs are. Then if you decide this is a hobby you’d like to do more permanently or on a larger scale then you will have the knowledge and experience to design a set up that will suit YOUR needs and circumstances.
Just in finishing here are two more points you may want to consider with your set up.
Firstly, what is the power supply like to your house? Do you have frequent interruptions that last for some time? If you are breeding Bettas during the winter you will rely heavily on the power supply to you aquarium heater to keep your fry alive. If you set up a small micro climate like mine it will keep your fry warmer for longer if you lose power to your heater. Also have you got a standby aquarium heater? What will you do if your heater fails for some reason? Sometimes it pays to think of contingencies as you really don’t want to spend 4 or 5 weeks raising fry and then lose them because the water got too cold in your breeding tank for some reason.
Secondly, when you set up your Breeding tank make sure you have good access from above so you can easily see into your tank. This means you may not want to place it on a bench or shelf that is too high. In a later article I will write about how I clean my breeding tank and how if you decide to use my method you will have to be able to easily lean over the top of your tank so you can see in, while cleaning it. As you will also discover once your breeding tank is set up there are several advantages in viewing inside your tank from above as the view and what you can and can’t see will be slightly different than viewing it from the side.
Therefore this post was about how I set up my breeding area and there’s a fair chance yours will be different to mine but I hope you found the information beneficial in setting up your own Betta breeding area.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 3 – The Betta Breeding 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
Breeding Bettas
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 1 – Introduction
Breeding Bettas or Siamese Fighting Fish can be a very rewarding hobby. There are just so many colors and variations to experiment with so I suppose I knew not long after I started keeping Bettas (or maybe even beforehand) that it wouldn’t be long before I’d start breeding them.
You know it’s undeniable that we humans have an irresistible urge to create new things. It’s what drives gardeners to create magnificent gardens and car enthusiasts to restore classic cars. So if you have a fondness for keeping Betta Fish and would like to take the next step and start producing your very own “Betta Magic” then please read on. Over the next few posts I’ll write about how I went about breeding Bettas for the very first time, what I learnt and what I found did and didn’t work.
So before we get under way can I just say this, breeding Bettas isn’t difficult it just comes down to deciding how successful you’d like to be, getting your hands on the right information and then following the process. Therefore, first research the topic (the fact you’re reading this is a good sign) from as many different sources as possible (including this one) as breeding Bettas is not an exact science. The more you read though, the more you’ll discover slight variations on the best way to go about it. The most important thing is you will find a consensus on the important points to follow. Then just apply some common sense and judgement to interpret the other points that the “experts” differ on.
Therefore the more preparation you do before hand on research, setting up your breeding tank and selecting the right Bettas will greatly increase your chances of success and ensure that your time isn’t wasted.
Also consider this, if you are successful at your first attempt you may find you’ve ended up with somewhere between 300 to 500 baby Bettas that will quickly get too large for the tank you spawned them in. Plus at some stage the males will all have to be separated into individual containers. Have you got a plan and what are you going to do with all these fish?
Well I suppose this will depend on many things and your options are probably obvious. You can sell them to local pet shops, aquariums and wholesalers, advertise them locally to sell privately and just give them away to friends and family. The other option you have though is probably the most important and in many cases it will be the real reason you may decided go ahead and start breeding Bettas in the first place. And that reason is this………..
You want to keep some for yourself. Why? Well if you’ve gone to the trouble of selecting a quality pair of Bettas in the first place, there is a chance that you will produce some fish that will be well worth keeping. In other words you may be able to use them to breed a few Bettas that are unique, rare or just plain superior to the run of the mill Bettas you find in the pet shop. Therefore these are the ones that you will want to keep, breed from and show.
So this ties back with what we spoke about before about research. Getting it right is important. If you begin with the philosophy that, “if I start with 300 fry and only 50 survive, I’ll be happy” attitude then some of the 250 that didn’t make it may have actually been the one’s that were the pick of the bunch. Remember it won’t necessarily be the inferior ones that won’t survive. There are just so many reasons why some won’t make it and most of these reason will be caused by you.
Therefore this is the importance of research, interpreting what others do correctly and following directions. At the end of the day the numbers will decrease to some degree and this will be a combination of “natures way” and your mistakes (as I said before, mostly your mistakes). But the more you do right increases your chances of producing some quality Bettas that someone else will want to pay money for or accept as a gift.
So please read on as I made a few mistakes along the way and I’m more that happy to share them with you.
Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish, Part 2 – Betta Breeding Tank Set Up
Possibly Related Posts:
- Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
- Breeding Crowntail Bettas
- Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
- Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
- Microworms
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