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  • help plz, breeding bettas

    Hello all! I was wondering if anyone out there could help me out some. Im trying to start breeding bettas. Right now, I have 4 female bettas and 3 male betta (crowntail, halfmoon, delta). I have the equipment to start the breeding process. My first attempt seems not to be working, because the male doesnt seem interested in the female or he nips at her and she starts freaking out....i have read everything on-line and even purchased books, everything seems to working except for the mating part. Any suggestions? Ive been following by the book....I need help. These are some of my tanks I have some others too....please help with info if you can thanks


    Hey guy, i took these 04/10/08, they are blurry but these are 3 of my bettas! i have 5 others too. The pictures are of phoeinix, flash, storm....they are a halfmoon, crowntail. I thought i'd show you some, hopefully i can take some better ones.....lol.

  • #2
    Re: help plz, breeding bettas

    phoenixbetta  -- Please talk to PhishPhreek he is a champion betta breeder here on the box.  I would pretty much tell you he is better than any book or website you have come across.. this man knows his Betta stuff.

    Welcome to the box btw :)

    What fish do Jesper have
    180 WC T. Moorii Chilambo +1 Petro trewavasae.
    110
    Cyps, WC Xeno Spilopterus Kipili WC/F1/F2 T. sp red Kiku
    58 S. Decorus

    "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." -Margaret Thatcher

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    • #3
      Re: help plz, breeding bettas

      Hi,
      Welcome to the fishbox.

      Please share a couple more details about your first attempt.
      1) Tank size and setup
      2) Age of the parents
      3) How did you introduce them?
      4) How long did you keep the female inside with the male?

      It is important to make sure that the female is ready for breeding. You should be able to notice her large abdomen and a very prominent ovipositor (white spot protruding from here rear end) because sometimes if there is no male around, the female will release her unfertilized eggs and then eat them. Obviously she won't breed immediately after releasing her eggs.

      Place her in a hurricane lamp or a floating breeding trap in the same tank as the male. This should get his attention and have him start to build a nest. It may take a day or two or even longer sometimes for him to get his act together and start with the nest.

      Make sure that there are hiding places for the female to retreat to if she needs to. Could be a rock, pvc pipe, a clump of java moss, driftwood.. anything that she can dart around to avoid the male.

      Before releasing her to the mercy of the male, it sometimes helps to observe the male. Sometimes he gives some indications that he is ready to breed such as blowing a bubble nest, swimming over to the female (in a hurricane lamp or a breeding trap) and seem to beckon her over to the bubble nest by displaying under the nest.

      It is not uncommon for the female to be shredded to bits with scales flying and fins torn.  I have had a pair together for two days before they spawned and in the meantime, the female was pretty beaten up. Use your best judgement to determine whether the female is in danger. You may have to pull her out if all her fins have been TOTALLY shredded, she starts going belly up, starts to show raw spots where she has been bitten or doesn't have enough strength to keep running.

      Keep a spare bowl or tank dosed with melafix to put her in after she has spawned or if you need to pull her out prematurely.

      Generally, the females are pretty though. It looks rough, but if she can still swim and still run when he attacks her, she should be fine.

      I'm sure phishphreek will chime in with lots more info soon.

      Good luck!
      www.ventralfins.com

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      • #4
        Re: help plz, breeding bettas

        My first try ended the same way, so I brought in a backup hitter. Worked like a charm.
        So many things can be a mystery, when all we're seeking is freedom...

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        • #5
          Re: help plz, breeding bettas

          I'm never breed betas, but this looks like a great setup: http://www.bettatalk.com/breeding_bettas.htm [Links are on the top left.]

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          • #6
            Re: help plz, breeding bettas

            and from all of us here at the HoustonFishBox,

            Welcome

            CF
            Truth is the cement that holds the bricks and stones of a sane and civilized society together. Remove the former and the latter will crumble.

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            • #7
              Re: help plz, breeding bettas

              nacra has doe a good job of covering female problems,  but if she has horizontal stripes, an egg tube showing and is assuming the hed down position, it is more than likely a male problem.

              I sometimes have a male that does not like the female I give him and will not spawn until I give him a different one.
              Old males have less desire to mate and you can have a hard time getting them to build a nest or show interest6.
              A good nest protector is important if he is blowing a small nest.

              A temperature of 82f seems to help.  Also if you time it right, they are more likely to spawn when a weather front comes through and the air pressure changes.
              Also "Amazon extract" ?? or an almond tree leaf will lower the pH and add tannins to the water which seem to promote spawning.
              Send me your snailmail in a pm and I'll mail you a few.

              breeding tips
              'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
              He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                Hey guys! Wow thanks for all the info, I am very excited that someone can finally help me, I have been all over Houston to find someone to shed some light on this. Let's See where to start! Let me answer Nacra questions:
                1) i have to tank sizez set up for breeding. I have a 2.5 gallon divider tank and also a 10 gallon set up.
                2) the parents a around 4 months old on both tanks.
                3) In the divider tank, I seperated them by a glass panel, the smaller side for the female and the larger side for the male. On the 10 gallon I used the hurricane lamp. I let them meet for 2 days to 3 days on both tanks. The females showed that they  were ready on both ends but nothing happened.
                4) Once i released the female into the tank, he nip at her and she went crazy. Chasing occured then subsided. After that nothing much....they flared up but not much fighting or anything.
                So, PhishPhreek, I have read about the almond leaf, and I want to try it, but I havent been able to find a store that sells it. I have been everywhere. Whats snailmail? sorry im new, lol. Another thing, one of the males is blowing small nest all thoughout the tank, very uneven? Is that strange? He blowed more bubbles when I had a crowntail male next to him then the female and in one spot too. So i did that for a few days, let the nest grow but then introduced the female and once again nothing. I hope to hear more feedback, thanks guys very much. I hope my halfmoons, crowntails, deltas, and veil tails can spawn.

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                • #9
                  Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                  Snailmail = USPO  send me your address via pm and I will mail you a few IAL to try.   I buy a pound from Tropilab and it lasts me 6 months.  Only bad thing is seems like it takes forever to get through customs.

                  You will find that each betta has it's own personality and what works with one may not work with the next.
                  I like to "card" my males while I condition them.   Place an index card between the jars so they cannot see another betta.
                  This is also used on show bettas.  The card is removed for an hour each day so they can see each other and exercise / flair their fins.
                  I also use a variation of the huricane chimney.  I place the female in a quart jar and place the jar in the 10g spawn tank (4" h2o) with enough water in the jar so that it sinks but not enough for her to jump out.
                  When he has started to build a nest and runs over to her and flairs to invite her to join him and she is ready (h stripes, head down & doing a shimmy shake)
                  I pour her out of the jar and refill the jar, leaving it in the tank for her to hid behind and also to provide warm water for her when I pull her out.
                  I only use one female at a time.  But sometimes I will tease the male by placing another male just outside the spawn tank.  Some Males will respond by building a bigger nest and some will go off to the far side to build their nest.
                  My preference for a nest protector is a (1/3 to 1/2 ) slice of styrafoam coffee cup.  But other breeders have different favorites. ; bubble wrap, saran wrap, disposable slurpy lids, 4x4 piece of white plastic (groceery bag) christal wart.   My first spawn was with a few leaves from an amazon sword plant.

                  If you already have a filter in your spawn tank, turn the bubbles off during spawning and if you dont have a cover for the tank you can use a piece of plexiglass from the local hardware store or saran wrap from the kitchen

                  I usually give my males 2 or 3 days and if they arn't interested they go back to isolation & dconditioning while I try another pair.  

                  If you watch the weather and the weather man says that a front will bring more rain tomorrow,  Go pick your best pair and put them in  the spawn tank.

                  Good luck
                  'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
                  He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                    Once again thanks for the help! This is so much better than aqua central! I sent you a PM! I will keep everyone updated on the progress because im sure ill need some more help soon...lol. =)

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                    • #11
                      Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                      OK, I just couldn't resist posting pictures of my new breeders.
                      I'll mail you the almond leaves & microworms in the morning.
                      Good Luck
                      'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
                      He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                        Looks like your setup is ok.
                        As suggested, a nest protector like half a styrofoam cup or even some bubble wrap will help him keep his nest together.

                        Keep us updated!
                        www.ventralfins.com

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                        • #13
                          Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                          dont worry i most definitely will keep yall updated!

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                          • #14
                            Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                            Originally posted by Fire_chair";p="
                            My first try ended the same way, so I brought in a backup hitter. Worked like a charm.
                            That worked for me. My first attempt, they acted like best friends and never even nipped at each other! They ate together and everything! It was cute, but definitely not what I was going for. Just try another male and also make sure your female is ready!

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                            • #15
                              Re: help plz, breeding bettas

                              Ok i have a quick question.... i have a young female HM betta, next to my male because I am trying to spawn as all of you know, but i noticed there is a circle of bubbles she has created. I have read about females also making a bubble nest, but i didnt really think they did....Do female bettas make a bubbles nest too? my male is slowly making his, at least i think.

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