Care & Maintenance of the Betta
Bettas are generally easy to breed.
And what joy can one get other then seeing the bettas you have kept have a batch of babies for you to look after and marvel at.
Though keeping the fries are not so easy as the adults, it is very fun.
Below are a few general guide lines on how to breed the betta couple you have.
Step 1: Selection
The first step in breeding is to select a pair of bettas for breeding.
The genetic make up of the parents will affect how the fries look, so choose the pair whose traits that you want in the fries.
Bear in mind though, both the good and bad traits will be passed on to the fries.
Age is also an important thing to consider when selecting breeders, best age range would be from 5months to 12 months old,
but it has been possible to breed a betta as old as 18 months old.
Step 2: Conditioning
Once the breeders have been selected, they must be conditioned to prepare them for mating.
The best is to feed them live food, especially so for the females.
If available, live blood worms are the best.
This is to fill their stomachs so that there will be more eggs in their stomach.
Step 3: The Breeding Tank
The selection of the breeding tank very much on the breeders themsleves.
Some would choose a large spawning tank, while the others may choose a smaller one.
It is best to have an empty tank with nothin inside except for a plant.
This is to allow the male an easier time in picking up the eggs and the plant is for the female to hide away from the male should he be overly aggressive.
A cover is also needed to prevent too much evaporation and reduce drafts that will break up the bubble nest.
It also helps in keeping the temperature of the water and the air above it uniformed.
Step 4: The Water
Mix some fresh water with aged water together until about 6 inches.
To stimulate them, use black water ot ketapang water.
Step 5: Introducing the Male and Female
Once the bettas have been conditioned, introduce the male into the tank first.
Let him see the female at all times if possible.
This is to encourage him into mating and for him to build the bubble nest.
Once the nest has been built and the female has started to flare back and flirt with the male, the female is willing to mate with him.
Should vertical strips appear on her body, swimming close to the male and head pointing downwards in a submissive posture, she is ready to mate.
It is time to put her in.
Step 6: The Mating
Mating may take place immediately, or it may take up to 3 to 4 days.
If mating does not take place after 3 days, remove the female and introduce another one.
If the female is willing to mate, she will follow the male under the nest with her head downwards.
The male then embraces the female wrapping his body around hers.
The first few attempts may not produce any eggs, but eventually they line up their genital pores and the eggs can be seen falling.
The male will leave the embrace and immediately collect them into his mouth and gently blow them into the nest where they will be kept.
The female may help but generally she is paralysed from the embrace and will float lifeless for a while.
The male will come back and go through the motions again.
Spawning is a lot of work and may last up to 3 to 4 hours.
Spawning is complete when embraces do not produce any more eggs or when the the male is chasing the female away from the nest.
This is the time to remove the female.
The female should now be quarantined to allow any damages and wounds to heal,
Females would be ready for spawning again in 2 weeks, but longer periods of 3 to 4 weeks would be better.
Now the male would devote his time attending to the nest, picking up falling eggs and placing them back into the nest.
Sometimes, a male will not attend to the eggs or even eat the eggs.
If this happens, you can choose to articially hatch the eggs.
Step 7: Hatching
Depending on the temperature of the water, the eggs will hatch in 36 to 48 hours.
The fries are not fully developed when hatched, having large rounded yolk sacs on their bodies.
This is their food supply for the first couple of days.
Being unable to swim properly, the fries can only wriggle around, in process, falling to the bottom of the tank.
The male will catch them as they fall and return them to the nest.
On the second day after hatching, the fries should have enough strength to swim back up to the nest if they fall.
Second day after hatching, the fries will change from the upright position to a horizontal position.
Finally on the third day, the fries can be seen swimming around.
This is the time where the male can be removed.
Please note that what I have put up is what I have learnt from my own experience as well as reading on the topics
from sources from the internet and books.
It may not apply to all cases and if there are any obvious errors in it, please feel free to tell me about it.
All pictures are personal pictures, and would appreciate it if you can ask for permission before using any of the pictures.