Wild betta fish are a dull greyish-green with short fins; nothing like the spectacularly colored, long-finned beauties of today!
Through selective breeding, a wide range of colors and fin types have been developed, including: veil, delta, halfmoon, crowntail, double tail and many more. Betta keeping began in Thailand formerly Siam over years ago. Children collected these territorial fish in rice paddies and would place them together to watch them spar, hence the name Siamese Fighting Fish.
Soon, betting on these contests became commonplace. The King of Siam recognized their popularity and decided to regulate and tax them. In , the King gave some fish to a man who, in turn, gave them to Danish physician, Dr. Theodore Cantor. The doctor bred and studied them, later writing a scientific paper that identified them as Macropodus pugnax.
When it was discovered that there already was a fish by that name, Charles Tate Regan renamed them Betta splendens, meaning "beautiful warrior", a name that stands to this day.
Bettas were first imported into France and Germany in the s, and Mr. Americans sometimes mis-pronounce the name as "bay-tuh" after the second letter in the Greek alphabet, however, it is believed that these fish were actually named after the ancient Asian Bettah warrior tribe — pronounced "bet-tah".
This will help increase your males carotenoid levels making him look bright and healthy. The mating process is very stressful for your female. This settling in time will help her develop healthy, fertile eggs and build up her strength. Betta fish like privacy when they mate. Fill your tank with inches of water: Newly hatched fry will have difficulty reaching the surface to breath and feed if the water is too deep.
Add Almond leaf or styrofoam cup: Tape it to the front of your tank if you want to see the bubble nest in action. Add your moss: Create plenty of places for your fish to hide. Open-top vase: Add your male and allow him to swim freely around the breeding tank.
And her ovipositor will be visible as a speck of white between her ventral fins. Pro Tip: Some females are shy, clamping heir fins in submission or ignoring the male. But, as long as they have the barring pattern, not the horizontal stripes , you can be confident to continue. After approximately one hour after the initial introduction, you should notice the male start building his bubble nest.
This creates moisture and keeps the heat in. You want your tank to be very humid because it aids the hatching of eggs and the development of the fry. This is normal behavior, but, you should keep a close eye on what is happening just in case it turns sour.
Pro Tip: This is why you add the Christmas moss. It gives the female places to hide if things get too much for her. Throughout this process, your female will keep checking on the nest. Some will directly swim up to the male with their heads down and fins clamped to show her submissiveness; others will charge the nest, banners flaring, and challenge the male to spawn.
Pro Tip: If at any point, you feel very concerned about your females safety because of how aggressive the male is being — take her out. Pro Tip: For first-timers, this may take a few attempts before they get it right. You remember your first time? Not the smoothest or process, eh? Your male will then release her and allow her some time to recover minutes before they do it again. The purpose of this embrace is to place the ventrals close to each other to improve the chance of fertilization.
When your female recovers, she may help your male put the eggs in the nest. However, some females will eat the eggs, so watch carefully and remove her if she is. I recommend taking her out of the tank as soon as she has woken up, because your male will now see her as a threat and could try to kill her. Pro Tip: Bettas need privacy and sometimes will not spawn if the light it on. Having Almond leaves will darken your tanks water, helping them feel more comfortable.
Over the nest hours, your male will spend all of his time attending to the eggs: mouthing them and blowing more bubbles. Your fry will hang tail-down for the first few days, and slowly start taking on a horizontal swimming position. You can click here coming soon to see our guide on how to successfully raise Betta fry. Thanks Betta Lover Dee. Hello Dee, thank you for your comment. You can breed different tail types but the chance of the fry will have a crossed tails between a veil and a crown tail or etc.
But thing I want to know about colors of babies. Is there any format that can maintain the body colors of babies. However, it's not something to be taken lightly. If you have the abundant time, resources, knowledge, and commitment that breeding bettas demands, it can also be a rewarding experience.
To breed betta fish, start by putting a male and a female betta fish in separate tanks. Keep your fish like this for a few months so they get used to their new environment. Once your fish are settled in, start feeding them live food, like brine shrimp and bloodworms, so they're healthy for breeding.
After your fish have been eating live food for a couple of weeks, put them into a tank together so they're separated by a divider. Leave them like this for a few days so they get used to each other. Finally, remove the divider and wait for your fish to breed. To learn what to do after your betta fish breed, keep reading!
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Things You'll Need. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Learn as much as possible. When attempting to breed any animal, it is important to know as much as you can about the species. Research betta care and breeding. There are many great websites and books. More than eggs can come from a single spawn, meaning that you could end up caring for more than betta fish if most survive!
You need to know beforehand what you want to get out of the experience. Or are you simply in love with bettas and want to take your hobby to the next level? Breeding for show or supply is a big undertaking that will require a large investment of time, space, and money.
Due to the high start-up and supply costs, it is very difficult to make a profit breeding bettas, so this should not be your goal for some time. Set up your permanent tanks. When you are ready to try breeding, you need to first prepare to bring your breeding pair home. Set up two tanks as shown in Set Up a Betta Tank. Be sure to cycle the water in both tanks before bringing home any fish.
Obtain a breeding pair. Bettas breed best when they are young, so you will have the most success if you find a reputable breeder either online or in your area to purchase a pair from. If you are able to find a breeder in your area, they can also be an invaluable source of information. Make sure the male and female are about the same size, and consider getting two pairs in case the first pairing doesn't work out.
Part 2. Let them settle in. It's best to have your bettas for a few months before you start breeding to allow them to adapt to their environment. Remember, however, that males breed best when they are no more than 14 months old. Plan to breed them when you have a long, uninterrupted stretch of free time. Make sure you don't have any vacations, business trips, or high-stress events coming up.
Set up your breeding tank. The breeding tank should be 5—10 gallons Never add gravel or other substrate to the breeding tank because the eggs will get lost when they fall to the bottom. Only fill this tank with 5"-6" of water, and set it up where there are few distractions, such as other fish, bright colors, and human activity.
Start feeding live food when you are ready to breed them. Live brine shrimp or bloodworms are the best bet, but other worms, crickets, roaches, and other insects cut up will also work. It's a good idea to raise these yourself or purchase them from a pet store or breeder to avoid the bacteria, dirt, and chemicals that wild insects could be carrying.
If live food is unavailable, you can also try frozen or freeze-dried brine shrimp and bloodworms. Begin raising fry food. Betta fry are very small, and only eat live food, so you will need a supply of very very small live food to feed them when they are ready.
Start now to be sure you have a good supply in a few weeks when you need it. Microworms are probably the best food, but some breeders prefer infusoria or vinegar eels. Baby brine shrimp can also be fed, but only in moderation alongside another food source, as too much may cause swim bladder disorder. Introduce the pair. When the live food cultures are going strong and the breeding pair has been eating live food for a week or two, you are ready to introduce your bettas.
Move the male and female so they can see one another clearly, but are separated. You can either put their tanks next to each other, or introduce them to opposite sides of the tank divider in the breeding tank. It is essential that they are able to see each other before being put together to minimize the risk of serious injury. Some breeders release males into an undivided breeding tank and use a clear plastic cup or oil lamp chimney to introduce the female. When using this method, the female should only be introduced for a few hours each day, as she is being contained in a very small space.
Let them watch one another for a few days. Some breeders then separate the pair for a few days before introducing them for a few more days, then proceeding to the next step. Observe their behavior. Watch the bettas to see if they seem interested in one another.
The male will swim around, displaying his fins, flaring and generally showing off. The female will display vertical bars on her body and will angle her head down submissively. Some aggressive displays are normal, but if they are flaring and trying to attack one another through the divider, do not put them together.
Instead, it may be best to separate them and try again later, or try a different pair of betta. Sometimes the betta fish fight so it would be better if you take a little time to watch and wait. Part 3. Remove the divider.
Once your male is ready to breed, he will build a large bubble nest which will take days. When this happens, turn off the filter and release the female into the tank, but be sure to keep an eye on the pair.
The male will probably bully her some, nipping at fins and chasing her around. This is ok as long as neither fish's life is in danger. This courtship may last several hours or even days. Be sure there are plenty of hiding places for the female to escape the bullying, and check on the pair regularly to prevent serious injuries.
Let nature take its course. The male will finally get the female under his bubble nest and they will embrace. It may take a few embraces to produce eggs. Then the female will go into a 'zombie-like' state while the white eggs fall to the ground from her little white ovipositor. The male will swim down and scoop them up, putting them one by one into the nest.
Some females will help with this once they recover, but others will eat the eggs, so watch carefully and remove her if she is eating them. They may embrace many more times, but eventually the female will stop releasing eggs. Remove the female betta. Once the female is done releasing eggs, the male will bully her again, and she will hide. Gently scoop her out and put her into her own tank.
Treat her tank with Maroxy to help her fins heal.
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