Maui + Kula Spawn!

[bckrazy]

^.~ Hey you guys!! Sorry I haven't posted forEVER about my Bettas or anything... I've been super busy, with tarded High School. I have waay too much homework this year, its kind of insane. Aanyway, since I last posted about the fishies, I got 6 new Bettas! All females, because females are cooler. They really are soo much easier. So, I now have 2 males, 7 females (will post pics soon, I PROMISE), and I got 1 lone Munchkin Spotted Cory Catfish for free at a Betta auction <333 I named him Spot, heh!

And, the big news is, I finally spawned Maui and Kula! I put them in the tank on Friday evening, and by noon on Saturday they were spawning ~ they embraced for 2 hours straight!! Maui has a ginormous bubblenest, he's still in the tank tending to the babies who just hatched this morning. They have not begun to swim yet, but they're bouncing around the nest like little fiends. Maui is constantly chasing them around, picking them up in his mouth and blowing them back into the nest =0) he has been a wonderful Daddy! I'm really, really proud of Maui and Kula. There looks to be at LEAST 100 fry in there, which is AWESOME because I have a freakin huge waiting list already. Like everyone from my Betta club wants several, which is a ton of people! Hopefully the babies will turn out just like Mom and Pops!

getting off track now.... here are the pictures of the spawn and a couple that I just took of the bouncing babies! Maui was NOT a nice boy to Kula. She got her anal fin torn 3 times, and she has a few nips in her caudal. They're both super aggressive, flarey Bettas so they really clashed at first. It was amazing how gentle they were with each other when they were spawning though ~ then, when she ran outta eggs, he went right back after her :rolleyes: heh, luckily I was able to net her right away, before they could duke it out again! All in all, it has been a really great first spawn so far :) wish my luck with getting healthy beautiful babies, you guys.


DADDY ~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas043.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/mauiheadshot.jpg<--- taken right before the spawn, with meh new Canon!!!

MOMMY ~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/kula.jpg


The "Loveshack" ~ 1/2 filled 10gal with 12 plants, an Indian Almond Leaf, a small breeding trap for introducing Kula, a bubbler and a small heater
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/madelyn073.jpg

She was so peeved in the breeding trap ^.^ it was funny!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas350.jpg

Right when I released her, she raced over to Maui to show him who's boss - and he took a chunk out of her anal fin! ughhha.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas353.jpg

Where's Kula?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas358.jpg

There she is ;0P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas359.jpg



More coming, of course...

[bckrazy]

Kula checks out the nest... then destroys it, just to mess with Maui
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas361.jpg

Mooom, Kula jacked up my nessst!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas360.jpg

The first embrace, it was not tight at all, so no eggs came out at first -.-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/spawn3.jpg

they did it!!! (and then they did it again, and again, and again)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas390.jpg

EGGS! don't worry, Kula is not dead, females just go through a paralyzed state for a few seconds after each embrace
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/spawn.jpg

aww, Mommy and Daddy worked together to collect the eggs and blow them into the nest :) this was the best part
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas381.jpg

Maui was awesome.. he worked non-stop on moving his eggs around, blowing more bubbles, and rotating them so they wouldn't fungus.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/spawn2.jpg

Here's my little man today ~ tending to his newly-hatched little devils! ^-^ I swear, for every couple of fry he puts back into the nest, 10 more fall! He's been working non-stop, like the wonderful Daddy that he is. If you look *really* closely, the fry are those dark clusters, and you can see a few tails hanging down. The pics are dark because I didn't want the bright flash to startle Maui.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas418.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/bettas416.jpg


That's it! for now... =D

[flamepony12]

Ahhh! ^.^ Finally! Erica, I'm so excited! I can't wait for my boy. :D PM me with updates as often as you can! :D

[LuvGold00]

YAY!!!!! This is so exciting!!! :) Congratulations!

Any chance of getting a boy, or am I too late?

[tikeyas_mom]

Great photos!!! i bet they'll make some really pretty/hansome babies :D

[IRescue452]

Wow how exciting! I can't wait to see how the babies turn out.

[jackie]

Beautiful Photos! I can never get a clear shot of my fish.

Kula is so colourful for a female! Their babies will be awesome!

[CagneyDog]

Congratulations on your new additions! When you order betta's off the internet how long do they take to come?

Wow, That must of been so cool to watch! I bet the babies are going to be beautiful!

Please update us more often!

[lv4dogs]

wow that is so cool! :D
Congrats on the babies! And good luck with raising them!

[k9krazee]

Wow! Congratulations!! I can't wait to watch the babies grow!!!

[Suki Wingy]

OOH! Congrats! I can's wait for fry pics! :D

[bckrazy]

:D thanks everybody!! Maui is still in the tank, working his little butt off, but I'm moving him tonight because over half of the babies are free swimming. They are so cute, darting around the tank searching for food (just like their mommy and daddy, already!). I tried to post a vid of them spawning, but I guess we can't attach videos anymore. Does anyone remember the addy of that free video uploading site?

Devon, ^.^ you must be sooo annoyed with me. I'm the biggest procrastinator ever! I promise you'll get an awesome boy, though!! Kara, of COURSE you can have a boy (or several... ;))! It would be awesome to place one of my babies in such a wonderful home. I'll definitely be posting pics of them as they grow, and when they're jarred and ready to be placed so you can choose who you want =0)

Cagney, my 3 (in one box) took 1 day to arrive from L.A... they were shipped via Express, which is the best way to ship Bettas, *especially* in the colder months. If the package isn't marked right and you ship priority, the bags can explode in an unpressurized airplane cabin! That is definitely a bad thing... heh.

[Flatcoatluver]

awww they are so beutiful! i love those colors

[flamepony12]

Devon, ^.^ you must be sooo annoyed with me. I'm the biggest procrastinator ever! I promise you'll get an awesome boy, though!!

Haha, no way! I totally respect how much work spawning is! :eek:

[LuvGold00]

Kara, of COURSE you can have a boy (or several... ;))! It would be awesome to place one of my babies in such a wonderful home. I'll definitely be posting pics of them as they grow, and when they're jarred and ready to be placed so you can choose who you want =0)

YAY! Can't wait!!! :D

[anna_66]

That is really cool! So how many spawn do they usually produce?

[ramanth]

Those photos are so cool! I've never seen the courtship and nesting before. Your detail is awesome!

My sister had a male and female but they were out of sync I guess or just didn't like each other. When he'd make a nest, she wasn't and vice versa.

I was told if both are making nests that means they are ready to mate and you can put them together. Is that correct?

[bckrazy]

*snug* thanks for all the nice comments!! ;) Anna, one Betta spawn can produce anywhere from 50-500 eggs. They're usually in the 100-200 range, which I believe mine is.


I was told if both are making nests that means they are ready to mate and you can put them together. Is that correct?

hehe. Sorry hon, girls don't make nests ^_~... the female does not take care of the eggs at all ~ you add the female into the spawn tank (preferably into a breeding trap, so you can allow them to check each other out safely at first) when the male has started a nice bubblenest and when the female is showing "breeding bars" and her belly is swollen with eggs. I'd go into more detail, but Betta spawning is suuuper involved. Here's a good link! You should e-mail it to your Sis too, it has a lot of good info about when, how, and what you need to spawn, its a VERY tough project... I just spent 3 grueling hours syphoning out the bottom of my spawn tank (the hardest part is making sure you don't syphon up fry, and when you do you have to pick them out of the bucket while trying not to pick out any of the junk you just syphoned!!! ughhh, its annoying. LOL), slowly adding in 1 gallon of aged water, then feeding some microworms to the little piggies :p

http://bettatalk.com/breeding_bettas.htm
(check out their stock page, too! this is where I bought my spawning pair from... Faith is sooo awesome)

[anna_66]

Anna, one Betta spawn can produce anywhere from 50-500 eggs. They're usually in the 100-200 range, which I believe mine is.

Wow no kidding! Now, does that mean your going to have that many bettas? Do you know if they will be male/female? Sorry but I have no idea about how that works :p

[ramanth]

Thanks for the info. We were young and didn't have the internet back then. I don't think she's interested in trying to spawn Betta's now. She's got her hands full with a dog, cat, boyfriend, and college. ;) :D

[bckrazy]

Thanks for the info. We were young and didn't have the internet back then. I don't think she's interested in trying to spawn Betta's now. She's got her hands full with a dog, cat, boyfriend, and college. ;) :D

I totally understand... its such a wierd process, most people don't believe me when I first tell them about it. ^_~ I didn't know all of this until like last year.

[Kfamr]

Awww! Are you going to be selling them?

[k9krazee]

Awww! Are you going to be selling them?

I'd like to know too :) ;)

[flamepony12]

Kay- Yes, I'm almost positive she'd be happy to. You can probably PM Erica about it- I don't think she'll mind selling/giving away a couple bettas out of 100+! :]

I'm getting a boy aswell, I can't wait. ^.^

[bckrazy]

LOL, of course I'm selling them! ;) I would be a little bit crazy if I wanted to keep this many Bettas.. heh. If you guys are interested, definitely PM me or say so here.

Thanks for all of the replies! <3

[cocker_luva]

congrats

[binka_nugget]

LOL, of course I'm selling them! ;) I would be a little bit crazy if I wanted to keep this many Bettas.. heh. If you guys are interested, definitely PM me or say so here.

Thanks for all of the replies! <3

Oh man.. if only shipping to Canada didn't cost an arm and a leg. :p

[bckrazy]

:) Well, I did a full water change yesterday and added a new sponge filter, cleaned the nasty bottom of the tank and removed the Java Moss because it was SUPER annoying. I finally got to count each and every little fry (*dies of exhaustion*), and guess how many I've got?!

352!!!

It's kind of overwhelming. Just to think that I now have 361 Bettas... is kinda crazy ^.^! I'm actually hoping that the count will be down towards 200 by the time they're ready to be jarred, hopefully the weaker fry will die and allow the stronger babies to grow even stronger. Then again, I have the means necessary for 300+ fry, so whatever happens happens. Needless to say, you can ALL have as many babies as you want!! LOL =0)

Here are a few pics from when they were about 1 1/2 weeks old. They're 2 weeks old today!!! Right now, they're munching away on BBS and MW's and I have noticed none dead or struggling since the water change, so they handled it well! Tough little kiddos ;)! I'm so proud of their Daddy for taking such good care of 350 eggs! Poor guy. Here's the little stinkers ;)...


Captions... *g*... #1 Maui gettin his flare on. #2 My MW culture kicks your MW culture's booty. #3 cute babies! hrm, you dont think they're conspiring against me do you? #4 eating some MW's. #5 more cute babies!

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Wow, congrats on all the new spawn!!:D 361 bettas??!!! WOW, I admire you for taking this on!!! lol:D;) Awesome pictures as well!:)

[anna_66]

WOW! Now that's a lot of babies :eek:

[wolf_Q]

I may be interested in a betta. :) I have to figure out if I have any place to put one first and how much a tank would be. Do you know the approximate cost of shipping one in the US?

[k9krazee]

Yay, more piccies!! That is a TON of babies!!!!!! :eek: :D

[IRescue452]

I doubt you can yet but do you about when you can tell the genders apart? I found a fish store in my area that carries halfmoons and deltas and double tails. I'm thinking that when I set up a big community tank, after I'm done with college in a year and a half of course, it might be easier to breed the females for the community. This way they would be together from birth and I wouldn't have to worry about introducing a bunch of strange females.

[bckrazy]

OMG... is it... really....? Yes, I'm updating the Spawn diary!!! :o WE HIT THE ONE-MONTH MARK! And, yes, some of them ARE still alive! heh


Well, a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. I added a Dwarf Corydora Catfish to the tank after hearing from lots of people in my club that they're perfect for keeping the tank bottom clear... some one in my club gave Spike to me at the last meeting, he's a tinsey less than and inch Cory. He was in there for a week doing perfectly fine, the bottom was totally cleaned of Baby Brine Shrimp eggs and the fry were happy. Then, on Saturday morning, I woke up to find an empty tank!!! Actually, it looked empty at first glance and I quickly removed Spike (the Corydora)... then, a bunch of fry swam out from the plants =0) so I guess only the smart/big ones survived! I really have no clue why Spike did it, there was plenty of food always in there for him and he seemed content. I know the 200-odd fry that he ate did not die beforehand, because they were happy and active the night before. I've been trying to hunt down a friend for Spike, maybe he's lonely? Whatever. Just, PLEASE, if any of you are considering a Cory in your fry tank, be uber careful. I now have around 100 fry... I'm guessing. I counted almost 100 a couple days ago, but I'm sure a bunch were out of sight in the plants or behind the filter/heater. I feel really horrible about all of the babies that died, really, really horrible.

All of the surviving fry are eating First Bites and/or tiny bits of frozen Daphnia in the morning and BBS in the afternoon, and they're growing all big and strong :thumbs:! Cleaning the tank every single day is torture, but that's definitely a big part of the job. Actually, I have to go do it now -_- the first 2 pics are of a 3 week-old hunting for MW's in his Java Fern... the last one is their handsome Pops! Can you tell how much I love him? :wub:

[binka_nugget]

Aww.. :( Sorry to hear about the lost babies.

They're so tiny! :D So adorable!

[bckrazy]

^.^ sorry I haven't updated for so long. All of the babies are in a 30 gallon grow-out now... they're getting big! In a few days, they'll be 6 weeks old. It's almost impossible to think that in 6 more weeks they will all be big enough to go off to their new Mommies and Daddies!

They're all bright, shimmery green and all of the kids have their caudal, anal and dorsal fins, and ventrals and pectorals. They're eating like little finned pigs! I *finally* got some decent pics that capture their color and itty bitty fins. These do them NO justice, though. They are freakin adorable and already have so much personality... when I come in to feed them they all dash to the front of the tank and stare up at me.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/baby.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/madelyn048.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/madelyn051.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/madelyn043.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/baby2.jpg

"FEEED MEE!"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/bettas/madelyn044.jpg

[jesse_3]

OMG! They are soooo cute! I love betta's, and Iwould get one, but, I already have two fishies, and no room for anymore!

Good luck you little ones!
Steph and the gang!

[k9krazee]

Finally we get an update :rolleyes:
:p ;)

They are sooo cute, I love the first picture! I can't wait, I'm so excited to get one of your babies!!!!! :D :D

[flamepony12]

they're so freakin cute! :D I can't wait for meh boy. ^-^ I'm glad that the remaining ones are still healthy and thriving!

[anna_66]

I've been waiting for an update! I'm so glad to hear they're all doing so great:D

[.sarah]

Aww man I want one :p

[bckrazy]

thanks for all of the nice comments! :) Since they're in a plastic grow-out with not-so-clear sides now, there probably won't be any good picture any time soon. Next time I update will most likely be when I start jarring the aggro boys... which seems like it's not too far off! They all get along well together, but there are a few much bigger tank bullies that pick on little fry for food. They've gotten MUCH more territorial now that they're in a big tank. Luckily, my jars are ready -_-

[LuvGold00]

They are beautiful! You've done a wonderful job! :D

[bckrazy]

Sorry I haven't been updating, you guys! They're 9 weeks old now!! I've been very busy with the kiddos. I'm setting up the 10g to move in 15 or so of the largest fry, to give them more space to grow and hopefully give the smaller fry in the grow-out a chance to get bigger.

All of them are doing super well though... the largest are at least 1.5 inches, all of them have fins that are really filling out and so far I have not seen a single fry with under-devloped or missing ventrals or any similar deformities AND no nips/damage to any tails, which is awesome. There is sooo much color in the tank, I wish I could get a decent picture of them!! I have at least a dozen or so really stunning turquoise fry, some fry with pale bodies with green marbling, and most are either emerald or mint green with the white BF pattern starting to show along the edges. =0) unbelievably adorable! They're definitely getting Betta-tudes already... hence why I'm moving the larger fry, so the smaller guys don't get picked on and I can monitor when to start jarring the big fry quicker.

I actually brought 4 fry in a large shipping bag to my Econ class on Monday, because I had to do my business presentation and my business was (of course) Betta breeding. I already have at least 20 of my friends that have made deposits, they all thought the little guys were very cute :)

Picsss... the first little guy had a swim bladder problem, so I jarred him just to be able to monitor him more closely. He's now fully recovered and back with his brothers and sisters. The second guy/girl is one of my largest fry, and soooo uncooperative with picture-taking.

[.sarah]

When will they be ready to go to their new homes? I would really like one if I can find a place for the tank. I haven't had fish in a few years ... what tank size do you reccomend?

[bckrazy]

thanks, Sarah! :) I'd love to send a baby to you, if you decide you want one. I'll probably wait to ship most of them until February or late January, so they'll be bigger and be able to handle the trip easier.

Bettas generally do very well in 1-5 gallon tanks. These babies should be on the large side full-grown, as both of their parents are very big and healthy and they'll have long finnage. I recommend 2.5 gallon Mini-bows, they're perfect size, they come with everything (except for silk plants, water conditioner and food) and they only cost about $25. Large Kritter Keepers (2 or 4 gals) are perfect for Bettas, too! http://www.bettatalk.com has tons of info about Betta care, and that is the breeder that I got the parents of this spawn from. Check out their strain catalog, under Blue/Green Moons, that's what these fry are ;)

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

They're all so beautiful! I want one...

Do you happen to know how much it would cost me to have you ship one all the way to Canada and also, how much do you charge for one (male)? Would it be too stressful on them to be shipped that far or would they be ok?

[k9krazee]

They are getting so big!! Thanks for the uppydate Erica :D

[dogzr#1]

Aww, they look so cute! I can't wait to see them fully grown.

[bckrazy]

Thanks for all the nice comments about my bebes ;)! Devan, I've asked a bunch of professional Betta people about shipping to Canada, and I've gotten a few answers. If I were to just ship the Bettas as Express and not make anyone aware that they ARE living fish, it'd cost about $25-30. However, I would not want to risk that :(. Overall, an inspector needs to be paid at the border to check the fish to be sure that it is a Betta Splenden, which costs around $20, and on top of that the shipping fees and possibly a trans-shipper fee, which would total around $50 just for shipping. Ugh, I wish it wasn't like that just to send a package to Canada, but unfortunately it is. I also worry about the package getting held up, or the heat pack going out, and the fish dying and you being left $50 in the hole. I'm sorry it's like that, but I could recommend an AWESOME breeder in BC, if you'd like ^_~

I recently jarred some of the more mature Bettas, and I *actually* got some half-decent pictures! The first 2 are in the "big kids" grow-out, and the single guy is my favorite from this spawn so far. He is uber-friendly, outgoing, and fiesty, and he looks JUST like his pops! I think I spot some marbling, too! I'll hopefully be keeping him... he seems to have a slightly bent spine, which would prevent me from selling him to most serious breeders anyway.

[Suki Wingy]

they are so freking cute! I wish I could have one!

[flamepony12]

[dies] they're so gorgeous! ^^ I can't wait. :D

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Thanks for the information, Erica :) That's too bad, I guess I'll jsut have to admire them through your pics. I'd love to talk to the breeder in BC though!

[binka_nugget]

Thanks for the information, Erica :) That's too bad, I guess I'll jsut have to admire them through your pics. I'd love to talk to the breeder in BC though!

Pstttttttt! I'm hoping to spawn my future marble plakats as well as a couple halfmoon pairs soon (just gotta find the right male for my female, or the right female for my males).. it'll be a good few months but if you want a betta, you're more than welcome to one of my babies. :)

[bckrazy]

thanks, you guys. ^_^ they're a major pain but they're worth it!

gawd Ashley, just go ahead and advertise all over my thread. heheh.

[binka_nugget]

gawd Ashley, just go ahead and advertise all over my thread. heheh.

Hahaha.. you better believe it! :p

PS: I REAAAAAALLY want one of your babies. Ack.. too bad shipping's such a hassle.