Breeding of Bettas
My father breed Betta fish. I am very familiar with the breeding process. It is really cool to watch!!!
You can put as many females together as you like but only 1 male. When breeding it is a good idea to ONLY have 1 female and 1 male in the Breeding tank. There are special tank set ups for breeding Betta's. They are longer narrower tanks with seperators. You will need that or another tank. It does take 2 tanks to breed successfully.
The MALE makes a bubble nest on top of the water. They will do this regardless if it is mating or not. It is the MALE's job to take care of the babies NOT the female's. So do NOT keep the female fish with the eggs/nest/male. The female needs removed a day or two AFTER eggs have been placed in the nest by the male.
The breeding process is the coolest part. Now that the female is filled with eggs. Evident with the full belly. The MALE then WRAPS itself around the FEMALE and SQUEZES the eggs out!!! The MALE then picks up the eggs and puts them in the bubble nest. The eggs may be picked up prior to hitting the bottom of the aquarium.
The female will look sorely beaten up after this process. It is a good time to remove the female from the tank at this point. This may take a day if needed. That is why you need the other tank. You can have as many females in that tank as you want. However, female betta's do required "air" more than their male counterparts.
The babies should hatchout in a few weeks. Expect less than 20 to survive at best. You can change some of the water out of the tank but do NOT disturb the nest. The male may eat the eggs if distressed. So I would suggest leaving the water alone if possible until hatching. After a few weeks the new hatchlings will need to be separated. They will start showing their male/female parts at about 6 weeks. It will be difficult to tell them apart till then. You have to watch out for "fighting". That would indicate male.
My father gave me 3 baby Betta's. We thought they were 2 females and a male. Turns out they were 2 Males 1 female. So it can be tricky. Always prepare additional tanks in case. Betta's are the "easier" fish to breed in some cases. You just have to know what your doing and what they are doing. Good luck!!!
Scooby, Shaggy the "Dogs", Ms. Thang the "Cat" and introducing Measley Weasle "The Ferret".
Bookmarks