Breeding Bettas

Breeding Bettas has resulted in a wide selection of colourful fish that potential owners can choose from. However what if you would like to breeding Betta yourself? Would it be hard and/or time consuming? What does it entail?

Purchase a Female

Between 12 and 18 months old is the ideal age for mating Betta. Initially you need to acquire a female Betta. While this may appear obvious, it can be more challenging than you would imagine.

Many pet stores only sell male Bettas. This is due to the females being less popular as they look dull in comparison to males, and possessing smaller fins.

Segregation

If two male Betta fish are put in the same fish tank they will fight. A male and a female can also fight. Two females put in with each other tend to be fine, providing that they have got enough room, so a sufficiently large tank is needed.

To start off the breeding process two tanks are needed, one each for the a male and the female. Place the tanks near each other, in a position so that both fish can easily see the other. This will make sure that they prepare for mating.

Egg Production and the Bubble Nest

Since your Bettas can see each other in opposite tanks, they will both begin to make preparations for reproduction. However in order for this to happen, it is important that they are fed well. There are numerous theories on what they ought to be fed but the majority of breeders agree that you ought to provide them with more high quality food i.e. less pellets and more dried or even live food.

The female will start to produce eggs - and when plump, it may be possible to see the eggs through her skin. The male will contruct a bubble nest at the top of the tank. The fry will hatch out of this nest and live in there briefly.

Mating

The female will display signs that she is ready to mate, these include getting larger, due to egg production, and the appearance of vertical lines on her body. Once the male has constructed a bubble nest, it is time to add the female to his tank.

During courtship there will be some aggressive biting from the male. It is not unusual for fins to get damaged during this time, but they will heal.

The male wraps himself around the female several times in order to extract the eggs for insemination. He then manoeuvres the eggs into the bubble. Now is the time to remove the female from the fish tank, otherwise she is in danger of attacks from the male.

Hatching

The fry will hatch two days later, and they will stay in the nest for about another two days. After this point, they will be able to swim freely and they will need to be segregate them from the male, otherwise the fry may be eaten by him.

The dietary requirement of the fry are totally different to that of an adult. Some breeders have access to a pond which is perfect for their needs. Otherwise, feed them frozen baby brine shrimp. Alternatively they can be fed with fry powder.