Breeding Siamese fighting fish, or Betta splendens, is a fascinating hobby. However, this is not something to be taken lightly. If you are willing to put in the time, resources, knowledge and effort required for breeding these fish, this can be a rewarding experience.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Preparation and Selection of Fish for Breeding
Step 1. Learn all you can about the subject
When trying to breed any animal, it is important to study the species as much as possible. Do some research on fighting fish and their reproduction, there are many great books and websites that you can consult. More than 600 eggs can be laid in a single mating, which means that it is very likely that you need to take care of at least 500 fighting fish! You need to know in advance what you expect from this experience.
- Are you interested in genetics in order to participate in a competition, or to be able to supply a local pet shop?
- Or do you just love fighting fish and want to take your hobby to the next level?
- Raising fish to supply a shop or for a competition is a big undertaking that will require you to invest a significant amount of time, space and money. Due to the high initial and livelihood costs, it is quite difficult to make money from breeding fighting fish, so this is, for now, a goal you shouldn't consider.
Step 2. Install your permanent aquariums
When you are ready to try, you will have to prepare everything you need to welcome your couple to be reproduced at home. Set up the two aquariums and, before bringing the fish home, be sure to turn on the water circulation in both.
Step 3. Purchase a breeding pair
Betta splendens breed best when they are young, so if you find a reputable breeder, online or in your area, to buy from, you have a better chance. An available breeder in your area can also become a very valuable source of information. Make sure the male and female are roughly the same size, and consider purchasing two pairs in case the former fails to reproduce.
- Most of the fighting fish sold in stores are too old to reproduce and also, normally, nothing is known about their genetic background, however, they can be the cheapest way to start breeding them, being more readily available than fish to breed. reproduction.
- If you choose to breed store-bought fish, be aware that you may not be able to find buyers or people to give your fry to, as most shopkeepers will not want to buy them. Due to the fact that you are unfamiliar with the genetic traits you are crossing, you may end up with fry that are poorly healthy or have undesirable characteristics.
Part 2 of 5: Create Environmental Conditions for Playback
Step 1. Let them settle down
It is best to wait a few months for your fighting fish to adapt to their environment before attempting mating. Remember, however, that males reproduce best in the first 14 months of life. Plan to start playing when you know you have a long period of uninterrupted free time.
After introducing the male to the female, every day, and for more than two months, you will have to dedicate at least some to the care of the couple and their young. So make sure you have not planned any holidays away from home, business trips or events that require a lot of attention in the indicated period
Step 2. Prepare the breeding tank
This tank should be 20-40 liters and complete with a removable divider, some hiding places, an adjustable filter (such as a sponge filter with regulating valve) and a water heating system set at 26.5 ° C. Do not put never gravel or other substrates in the spawning tank otherwise the eggs could be lost when they fall to the bottom. Fill this aquarium with 13-15cm of water and place it in a place where there is some distraction such as other fish, bright colors and human activity.
Step 3. Start feeding live fish when you are ready for them to breed
Live sea monkeys (Artemia salina) or leeches are the best food, but worms, crickets or other insects (cut into pieces) will do just as well. It is a good idea to breed or purchase these animals from a specialty store or retailer to avoid introducing bacteria, soil, and chemicals into the tank that wild insects may carry. If you can't get hold of live animals, you might want to try frozen or freeze-dried sea monkeys and leeches.
Step 4. Start raising food for the fry
Betta splendens fry are very small and only eat live food, so you will need a supply of very very small live animals to feed them when the time comes. Get started now to make sure you have a good supply when you need it, in a few weeks. Micro worms are probably the best food, but some breeders prefer vinegar infusoria or eels. Newborn sea monkeys can also be fed, but only in moderation and in conjunction with another food source, as too large quantities can cause swim bladder problems.
Step 5. Make introductions
When the food culture for the fry grows well, and the adult fish have been fed live animals for a week or two, it is time to introduce the male to the female. Position the fish so that they can be seen clearly, but still keep them separate. You can move the aquariums side by side or place both fish in the breeding tank, opposite the divider. It is essential that they can be seen before being brought into contact, to minimize the risk of them being seriously injured.
- Some breeders leave the male in the breeding tank without dividers, using a clear plastic container, or the glass of an oil lamp, into which they introduce the female, so that the fish can see each other. When using this method, the female should only be left in the male's tank for a few hours a day, as she is confined to a very tight space. Let the two fish observe each other for a few days.
- Some breeders separate the pair completely for a few days before moving on to the next step.
Step 6. Observe their behavior
Check the fish to see if they are interested in each other. The male will swim around showing his fins, swelling and generally showing off. The female will exhibit small vertical fins and angle her head downward as a sign of submission. Some aggressive attitudes are normal, but if they exhibit aggressive behavior by trying to attack each other through protection, NOT try to pair them. It is better to separate them and try again later or try a different pair.
Part 3 of 5: Playback
Step 1. Remove the divider or cover
Once the male is ready to breed, he will build a large bubble nest. When this happens, turn off the filter and release the female into the tank, but keep an eye on the pair. The male will likely intimidate her a bit by nibbling her fins and chasing her around the tank. Don't worry, it's normal, at least as long as neither fish is in danger of getting too badly hurt or worse of dying. This courtship can last for many hours and even days. Make sure there are enough hiding places for the female to get away from the male for a while, and check the two fish regularly to prevent them from getting serious injuries.
Step 2. Let nature take its course
The male will finally bring the female under his bubble nest and the fish will mate. It may take a few tries to produce the eggs. The female will then go into a cataleptic state, while the white eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank expelled by her small white ovipositor. The male will swim to the bottom and collect the eggs, placing them one by one in the nest. Some females help the male in this process when they recover, but others start eating the eggs, so keep an eye on her and remove her from the tank if she begins to devour them. Fish can mate many more times, but eventually the female will stop laying eggs.
Step 3. Remove the female from the tank
Once the female has finished laying eggs, the male will start intimidating her again and she will try to hide. Then gently pick it up and place it in its aquarium. Pour an adequate dose of Maroxy into the tub to help its fins heal. It will be a good idea to add Maroxy to the breeding aquarium as well, to prevent the formation of fungi that could kill the eggs.
Step 4. Leave the male in the tank until the fry are able to swim (approximately three days after hatching)
Some breeders do not feed the male anything during this period, others feed him small amounts of food every other day. If you choose to feed him, do not be alarmed if he does not eat immediately, but continue to offer him the food and gently pipette any uneaten food. Keep the filter off, to avoid creating currents that can disturb the fry, but keep the aquarium light on day and night.
Part 4 of 5: Caring for the Fry
Step 1. Wait for the fry to come out of the eggs
Initially, when the eggs hatch, they remain hanging on the bubble nest and the male retrieves and returns all the falling fry back to its place. After a few days, they will begin to swim freely, becoming able to move horizontally and venture away from the nest. Before they acquire this skill, the fry feed on what is left of the egg's nutrients and cannot eat on their own.
Step 2. Being very careful not to accidentally catch any fry, remove the male from the tank
The male can now return to his normal routine and the type of feeding he had before. If he still seems to be tried by the courtship, pour some Maroxy to help him heal.
Step 3. Feed the fry
As soon as you get the male out of the breeding tank, start feeding the fry a small portion of micro worms. Feed them twice a day and carefully monitor how much food is eaten. If there are still live microworms present at the time of the next meal, you can avoid adding food as the fry still have some. If you see a lot of dead microworms, it means you are overdoing the food, so cut back on your portions. The fry should be fed very small live animals, such as:
- Infusoria, these will feed the fry during the first week of life.
- Micro worms, you will need to purchase a starter culture, after which you will no longer need to buy them. Excellent for fry that are 3 to 40 days old.
- Newborn sea monkeys are easy to raise and it is particularly easy to control the amount that is fed to the fry. Remember that feeding them too many sea monkeys can lead to swim bladder problems.
Step 4. Give the fry time to grow
Keep the fry warm at 26.5 ° C and cover the tank to prevent drafts and evaporation. Keep feeding them, increasing the amount of food. When the fry have grown enough to fill the tank, they will need to be moved to a larger tank. Not all fry will survive during the first few weeks, but if you see large dying every day, there is probably a problem. Check the temperature and chemical parameters and consider possible infections to be treated appropriately.
- When the fry are a week old, you can turn the filter back on, but limiting it with a valve so that it is almost imperceptible.
- When the fry are two weeks old, start making small water changes (10%) a few days apart to keep the tank clean and free of food and dead fry, but use a low-powered siphon or pipette to avoid harming the fry, and pour the clean water very slowly. You can start turning off the aquarium light at night.
- Over the next few weeks, gradually turn up the filter flow, carefully checking the fry to make sure they are able to swim without being drawn into the current.
Step 5. Growth tanks
When the fry are two weeks old you should move them to a new tank of at least 75 liters, but make sure that the temperature and water in the tank are the same as they are used to. Fry are very delicate - even a small mistake can be fatal for them. If you used a half-filled 20- or 40-liter tank before, you can fill it with water and move the fry around when they are 4-5 weeks old.
Part 5 of 5: Development and Growth
Step 1. Start weaning the fry from live food
When the fry are about a month old, you can gradually start switching them from live food to frozen, then to freeze-dried and then to pellet or classic flakes. Make sure the food is crushed enough to fit into their little mouths. Offer small amounts and try to wean them off live food slowly. Always discard uneaten feed.
Step 2. Separate the males
When the male fry start to struggle (this can happen anytime between 5 and 8 weeks of age), it's time to get them out of the tank. Place them in individual aquariums that are close to each other, as they become depressed if suddenly isolated.
- Males who are not yet fighting can be left with females until they become aggressive.
- Some males may refuse to eat the first 1-2 days in the new aquarium, try giving them live food to stimulate their appetite.
- Keep separating all aggressive male fish as they become aggressive. In the following days and weeks you will need to start isolating the males with opaque dividers as they will start teasing each other, swelling and trying to attack the males from nearby aquariums.
Step 3. Decide the future of the offspring
If you intend to sell the fry, you may want to start contacting potential buyers. Most fry will begin to show their adult characteristics in 10-11 weeks, and you can start selecting the best specimens for breeding, or take photos to send to buyers. If you are looking to create a genetic line, you will likely want to select only the elite of each litter to continue breeding and selling or giving away to others, otherwise you could quickly find yourself with far more fighting fish than you could physically be able to care for.
Step 4. Determine the sex of young Betta splendens
This takes time and experience, sometimes even experienced breeders find themselves accidentally placing two males together.
- Males have longer fins, however young males have short fins.
- Males unfold gill caps against opponents, females usually do not but can still be as aggressive as males.
- The females have an ovipositor from which the eggs come out during reproduction, located on the belly of the female.
- Males create bubble nests, if you put a Betta splendens in a container and it creates a bubble nest, then it's a male.
Advice
- Before attempting to breed any animal, make sure you have what you need to care for the young. Betta splendens can breed over 500 fry in one mate, so make sure you have room for all of them.
- Never feed the fry in flakes or pellets as this food is too big for them, and they ignore non-live food anyway. The fry would starve or be killed by a bacterial infection caused by the uneaten food.
- Do a lot of research before you start breeding. There are many great sources of information on the internet, or you can speak to a local breeder or aquarium expert.
- Some couples just don't work, because the two may not like each other or because one is not suitable for breeding. Don't be discouraged and try again with different couples.
- Some breeders provide males with something to nest under, such as a Styrofoam dome, piece of salad, or other floating object.
- Always remove uneaten dead food from the fry tank, otherwise it will decompose causing a bacterial infection.
- Good quality fry come from good quality parents. If you intend to sell your fry, it is worth investing in quality breeding pairs.
- Always use sea monkey nets to catch fighting fish. Normal nets can get caught and ruin their delicate fins.
- If you can create a stable and original genetic line, name your strain for later recognition.
- A 40 liter aquarium with (up to) 4 dividers can be used to separate growing males. This allows for the use of a heater and filter, which provide a much healthier environment and a much more practical solution than using many individual aquariums and pots.
- Some breeders prefer to use even 7.5 gallon aquariums for mating. Although this can speed up the courtship process (there is less space for the female to escape and hide), using such an aquarium means having to move the fry to a larger tank at a younger age, which can be risky and dangerous. it could result in the death of some or all of the fry if not done carefully.
- You may have to make tough choices in case minnows with severe deformities are born. If they are in pain, you should consider killing them - it is the most humane solution. Never try to breed fish with deformations such as crooked spines and misshapen fins.
Warnings
- Always be careful when introducing chemicals and medicines into the aquarium. The same drugs that can save your fry's life when given in small doses can be lethal if overused. Always read the instructions on the package carefully and never use more than the recommended amount.
- Responsible breeders do extensive research on the genes and characteristics of the fish and make sure you have enough room for the fry before they start breeding. Mating fish without premeditating all the implications can lead to whole litters of unwanted fry.
- There are several things that can go wrong from the moment you present one of the pair to the other, until the moment the fry become adults. Be prepared for some setbacks before you can get carried away with the whole process.
- Raising and breeding fighting fish requires a large investment of time, work and money. This is not a hobby to be taken lightly.
