29 replies to this topic

[Matt_1]

Hey all. Well some of you know I breed Betta Splendens and I just thought I'd share with you some reasons why I like Bettas.


Is this guy not stunning?






The Betta spawn - the male wraps himself around the female and gently squeezes her and she releases the eggs then he (and maybe she) will pick them up in their mouth and place them into the bubblenest. This is my favourite thing about Betta spawning, the embrace

and some pics of my last spawning (couldn't get any good ones)
The fry are pushing 2 months old now and I'm pretty sure I still have close to 60

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[the pulpican man]

hahhaha you gotta love bettas my betta has a huge appetite if he could he would eat 10 pellets a day, but that would make him unhealthy.... atm he's on pellets and mashed pea those 2 half moon pics are beautiful the half moon i was gonna buy at the pet shop didn't look like a pure breed... so i bought my fighter

[Warby]

Heh when I attempted to breed my bettas early last year the female never recovered from the embrace.. The male was much larger than her so I'm guessing did some damage, but after they embraced she never swam again lol.. sat on the bottom for a few hours, then died..

[Matt_1]

Heh when I attempted to breed my bettas early last year the female never recovered from the embrace.. The male was much larger than her so I'm guessing did some damage, but after they embraced she never swam again lol.. sat on the bottom for a few hours, then died..

A shame but I guess that is nature. This guy was a brute but once the female got let out of her "cage" she put him in his place

[cichlidsrule]

my bro has bettas, 1 male and 1 female. the male is like twic the size of the female and everyone told us that the male will kill the female now that wasnt a problem. the problem was the female, whenever the male wanted to spawn she would go crazy and rip out his fins. now i have to look after my bros male betta because it has a severe case of fin rot from the female. lol.

[Matt_1]

When spawning Bettas a degree of fin tearing/nipping is to be expected but to the point where one is being absolutely brutalized then you should separate them. It's possible your male needs a confidence boost. 5 days a week for about a minute hold a mirror in front of the males tank. When the male flares and puffs his gills at the mirror withdraw it. Makes the male think he's dominating and prevents Betta depression.

Can work both ways. It is not advised to keep males with females because the clash of different personalities can lead to major hassles. When you put the female in did you condition the two to one another? (ie: putting the female in a clear "cage" so they can see one another but not touch each other? This can prevent unwanted violence.

Cheers,
Matt

[cichlidsrule]

cheers for the advive Matt,

to start we put glass betwwen them for about a week. the male didnt flare too much so we thought it was alright. they were fine for a few months when they were together then she just ripped all his fins off after that.

hes a tough fella but i dont think hes gonna pull through.

[Matt_1]

cheers for the advive Matt,

to start we put glass betwwen them for about a week. the male didnt flare too much so we thought it was alright. they were fine for a few months when they were together then she just ripped all his fins off after that.

hes a tough fella but i dont think hes gonna pull through.

Wanna post a pic?

Using bettafix I take it? Put a pinch of salt in as it will help him breath through his gills and prevent him losing valuable energy swimming to the surface to breath. If you havn't been seeing any change in his condition Bettas can survive out of water so long as kept moist due to their labyrinth organ so in serious cases you can take them out of water and apply medication directly to affected fin areas with a VERY soft brush. Alternatively, provide areas in the tank that are free from light as when Bettas are sick they like to hide, small % water changes daily, suck out any detritus and apart from that just keep a close eye on him.

Cheers,
Matt

[cichlidsrule]

a few weeks ago i put some salt in their with very little affects on him. il try the bettafix.

i also think he has some kind of swim bladder disease, although it hasnt affected his eating habits which is good.

its looking very grim for him but keeps goining on.

[the pulpican man]

bettas are VERY hardy fish, try betta fix, i've heard normal fish meds don't work as good...
swim bladder disease?? has it affected him at all?? don't sound good
what are you keeping him in?? my advice put him in no less than 4 gallon MINIMUM with a heater!! and he'll thrive if he recovers.

HTH

tom

[Matt_1]

I would also feed him on pea for the next 2 feeds, pea helps clear out his system of any blockages and should encourage his health. Once he recovers you may begin treatment of any swim bladder disorders.

P.S.: What makes you think he has something wrong with his swim bladder?

Cheers,
Matt

[cichlidsrule]

im keeping him in a 4L ice cream container with low water levels so that he can reach for his food and breathe easier.

il try the peas aswell. does it have to be boiled?

i think its swim bladder because he kind of swims on his side and he struggles a bit.

[the pulpican man]

sounds fine for recovery but as i said before if he recovers please put him in something bigger(if not already), they deserve better than a little tank.
as for peas, i wash them under warm water and squeeze the little pip out of the middle, then i squeeze that to mash it up and mine eats that fine
as for the swim bladder problem, it might be from his injuries... i've had angels die quickly from swim bladder disease..

[cichlidsrule]

hes one tough little fish. im gonna try the pea thing a few times and il see how he goes. as soon as hes recovered hes going back into his normal tank but split up with the female by some glass.

i have cured swim bladder before but on a Molly by using the same technique with the icecream container. it lasted a good whole week before succombing to dropsy when put back into the tank.

thanks for the help Matt and Tom.

[Matt_1]

I wouldn't worry about the swim bladder problem for now, like Tom said with the peas, avoid the outer "skin" and just concentrate on the centre part.

Another thing with the swim bladder is it could be genetic. A lot of places buy their Bettas from bulk breeders hence a lot of inferior genes get mixed into Bettas bought at most shops. I've seen Bettas with no pectoral fins and my latest batch I've had one that is missing half its back and another with a spine bent about 90 degrees then 90 again. Some really messed up genes are hidden in a lot of Bettas in shops hence why breeding those are only recommended for experience purposes.

[cichlidsrule]

i wouldnt think its the genetic side because my lfs is really reliable and fish are real good quality. ive only ever had 1 fish die which i bought from it. it was only a chinese algae eater and it was causing some problemsin the tank anyway (if anyones wonder why i had a chinese algae eater i bought it when i was really inexperienced with fish so i didnt know that they were that bad, found out after it ate my 4 biggest fry in the tank).

[Matt_1]

Hahaha I did the same thing. I thought I need something to keep my tank clean.. oh, a sucking catfish (what they were titled). Ok cool. So I put them in the 5ft tank and when it came to getting all 4 out again it took me hours.

Anywho - With the Betta genetic side of things it is to a good degree what is available. All large breeders who sell in bulk can accidentally produce Bettas with bad genes which is why Betta breeders are recommended to buy from Thailand or other reputable breeders.

Is you fella still moving around much or laying on the bottom 24/7?

[cichlidsrule]

whenever he sees me he starts moving around, other than that not really.

[Matt_1]

Well that's a good sign. Feed him some earthworm (0.5cm) if you have any in your garden as they are very good for their health. Can you take a pic (w/out flash) so I can see what he looks like?

Cheers,
Matt

[cichlidsrule]

because hes in the container the pic arent that good and cant see him that well.