Betta Fish
Siamese fighting fish, also popular with the name Betta fish, are great pets for those people who want to enjoy a day of entertainment.
But aside from entertaining owners and guests, breeding this kind of fish is also rewarding. If you plan to breed Betta fish at home, this short read includes tips and tricks that may help you out.
A Must-Read: Fish Tank Accessories
Choosing Betta Fish To Breed
The first task you have to do before breeding Betta fish is to learn a lot about the species. You can read books or browse the internet on how to take care of Bettas and proper breeding.
A single spawn can lay about six hundred eggs. It means that you may take care of five hundred fish if most of the eggs survive. So beforehand, it would be best if you asked yourself the following:
- Am I interested in breeding for a show?
- Do I want to supply Betta fish for a local pet shop?
- Do I love Bettas so much that I will take it to another level?
Due to the skyrocketing supply cost of taking care and breeding Betta fish, not so many people dive into such a venture.
So for those individuals who are not ready to spend so much on breeding Bettas, forget about Betta breeding. Meanwhile, people who have the resources to breed Bettas can proceed to the following steps.
Set Up The Fish Tanks For The Betta Fish
Get ready to bring your breeding pair of Betta fish at home by setting up two permanent fish tanks. Make sure to cycle the clean water inside the tanks before bringing home the pair.
Purchase A Breeding Pair
When everything is set, buy a breeding pair in a reliable pet shop. Unlike selecting a Betta fish to be a pet, choosing the right pair to breed is different. You need to purchase young Bettas to ensure a higher success rate.
You can also ask the pet shops for more information about the Bettas they sell to determine their needs and their best. And before making any purchasing decision, make sure that the female and male Betta fish you buy is of the same size.
Buying two pairs is also recommended for breeders just in case one pair don’t succeed. When purchasing a pair, those who want to save money consider buying Bettas from a local pet shop.
Usually, Betta fish from pet shops are too old to breed. They are also less information about their genetics, but they are cheaper.
Although Betta fish from pet shops are the best option for the price, most pet shops don’t buy their offsprings. The reason lies in their unknown genetic background.
If you don’t know the genetic traits of the pair you breed, you may end up growing a sickly or odd-looking fish.
Conditioning Their Environment For Breeding
Before breeding Betta fish, it is better to place them inside their designated fish tanks first. Doing so will allow the pair to adapt to their new environment and become more comfortable for breeding.
Males Bettas, however, are best to breed when they are fourteen months old or younger. For this reason, it is best to breed them if you have a lot of free time on your hands.
After introducing the female and male Betta fish, you have to commit yourself to take care of them along with their young Bettas for at least a few hours every day for two months or more.
Once you start breeding, you can’t leave them alone for a business trip, vacation, or other events that will take you days before coming back.
But if any of these events came up while breeding Betta fish, ask somebody else to check them out beforehand.
It would help if you conditioned your pair to place five to ten gallons of clean water in a breeding tank. You also need to put a removable divider, adjustable filter, places where the Bettas can hide, and a heater set to about 80-degrees Fahrenheit.
Never place substrate or gravel in the breeding tank since eggs may get lost when they fall to the fish tank’s bottom part. Place the tank in a place with no human activity, other fish, and bright colors that can distract them.
Begin Feeding Them Live Food
Once you are ready to breed the pair, consider giving them live bloodworms or brine shrimp. If these are not available, you can also feed them roaches, crickets, other kinds of worms, and insects, as well as a dried version of these foods.
Here are some of the best Betta fish foods you can find in the market:
Hounen Live Fairy Shrimp Eggs
If you want to feed your breeding Bettas with live fish foods, Hounen Live Fairy Shrimp Eggs is among your best choices. They are 0.15 grams upon delivery, but you can feed them if you want larger ones.
Aside from that, you don’t need salt to keep them alive. Freshwater will allow these eggs to hatch and be ready to nourish your Bettas.
Live Vinegar Eels By Insectsales
Another way to keep your breeding pair thriving is to feed them this Live Vinegar Eels by insectsales.com. This product contains eight ounces of cultured vinegar eels that are healthy for your Bettas.
Generic Live Daphnia Magna
Daphnia Magna is popular with the name water flea. It is a highly nutritious food for Betta fish and other organisms that live in the waters. Most breeders also use live Daphnia Magna as fish food because it helps switch breeding pairs in spawning conditions.
Besides that, it encourages brighter fish colors, which is a good thing for Betta fish breeders.
Conclusion
To summarize, those who plan to breed Betta fish must employ proper procedures and undergo the right preparations for breeding. Choosing the best fish food to nourish the pair and their offspring is also critical to ensure breeding success.
