Spawning Bettas
Equipment you will need:
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a young healthy pair of bettas preferably between 4 and 12 months of age.
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5-10 gallon spawning tank and Lid (bare bottomed)
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submersible heater
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sponge filter
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air pump
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airline
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restriction valve
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non-return valve
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plants for female to hide in (preferably live) as they provide infusoria. I use java moss. You could also add black water extract if you want but is not necessary.
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Something for the male to attach his nest to - almond leaf/bubble wrap/polystyrene cup cut in half lengthways
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A container for the female - a pop bottle with both ends cut off to form a tube is ideal as it can be lifted away to release her without disturbing the water. Also pierce the bottle with small holes as it allows the females hormones to flow into the water for the male to detect and encourage nest building.
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Fry food - micro worms, infusoria, bbs.
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A 20 gallon grow-out tank at the least
lots of jars for the fry which will be jarred from around 7 weeks
The pair
should be conditioned for 2 weeks with high protein live/frozen foods.
This helps the female to produce more eggs and also builds them both up,
as during spawning and for the male while looking after the eggs and fry
they may not eat.
Fill the tank
to around 4" in depth with fresh dechlorinated water. Place the heater
in the tank so it’s under the water and set at 80 degrees. Turn on the
sponge filter and restrict the flow to one bubble per second or as slow
as possible so as not to disturb the bubble nest. Place the leaf/bubble
wrap or polystyrene cup that the male will build his nest under in one
corner of the tank preferably where you can see it easily. An Indian
almond leaf is perfect as it provides a nest anchor plus the tannins
released help to induce spawning and also help the nest to stick
together. Place the female's container in the tank.
You are now
ready to add your bettas. Place the male in the tank and leave him
acclimatise and get used to his surroundings. After about 24hrs place
the female in her bottle in with the male. At first the male will attack
the bottle but after a while he will start to build a nest. The male
should now be very interested in the female and be displaying by flaring
and swimming back and forth in front of her container. Hopefully she
will flare back at him and vertical bars should appear on her body if
she is dark bodied. If she is light bodied then you won't see these but
her behaviour should be the same.
The male
should take time out between displaying for the female to start building
his bubble nest. He will take breaths and then blow bubbles into the
nest. The saliva in his mouth makes the bubbles sticky and they should
adhere to the anchor you have put in there and gather together to make a
bubble nest. Once he has a good nest going, usually after a day, and if
the female appears receptive by displaying back to him then you can
release her. Gently lift the pop bottle or the breeding trap and let her
swim out. He should really display in earnest now and she will hopefully
follow him all over the tank. He may show his dominance and nip at her
and chase her. The plants you add will help her to hide from him while
he finishes his nest and allows her to approach him without attacking
her.
I have found that the most productive time for betta spawning seems to
be on a full moon, as full moon spawning are usually instant when you
add the female and you seem to get a higher percentage of fertilized
eggs.
When the pair
are both happy with the nest the spawning will begin. The female will
stay under the nest and drop her head. The male will then embrace her,
and gently squeeze the eggs out of her, whilst fertilizing them. The
couple may embrace several times before any eggs are released. It also
takes practice for them to get it just right and for him to position
himself correctly to click into place. When they do get it right eggs
will fall and the male will go down to collect them off the bottom of
the tank. Having no substrate in the tank makes it easy for him to see
them. The female will float to the top of the water seemingly lifeless.
After a few seconds she will come round and may also go and look for
eggs. The eggs will then be blown back into the nest where they will
stick. They will embrace many times and usually for about 2 hours. After
this there should be a few hundred eggs in the nest, depending on their
age and how well they were conditioned before hand. When they are
finished the male will chase the female into hiding. She should now be
removed or he will probably kill her. Make sure not to disturb the nest.
I slip the pop bottle back over her for ease of netting.
The males tend
to be very good when it comes to looking after the eggs. He will be
constantly cleaning them, and eating any unfertilized or ones with
fungus. After 24 – 36 hours the eggs should hatch. You will be able to
see the eggs wobbling and falling from the nest. This is when the male
has to really work. He has to go around catching them and putting them
back into the nest. I also leave a small night-light on so he can see
when it gets dark. Betta fry are very tiny and difficult to spot but if
you look inline with the nest you should see the tails hanging down.
They will continue to drop from the nest and the male will be rushed off
his feet putting them back in. Some will manage to make their way up on
their own.
After 3 days
the egg sacs will be used up and the fry will be free swimming. The male
should now be removed as he may eat the fry.
Start feeding micro worms and then after a few days bbs. Daily water changes are also needed for a quick growth rate, as betta fry release hormones into the water that stunts the growth of their siblings.