how to breed Bettas for starters information?

[jonathan]

if you haven't found the answer, breeding bettas is VERY complicated; especially when it's your first time. if your determined and willingly, i recommend you to do more research about doing so. my way of breeding is optional but im suggesting the best that's worked for me. here goes- For Preparation:
order microworms before breeding(food for fry)
10-15 gal tank
heater(set to 80-82 degrees F)
use tape to stick half of foam cup to the side of the tank to keep from drifting(this will float and be their nest)
small 6 by 6 inch clear container that will fit in the tank(female will be separated from male)
do NOT put anything else such as live plants, rocks, pebbles
NEXT:
microworms are microscopic. you need to order them online. your local fish store might not have it but you can try. you need a plastic container with cap and a sponge. make a small hole in the container and stick sponge into the hole. this will be a vent and so fruit flies won't nest in the container. mix oatmeal and yeast and microworms together. this will be their food. when you harvest the worms, they will come up on the sides and you can just use your finger and swipe them off. rinse it off in the tank and the fry will eat them up. :]
to create a new colony of microworms; if it stinks up or almost fails. get a new container and add another set of yeast and oatmeal. get at least a spoonful from the last container and add to the new one.
cut half of a foam cup and let it float that the cut part is facing down. use tape to stick it to the side so it won't be drifting anywhere. the male will make a bubble nest so make sure you cut exactly half so there won't be a gap or opening.
now simply set everything up. put and leave the clear container in the tank with female inside in the corner of the tank. level the water in the container and the outside. release the male outside the container. let them settle. once he sees the female, he's going to go all crazy over the tank and flaring everywhere. let this be for as long until you see a big bubble nest in the foam cup. feed the male and female before releasing the female into the tank. the male will not eat during spawning and will possibly eat the eggs or fry if hungry. the warmer the water is the faster the hatch rate. hatch rate takes about 2-3 days. observe the pair as they do the courtship. if the male starts nipping her, repeat the same process. put the female back into the container again. try again if it doesn't work the next day or 2. the male will be embracing the female under the nest and fertilizes the eggs. the female will be stunned and will repeat the process again. it's ok to let the female and male help eachother spit the eggs into the bubbles. the male will be working really hard when eggs are hatched. let him be. the fry will be falling out of the nest but he'll spit them back into the nest. REMOVE THE FEMALE AFTER SPAWNING, OTHERWISE, SHE'LL EAT THE EGGS OR WILL BE NIPPED BY THE MALE. REMOVE THE MALE AFTER THE FRY IS AT FREE-SWIMMING AGE. after weeks of feeding the fry microworms, switch the diet to live baby brine shrimp. this too you will have to order.
I've seen many question about how to breed bettas. that's why im trying to provide this information. i know im not well organized but i apologize.
Comments are welcome ! have any questions ? just ask questions by answers. i'll get back to you as soon as i can. hope this is very informative. good luck !

[wiccansinger]

umm, i noticed one problem, although most of the information was pretty good, you have a cold tank, it should be 75 to 80 degrees F (thats about 26 to 27 degrees C) your tank seems to be a bit too cold for bettas, they are better off in a warmer tank. besides that i loved your info, i like the sponge thing for the microworms, im going to steal that idea ^.^

[4redsta]

i thought 80F was 30C?

[mdellasalla]

80 degrees Fahrenheit = 26.6666667 degrees Celsius

[bettalvr]

As with just about everything we do, there are a myriad of methods. Thanks Jonothan for the way you do things. This gives people options rather than a 'set in stone' method.

How do your fish work out with the lower temps? I actually have my tank at higher than the 82 degrees. There are some studies going on right now involving tank temperature and rate of growth for fry. Will be interesting to see results in the future.

[4redsta]

ive had temps at 82-86, means nothing though.

[bettalvr]

4redsta, I think you missed the whole point. . . there are some differences in the way bettas can be/are kept. Yes we all know that lower temps are not good for them, but 78-82 degrees is a guide. (I know a breeder whose spawn tank is always 90 degrees when they spawn) There will always be a little fluctuation as all people do things differently. That's why forums can be a great way to learn . . .

[4redsta]

lol, you took that the wrong way hehe. sorry =S

i was tryna say i had my heater up at 30c at its highest. that was my stupidity on my behalf. its now sitting on 26.

[BettaLu&Meg]

yes the post was good, i noticed you have a cold tank also, i did post how-tos and did mention about the water temp for breeding, depending on tank isn't the problem, its the heater! THE WATER HAS TO BE AT LEAST 80 degreesF. Other wise your wasting your time.
Also microworms are a good nutrion source the not the only one, Baby brine shrimp(the live one) are a great nutrition factor, such as vinegar els, walterworms. As for the flys unusally after 2-3 weeks they can properly digest them, anything really before that can result in frys choking on the wingless bugs.