Breeding Bettas

    Bubble nest builder, therefore make sure that your breeding tank does not have a lot of current and surface flow.  Bettas come from Rice patties and as labyrinth they do not need aeration, however do need filtration.

    Place male in a small clear tank (6-8" of water) and set the female in a clear container floating in the breeding tank.   Continue feeding both male & female live foods like newly hatch brine shrimp. The male will begin building a bubble nest.  When the bubble nest is reaches a size and really doesn't get much bigger (male will continuously to build and maintain the bubble nest) slowly let the female into the tank with the male.  

    Keep watch that the male doesn't get too aggressive with the female.. The male will then wrap around her to squeeze out eggs.  He'll then pick up the falling eggs and spit them up into the bubble nest.. Here's when you need to watch that the male doesn't kill the female.   When no more eggs are being dropped, remove the female, or the male will kill her.

    Leave male to tend the nest. Fry hatch in 24 hours.  He will eat only the fungus eggs and take care of fry until they are free swimming and well on their own.  Continue to feed the male baby brine and other staple foods.  Feed betta fry infusoria for a few days as their yolk sacs dissolve and then microworms and later newly hatch brine shrimp as they are large enough to begin eating them.  Don't forget to take good care of your female, after she has spawned.

    After fry are free swimming remove the male and continue to feed  and after about two (2) weeks start supplementing feedings with a tiny sprinkling of flake food.  For the first few months, if you wish to have nice bettas, continue feeding newly hatched brine shrimp.

   As the fry begin to sexually differentiate, you will need to separate the males out of the brood.  A quart sized Mason jar or similar works well for this, however, you will need to have a turkey baster handy for water changes of at least 25% per week.