Betta or fighting Siamese fish are small and beautiful fish often kept in vases and small aquariums. Betta fish breeding is a great hobby for a growing number of enthusiasts. When thinking about breeding these fish, it is recommended that you prepare as well as you can. Betta fish breeding can be quite an expensive affair, so planning in advance will ensure that you are adequately prepared. Additionally, betta fish can produce hundreds of eggs in one breeding period; you have to plan for what to do with the new fish in advance to avoid having too many fish to look after.
Read on to find out some of the main steps to follow in betta fish breeding.
Fish Tanks
To successfully start a betta fish breeding operation, you will need to have the right equipment here we are talking about the best betta fish tanks mainly. You will need to have at least three tanks at the beginning. One will be used to house the male betta, while a second one should be used to hold a female. A larger tank will be used for breeding purposes.
A Breeding Pair
Getting a breeding pair of fish to start your betta fish breeding operation is probably the most important and challenging step. You can get a breeding pair from your local pet store or a breeder. Note that the fish you get from the pet store may not be the best in producing healthy fry as you do not have comprehensive information about their history. Buying a breeding pair from a breeder also comes with the benefit of getting a ton of information about the fish and breeding as well.
While shopping for a betta fish breeding pair, remember to choose young fish as older ones may be past the age of breeding; look for fish below 14 months old. It might be best to purchase a couple of breeding pairs as sometimes the fish may not be compatible, and end up fighting instead of breeding.
Feed
Before you start a betta fish breeding operation, you will need to have a reliable source of food for the breeding pair as well as the expected fry. The best food to feed the breeding pair is live brine shrimp or blood worms. For the fry, you will need a supply of live micro-worms or small brine shrimp. The fry only eat live food.
Introduction and breeding
Once all the supplies are available you can get your betta fish breeding pair, and place each fish in its respective tank. This helps them acclimate to their new surroundings. You should then introduce the breeding pair (with the male in the breeding tank) but in separate tanks or one tank, designed with a partition. Observe the betta fish, looking at how they behave. When the male is ready for breeding, it will put together a bubble nest; put the female into the breeding tank. When they are ready, the fish will embrace in the bubble nest. The female will then produce eggs; note that they may embrace a number of times, producing hundreds of eggs.
After a successful betta breeding period, you can then look up tips on how to look after the betta fry.