| 1. They won't breed - not much you can do but try try again. Sometimes a water change or adding Black Water Extract will inspire them. If they still do nothing then just try another pair. Sometimes persistance pays off though. It can take up to three days or even longer for bettas to spawn. Just in case they just refuse, always have a backup pair. Bettas are known to be choosy at times and may only breed with certain individuals and not others. 2. The male gobbles up all the eggs - The male will always eat any bad or unfertilized eggs. This keeps them from fungus-ing making the others go bad as well. It also keeps the water from spoiling when they rot. Sometimes, though, the male will snack on not only the bad eggs but the good ones as well. He may not have been conditioned properly or he may just be an egg eater. It happens. 3. The male does not replace the popped bubbles - The bubbles are what keep the eggs afloat (duh) If the male doesn't keep his nest nice and bubbly then the eggs may sink. I have had this happen many times. Sometimes the male will put each egg in their own bubble and float them like that, or he will just let them fall. Even if they fall they are still likely to hatch so don't worry too much. My only worry would be if the bottom was dirty, the eggs may fungus. The fry become tasty snacks for the male - Mabye you didn't feed him enough before breeding him or mabye you left him in too long after the fry became free swimming. 6. Your tank is overcrowded and the fry are dieing - If they are about a month old your water level in the ten gallon should be full. If it is full but there is overcrouding then you should move the babies to a larger grow out tank until they are big enough to jar. Some Advice - You will most definatly encounter bad fathers. Your male may spawn but eventually will eat the eggs or the fry, or allow the eggs to fall. What you can do to try and save the spawn: 1. Take out the male after spawining 2. Find a small Tupperware or Rubbermaid lid that fits over a small bowl 3. Place the lid in the tank so that you can fill the deeper side with a few centimeters of the tanks water 4. Siphen (if on bottom of tank) or scoop up (with a spoon if in a nest) and place the eggs in the lid. This helps keep them close to the surface and prevents them from sinking to the bottom where they could fungus. I have had much success with this method and it is very much worth a try. |
| Unfortunately, a whole lot can go wrong. Even the most careful of breeders will run into problems. |