PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE!!!

DO NOT DISTURB (unless needed)

And

Things will work out.

Ok now I can go on to the steps needed to make babies.

First of all you need to make sure to condition (spoil them rotten) your breeders for at least two weeks on live food (or frozen) and every other day or even daily water changes.I even learned a trick from my friend Olde Dragon, he taught me to separate my breeders from each other and all bettas for a couple days before introduction in the spawning tank this way he says the lovemaking will be more meaningful since being away from each other makes their love even stronger (it sounds funny but it has worked for me so far).I separate them by placing index cards in between their beanie baby containers and not letting them see another betta for 3-4 days.They seem to be happier to see another betta then.

Next, you need to acquire the items needed for spawning.Here are some of the items I use…

10 gallon or larger tank 

(I like to use 20 gallons, but have had spawns in little as a 5 gallon, don’t use anything smaller than a 5 since they are easier to pollute.)

(Take a sponge filter and attach it to an air pump.Place the filter in an established tank for 2 weeks prior to attempted spawning then it will have all the beneficial bacteria on it so that you won’t have a big ammonia spike while your babies are growing up.)

(Make sure whatever cover you choose that it is tight.When the fry are growing up they start developing their labyrinth organ, which help them to breathe air so when this happens you want the air above them to be at least the temperature of their water or else you will have problems or even death of your beloved babies.You will know your cover is tight when you set up the tank and see condensation on the upper inside glass of the tank.I take saran wrap and use tape to cover 80% of the top with the wrap.I then take a strip light and place that on top of the wrap.This is a cheap and easy way to cover the tank.I have just recently heard of people going to the local hardware store and buying a piece of fluorescent light cover and just using an exacto knife and snapping the piece to fit the size of the tank (I will be trying this soon).

(Really doesn’t matter which one you choose.Both of them have their positives and negatives.I have used both and do not prefer one to the other.Live plants do seem to help keep the water cleaner.If you are going to use live plants use a low light tolerant plant such as Java Moss or Java Fern unless you will have full spectrum bright light on for other plants to thrive.The plant will give cover for the female to hide in when needed and a place for the fry to hang out in.)

(To keep track of the temperature.)

(Microworms seem to be the easiest food to feed the fry for the first few weeks of life.Other than microworms there are live baby Brine Shrimp and Vinegar Eels that are good for the fry to eat and are cultured right at your own home. I have found that Vinegar Eels multiply like rabbits and are the easiest to keep alive.Infursia is the first thing your fry will start eating and with the presence of live plants the infusoria will already be there.Another way of introducing infusoria is to add Liquifry No1 to the water as directed to on the package.I use this and have had no problems with it, but it can be very easy to over do and pollute the tank with it.I recommend only adding one drop per day if this is what you will use and only for the first 3 days after hatching.It is up to what you prefer to use. One very important thing to remember is to have the food ready for the fry when the start free swimming which is one to two days after hatching and they hatch in as little as 48 hours after spawning.)

(This will be the area where the male will build his bubble nest.I like to tape this to the front of the glass with the open side against the glass so I can see everything that goes on under the nest.I have recently tried free floating the cup, but have learned that with this way the cup moves around so much that I have a hard time watching.)

(The siphon I like to use is a small 1/8^th inch wide plastic tube with hose attached to the end of it.I use this to clean the bottom of the tank twice a week starting when the fry are 2 weeks old.)

(I use the clear jar for siphoning the water into so I can see if I siphon any tiny fry out of the tank.)

(I use the eyedropper to transfer fry that I have siphoned out of the tank back into the tank.Sometimes those little buggers don’t want to go back so it takes PATIENCE to get them back in.Another alternative when the fry start to grow bigger is to use a turkey baster.I don’t know what I would do without one.I highly recommend having one handy.)

(A small air pump will do, but don’t try to go the cheapest route.I already made that mistake, the dang thing drove me mad listening to it all night long.Sometimes it is better to just spend the money for a good nights rest, unless you can place it in a sound proof room, lol.)

(To attach to the air pump and the sponge filter.)

(You may have a lot of things needing to be plugged in.Just makes things easier to have one on hand.)

(When the fry get bigger they need more room to roam.I have heard of people using 20 gallon grown outs all the way to 100 gallon grow outs.It just depends on the number of bettas you have and the care you give to them.The bigger the tank space the better and the less you will have to mess with it.)

Conditioner for the water

(I use Prime by Seachem to dechlorinate my water and I add aquarisol as a disease preventative to my water.When setting up a spawning tank I add Maroxy to the tank to help keep the eggs free from fungus.I do not add salt to my water anymore and have found that they do just fine without.The only thing I add salt to now is my baby brine shrimp.)

Next step is to spawn them…