These are an incredible breed of fish.   Even more incredible is to breed them.  If you are considering breeding these fine fish, keep a few things in mind.  Your female will most definitely get beaten up, whether it is a little or a lot depends.  You have the potential to end up with anywhere from 50 to 300 baby bettas.  Make sure you have the space to keep hundreds of jars that the males will have to be separated in to.  You will have to culture your own live food, such as MicroWorms or hatch out live Baby Brine Shrimp (BBS).   These are essential in the diet of your growing babies.  This is a very time consuming project to take on.  It cannot be done half-heartedly.  This entails 5 to 6 months of total attention.  Keep this in mind before venturing into breeding.

1. I pick the pair I want to spawn and I always have a backup pair in case either male or female is not compatible.
2. I prepare the spawning pairs with good frozen or live food feedings at least twice a day.
3. I place the males and females side by side in containers so they can view each other for a week or twos.  Then I completely isolate them from all Bettas for a few days.   They say loneliness makes the heart grow fonder.

1. Use tanks from 5 gallons to 15 gallons.
2. Add new water to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
3. Place a heater in the tank and set. temperature to 82 degress.
4. I add floating plants at this time, usually Java Moss and a dry Indian Almond leaf.
5. Add clay pots in the tank on their sides, with the hole enlarged or the Bettas will get stuck trying to get through them.  Sometimes the Male builds his nest under the lip of one and the female uses the other as a hiding area.
6. I also add a glass candle chimney.
7. I cover 80% of the top of the tank with Saran Wrap.  This helps keep the temperature in the tank and the air above the water at a constant temperature.  It also helps avoid drafts and makes it easier for the male to build and maintain his bubble nest.

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1. I add the male first to get him accustomed to the surroundings for a day.
2. I then add the female and gently place her in the glass chimney.  This allows the Male and Female to view each other and increases their "urge" to spawn.
3. Usually after two to eight hours the Male has begun a bubble nest.  If the Female has "barred up" I release her by just pulling the chimney out.   "Barring up" means she displays her willingness to spawn by producing dark vertical bars across her body.  Usually she is ready but I will still leave her in the tank for a day or two.
4. I leave a small light on above the tank all the time.  Usually a 30 watt small bulb.
5. Spawnining usually occurs that evening or within the next two days.
6. You will notice that both Bettas will have some good sparring matches and fights and fin tearing.  This is Nature's way for each Betta to show the other they are strong and they will produce strong kids that will survive in the wild.
7. I remove the female after spawning and put her in a recovery jar with the medication.   If they did not spawn after three days I will remove the female and if the Male did not build a nest I will remove him and add the substitute I had already picked out and prepared.
8. When the fry become free swimming I remove the Male and place him in a medicated jar.

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The Blushing Bride

The Ready Groom

Female Barring

Male/Female Embracing Under Bubble Nest

Spawning & Eggs

Male Tending Hatched Fry

1. With the plants in the spawning tank the plants usually have a small amount of infusoria they naturally bring with them.
2. Once the fry are free swimming, they automatically go into the "hunt for food" mode, they are especially interested and attracted to anything "moving".
3. I usually start them off with vinegar eels. The eels wriggle and are small enough for the fry to capture and eat. Some people use micro worms.
4. After the fry are a week old I introduce newly hatched live BBS. Baby brine shrimp. I also add a small air stone and some of Mike Reed's NOBBS. The NOBBS is a dry powder fry food and is added to water and stays on the top of the water.
5. The BBS feeding will continue for 3 weeks along with micro worms and eels.
6. At or around the third week I also add a small sponge filter. This keeps the tank cleaner while adding movement to the water and it also promotes infusoria. Maybe you can't see it but the little ones can.
7. By the fifth week, the kids should be ready to move to larger quarters. A bigger tank. Then I really start feeding more and changing water more.
8. Between 4 and 6 weeks, the fry develop their labyrinth organs and they'll go to the surface to breathe.
9. After 6 weeks. I now vary the diet with shrimp, mosquito larvae, and small blood worms.   From 6 to 12 weeks, they'll grow rapidly, especially when given ample room to grow.
10. During this time it is imperative you do a 30% water change in the tank. I remove the water off the bottom with a small suction tube and gently allow the new water to drain in. Remember if you have natural evaporation occurring, then you will have to add more new water as you change.
11. While the whole growing process is occurring, when I add new water I gradually increase the depth of the water once a week to provide more growing space.
12. By the seventh week you should notice who is a he or she or who hasn't made up their mind yet.  You can start jarring the Males and any selected females at about 10 to 12 weeks old.
13. The rest is up to you as to how you wish to clean the jars. I use one gallon glass jars that must be cleaned every week.
14. The major points here are good food and good water promotes good growth. Both are vital to the health and growth of Tropical Fish.

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