How to Go About Breeding Betta Fish

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As I’ve said elsewhere, unless you’re breeding beta fish it’s best to keep males away from the females. The only time you want the sexes to mingle is when you’re breeding beta fish. Even then most experienced breeders usually only leave the male and female together for as long as it takes to get the job done. And fully expect that both of the lovebirds will suffer wear and tear in the process. That’s just a bit of what you need to know when it comes to how to breed betta fish.

Siamese Fighting Fish Breeding Tips

If you’re dealing with younger fish, females typically should be close to male’s body size or at least 75% of it. The idea being you want a male that is somewhat bigger than the female. (Of course you could go the other way introducing young males to older females. Which is a little safer for the females.)

Remember that breeding beta fish is not for the faint hearted. Don’t be shocked if things get pretty brutal during spawning. Sometimes before they mate the male and female bettas will fight. On rare occasions to the death. Which is probably not the desired effect.

Other times a male and female won’t be able to mate. If the female doesn’t flare back at the male and hides in the corner, it’s perhaps best to try again later. No sense in stressing her out or risking her life needlessly if she isn’t ready. Reason being breeding bettas is a full contact sport. After the male wraps himself around the female to mate, she may appear to be stunned. This is normal. The female may also lose scales or get frayed fins in the breeding process.

After the female releases her eggs the male will take over. While the male is distracted by tending to the eggs, the female should be removed because the male may get territorial and turn hostile. Even going so far as to kill her.

Breeding pairs need to be properly conditioned. The female is conditioned for egg production. The male for endurance so he can tend to the eggs and maintain the nest. He may end up going a week without eating. He needs reserves to pull this off properly since he won’t have access to 5 Hour Energy. .

Anyway, here’s some more tips covering …

Specifics On How To Breed Betta Fish

Obviously each breeder tends to have their own way to approach this. But here are some of the basics of setting up your betta boudoir .

  • Condition your breeding pair with a high protein diet like live brine shrimp, blood worms, or mosquito larvae.
  • Set the heater in the spawning tank to 78-82 degrees.
  • Tape half a Styrofoam cup to the side of the tank to aid in bubble nest building.
  • You don’t want any gravel and no strong current off your filter which can break up the bubble nest.
  • You do want some sort of plants so the female has a hiding place.
  • Release the male into the spawning tank first.
  • A globe from a hurricane lamp is a good (read safe) way to introduce the female into the spawning tank. The two can see each other but she’s protected. You want to see vertical bars on the female. You also want to see her begin to swell up.
  • If the courtship seems to be going in the right direction, both parties seem to be all hot and bothered, then try releasing the female. You want her to show signs of being submissive. Which would be head down and tail up when the male approaches.
  • If either fish attacks the other things are off track. Get the female back into the globe and see what happens. Problem is there’s a fine line between attacks and normal mating behavior.

How To Breed Betta Fish Video

Okay so like they say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case what does that make a video worth? Especially one that walks you through the steps involved.

This is a glimpse at what is pretty much universal betta breeding behavior. While there is obviously more to it than this, this video can still help you to begin to understand how to breed betta fish. It will give you an idea of what to expect as far as betta body language, the spawning process itself, and some of the betta courtship rituals.

Taking that a step further is this excellent article about breeding bettas. It’s like a road map of what to do to make sure you and your fish are really ready for action. So if you’ve had trouble in the past, you’ll likely find this to be a good guide for how to breed betta fish.

About Lucas
Putting a name with a face I'm Lucas Smatana. Like you I'm passionate about betta fish and hope to share my enthusiasm. The idea here is to make sure you get helpful info and useful ideas on betta fish care that really work. To insure your betta keeping experience is a good one both for you and your fish. So that you and your pet enjoy a long, happy and healthy relationship.

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