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As you know, swings in water parameters can be very hard on betta fry. Does your breeding set up give you an easy way to graduate the fry to a grow out tank? If not you might want to pay attention to the ideas shared here.

This video shows you exactly how to take the fry from the simple low tech breeding setup explained here and make it easy for them to move into the grow out tank. At their own pace.

Here’s what you should have gotten from watching this:

• Like you would with any fish move, give the water in the fry hatchery time to adjust to the water temp in the tank by floating it.
• Over time, again just like if acclimating a new fish, tank water will be added to the smaller fry hatchery.
• Ultimately the additional water will tend to weigh down the hatchery and it will slip deeper into the water of the grow out tank.
• Eventually it will sink. Putting the water level in the tank higher than the water in the hatchery. Doing so allows the fry to swim out at their leisure on their own time table. While giving them a low stress glimpse of the brave new world they now inhabit.

So notice if you will there is…

• No dumping them into their new quarters.
• No chasing them down with a net.
• No stressful adjustment to new water parameters.

This is an ultra-low stress approach to moving on up to the big fish’s tank. More or less a gentle introduction to their new surroundings. To make the transition as easy on the fry as you can possibly make it.

This is all done after the fry are about a month along.

Note too that the water level in the grow out tank starts out low. And that as well over time will be raised as more and more aged water is added.

Hopefully if you’re lucky and you do things right you’ll have this to look forward to after another five or six weeks:

Joyful Grow Out Tank Chaos

Looks like there are some real stunners to be found. All females no doubt as the males have likely been jarred out by this point.

Typically you can put 100-150 of these little guys into a 20 gallon tank. 30 gallon would be better if you have it. And maybe 400 fry into a 40 gallon home. Just keep in mind that you can get away with this fry density ONLY if you are MASSIVELY diligent about water changes. More on that in a bit.

Yet you won’t want to go too big tank wise because of concerns over food distribution. In other words go too big and you could easily end up with fry that aren’t getting enough food to grow at their biologically programmed best. The downside being if you try to make up for that by flooding the tank with food, all that ends doing is upping the risk that anything not eaten might foul the water. However, assigning several mystery snails to clean up duty can help with that. They love micros or BBS.

Then too this is a more or less temporary set up. Home for many of the baby bettas for six maybe seven weeks at the most. Because by then you should be jarring the males as they start do what male bettas tend to do – cope an attitude. So as they self-identify themselves by their aggression and/or body form, jarring will cut down the numbers left in the grow out tank. Plus you will be culling out those that don’t meet whatever traits you are breeding for as well. Leaving you with a nicely stocked sorority tank housing the best of the best females from your spawn.

All of which is to say things may sound crowded, but not really.

One more grow out tank tip: It’s really best to get at least a 30 gallon tank. These are readily available on Craigslist. Clean with bleach and rinse thoroughly. Presto Chango you’ve got yourself one suitable grow out tank. Add a submersible heater and move the fry at about one month and let them grow. But 30 gallons gives you more space, more water, and less chance of polluted water from the waste.

REMEMBER: Bettas are relatively easy to spawn but it is hard as heck at times to successfully raise the fry to adulthood. Harder than you might imagine even if you don’t try to take shortcuts. Near impossible if you do try that. If that’s your plan, or lack thereof, good luck. Basically you have no business even attempting to breed bettas. Because it’s a somewhat precise process with lots of pitfalls along the way even if you try to do everything right.

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