# Beginning Breeding



## KelleyL (Jul 15, 2005)

Hi all.

I am interested in breeding bettas, and am wanting to a) get some fair quality pairs to start with and b) determine what I can "get away with" as far as inexpensive start-up to make sure it is something I want to continue (especially after I separate the male fry).

Are there any breeders you would recommend? I would really like to be able to get SOME info on the genetics of the fish I get.

Can I use some 18oz jars for the fry?

Should I "grow" my own food? What kind?

I know this info is probably somewhere in this forum, but I have not run across it yet. I also want to get to know some of the locals!

Thanks!


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## lwstinkinsweet (Aug 2, 2005)

:hi: i have never bred bettas and am new to keeping them. I just wanted to say hello and :hi:


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## KelleyL (Jul 15, 2005)

Thanks, nice to meet you!


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I wouldn't use 18oz jars. You definately need live food, and you'll have to grow your own. Usually people use microworms or vinegar eels, and baby brine shrimp, sometimes daphnia. There's really no way to do this inexpensively, except maybe start on veil tails before investing in more expensive fish. Other than that, try to get jars from yard sales, buy cheap stuff from Walmart. 
As far as breeder recommendations, there are some breeders here. I would also recommend www.bettysplendens.com because Victoria is really great.


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## Jonno (May 22, 2005)

You would also need either 5 gals and 10 gals tanks (10 gals are better) and i use a tank divider.


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## KelleyL (Jul 15, 2005)

Yeah, 18oz is small, I think I had a slip of some kind. I meant something more along the lines of 32 oz. Well, I've seen alot of different feeding schedules for fry. Infusium? Worms? BBS? Some kind of dry something? Boiled eggs? Ive got more questions where these came from!


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

18 oz is way too small. 32 is good and cheap. bbs is baby brine shrimp. those are egg of brine shrimp and you need to hatch them with saltwater. you can get the eggs in petsmart and they have instruction on the package. the bbs is small enough to eaten by 1 week old fries. microworm is a type of worm that is very very small and fit for free swimming fries eating. the thing is, sometimes things go wrong and it will smell really bad. vinegar eel is a good type of worm. it is similar size to microworm and it live in water and apple cider vinegar mix. in my opinion, those are easy to culture and don't smell as bad as microworm. daphnia is pretty good food for juvies. not hard to culture at all. the set up is 10 gallon or more. anything below that cannot raise the fries. you can breed betta in 2.5 gallon tank but i don't recomment to you since this is your first time and may end up with dead fish. there was also some new product by ocean nutrient. i never use it but people said it was good so you can give it a shot. infusria(i forgot how to spell, sorry) is some very small organism. if you put some live plants in, they will be in there and multiply. other than that, bettysplendens site is really helpful. it is one of the best betta site i ever seen.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Victoria has a great site (she's my betta mentor). Good prices too but I would agree and recommend breeding a pair of VeilTails (VT) first. Try to get similiar single colored ones from a descent lfs or from a local breeder. A local breeder may have better quality and finneage that he/she may cull anyway. Nothing worse than spending $60.00-$100 for a pair (trio)that:
1. Wont breed
2. Kill the other
3. Die from unknown reasons

Deffinitely use a 10 gallon tank with a light that has a timer attached. A divider isn't necessary. A hurricane glass can be used if you want to as there are many variances to the "western" method. Breeders in the east (Asia) use different methods but the weather agrees with them more than our climates here.

Live foods are a must.
http://www.livefoodcultures.com has everything you need to get them going.
Local breeders may have a culture they can give you for free or minimal cost too.


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## ChaldoChris416 (Aug 19, 2005)

:king: ill send u a male and female $5 a piece email me at [email protected] if u r interested i also have vieltails on aquabid.com ending soon


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