Betta breeding?

[Crissyloach]

A couple of days ago, I bought a blue and red female betta. I decided to put another divider into my 10 gallon betta tank, and I put her in there. I also got an orange and purple betta and put him in there. Today, I noticed that she had vertical bars on her body. I also noticed that the orange bettta had a nice big bubble nest. I recently checked and now 1 more of them has one started (the blue and red ct). They are about the same size, and both look very healty. The male and female both were in at least 5 gallon tanks at the store...not little cups. I know that usually you shouldnt get pet store bettas to breed, but the pet stores here only have females once or twice a month- sometimes not at all. This is the second time in a month that they actually have them in. They are also talking about ordering them in from special breeders. Always. I have seen them flaring, and they can see each other (had not put in extra plants yet).

So do you think I could? If you have bred them before or tried, any tips would be helpful. I am setting up a different breeding tank if I can. I will have places for the fry when the time comes.

I have read about breeding A LOT and I know what to expect, and how to handle them etc.

I will update this later.

[Crissyloach]

Could I? I do not want to go throught the work of setting up a breeding tank, buying suplies, and stressing them, just for one little thing to go wrong, and not be able to breed them. I am still reading, and she is still full with eggs, he is flaring, has a bubble nest, and they both look ready. I am ready to do it. All I need are some answers and a couple of tips. I am feeding bloodworms to them both.

[wasserscheu]

the only thing I can tell is, that I robbed his nest (sucked off with a hose) and put the eggs into a brine shrimp sifter which was floating in the filter tank. After they grew big enough to not disappear in the filter matt, I let them further grow in the filter tank, the open filter matt (of a slow running filter) may have been an additional source of food (plankton).

Once they reached about 1/2" I put them back into the tank of their parents 2'x1'x1' and they were fine there until the genders started developing, than I had to find people to take them.

The mating scene was very nice to watch and it was worth it just for that (honestly I did not do that much effort anyway).

The good man was picking up eggs from the ground that droppped out of his nest and returned them, I was pretty impressed.

[Crissyloach]

Went ahead and did it- they hatched today!

[wasserscheu]

That went fast

Congratulations!

[Crissyloach]

It did. At least 100 are still in the nest, and all of the others are free swimming. Mr Betta is going CRAZY!!!

[Crissyloach]

The fry are doing good. They are all growing nicely- I have a bunch of smaller guys, and 4 little giants. A small amount of colour is now showing...that could just be their blood worm/brine shrimp filled bellies...

I just figured out (after crushing freeze dried blood worms for the little giants) that I am allergic to blood worms. (sneeze...itch...snif)

[wasserscheu]

Oh no, will vinyl gloves help by avoiding contact, or is even the smell already triggering?

NIce that the youngsters are growing - that sounds like lots of good fun.

[Crissyloach]

I think it is mostly the fine dust that I am breathing in. If I were to crush them up in my hand and then touch my arm after, I would get itchy, and start sneezing a lot because of that fine dust.