Betta Breeding.....?

Question

Both of my betta fish are ready to mate. If i leave them together during the night will they be fine together. Also how would i tell if they mated?

Or should i just leave them together during the day. If i do and they dont mate what should i do?

Answer 1

Please don't breed your bettas if you don't know exactly what you're getting into. This is my own overview of spawing bettas:

Breeding bettas is very intensive and involved, and the breeding isn't even the hardest part - caring for the fry is.

First, you'll need to 'condition' your pair for 2 weeks. This involves letting the male and female see each other for a few minutes every day, while feeding them high-quality food and (ideally) live food.

Your setup will include a 10 gallon tank filled halfway, a heater set to 82 degrees, lots of plants and hiding places, a piece of bubblewrap taped against the side of the tank (so it floats on the water) and a 'chimney' for your female (I use a 2-liter soda bottle with the top part cut off.)

You let the female explore the tank for 1 day, then put her in the 'chimney' so the male can see but not touch, and put the male in the main tank. He should flare and dance for the female, and within 1 day he'll begin to build a nest. Once the nest is big enough (usually about 24 hours) let the female out of the chimney. The male will chase and nip at her, and eventually try to get her to come under his nest. In anywhere from 1 day to 3 days, they should spawn.

Remove the female once they're done spawning. The male will guard the nest for the next 3 days, cleaning and protecting the eggs. The eggs hatch in ~48 hours, so on the third day you should see little fry tails hanging from the nest.

Once the fry are 'free-swimming' (swimming on all levels of the tank, usually the 3rd day) you remove the mail. Betta fry are extremely fragile, and only eat live food. You need a baby brine shrimp set-up up and running for them. They'll eat the BBS for the first month to 2 months of their lives. You need to take water changes slowly at first, but make sure you do them. Breeding bettas is a highly delicate and intensive process, and you need to do a lot of research before getting into it. I'd suggest checking out the sites I've included; do your research before making the commitment. Bear in mind that if you do everything properly, you could end up with anywhere from 10 - 200 babies that you'll need to find homes for. You'll need to separate the males at 2-3 months old, as they'll start to fight. It takes a lot of space to fit all those jars! ;)

All in all, make sure you're willing to make the commitment before diving into breeding bettas. It is very rewarding, however, if you're willing to put in the time.