Breeding The Betta Splendens (Siamese Fighting Fish)
Breeding the betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) is quite an experience. First, pick your breeding pair – remember, both of them should be approximately the same size. Females are usually somewhat smaller than the males, but do not try to breed a very young male or female with a much older mate. Make sure you feed them well, preferable with live food, before the spawning.
For the breeding tank, use a small tank (some even use a bowl) with no more than 4-5 inches of water, and a temperature of about 80F. Additionally, you could put some leaves or something like a cut styrofoam cup for the bubblenest. Introduce the male to the breeding tank first, and let him get used to the surroundings. Alter an hour, you can put in the female. Ideally, you should first put the female in a glass globe, while in the tank, so that the male can see her, and then Put the male in first. Let him get used to his surroundings for about an hour or so.
Like the dwarf gourami, even these fish breed in elaborate bubblenests. which the male builds. You would be well advised to provide hiding places for the female, as the males are known to become aggressive during courtship. Stay away from rocks or substrates in the tank. Expect some amount of nipping and chasing, but unless it gets too violent, you might as well leave them to their games. When they are ready to spawn (which can take from an hour to a few days), the pair will display intense coloration and begin circling each other under the bubblenest.
The male will then wrap himself around the female, and as she expels the eggs, he fertilizes them. The sinking eggs are scooped up the male, and placed in the nest. The eggs are white and are a little bigger than a grain of salt. You will probably need a magnifying glass to see them hanging from the bubble nest. Here, you should remove the female, as the male will tend to the brood. In one to two days the eggs will hatch, and you will be able to see the fry hanging in the bubblenest. The yolk sack provides them their nutrition for the next 36 hours, during which time the male will continue to tend to them.
Within two days after the fry hatch, you should remove the male, as he may eat them once they are free swimming. Feed the fry a couple of times a day with baby brine shrimp, but beware of overfeeding. Remember to keep the water clean while the fry are growing up.
Betta fry are very, very tiny when hatched, and are very slow growing. It takes them about 30 weeks to develop any color or have any size to them. They are usually not very active and most will pretty much sit on the bottom of the tank until feeding time. As they grow, however, you would need to pay close attention to them – you will be able to notice the males becoming aggressive with each other, which is a sign for you to separate them.
Here’s a video of the spawning:
Pic via here.
