Breeding Bettas

Bettas are not as easy to breed as livebearers such as guppies, platies, or swordtails, so if you are just looking to breed a few pretty fish you might want to pick one of those breeds.  Breeding bettas requires commitment and a non negligible amount of equipment.

Breeding Equipment

  • 5 or 10 gallon tank for breeding.  10 gallon is better.  These cannot be the tanks that your fish are currently living in, they must be dedicated breeding tanks.  These do not have to be actual fish tanks, clear Tupperware containers or plastic terrariums will work just as well.
  • Heater for breeding tank.  Set to 80F.
  • Plants for cover.  The female will need somewhere to hide.  Plants may be either live or fake, but live is recommended as it will help keep the nitrogen levels down in your fry tank.
  • Glass chimney to keep female in while male is building nest.  You can make one out of a 2 liter cola bottle by cutting off the top and bottom and poking a few holes for water flow.  Make sure there are no sharp edges anywhere.
  • Indian Almond Leaf, optional but very recommended.  Regulates pH, acts as an antibiotic, and gets your fish in the mood, what more can you ask for?  Can be found for very cheap.
  • A Styrofoam cup cut lengthwise. 
  • Sponge filter for breeding tank.  May also use power filters that have a very low setting.  A piece of pantyhose should be put over the intake so no fry are sucked into the filter.
  • Fry food.  When they are first born they will need something such as microworms, vinegar eels, infusoria, or powdered or liquid fry food. When they grow a bit they will need baby brine shrimp.  You will need baby brine shrimp eggs, non iodized salt, and two brine shrimp hatcheries.
  • An antifungal in case of breeding wounds
  • 100+ jars for potential males
  • A home for your fry.  Whether your family and friends would be interested in fry, or you plan on selling them to your local pet shop, make sure you have somewhere for them to go once they are 3-5 months old.

Conditioning The Pair

Above: A dark bodied female with breeding stripes and a light bodied female full of eggs.

It is very important that the pair be conditioned before you attempt breeding them.  To do this, you need to introduce your fish by putting their tanks next to each other for a few minutes a day. For two weeks before you attempt breeding, the pair should be fed live or frozen food. These protein rich foods will get them ready for mating.

The female is ready when she is so fat with eggs she looks like she swallowed a marble, her ovipositor is showing (white dot between pelvic fins) and has vertical stripes.  Both fish must be very healthy in order to breed. If they are even slightly ill the stress of breeding might kill them.

Setup

  • Make sure breeding tank is clean.  Rinse out several times with hot water just to make sure.
  • Fill tank halfway with conditioned water. Add heater and set to 80F.
  • Add plants, make sure you wash them well before you add them to the tank.
  • Cut a Styrofoam cup lengthwise and float against glass.  Tape to glass so it doesn't wander.  This will give the male somewhere to build his nest.  Also float a piece of Indian Almond Leaf on top of the water.

Adding the pair

  • Once everything is setup, add the male to the water.  Give him a day or two to become comfortable with the new tank.
  • Once the male is comfortable, add the female in the center of the tank in the glass chimney so that they cannot come in contact with each other.
  • The male will flare and the female will flare back.  If the female at any point while in the breeding tank changes from vertical stripes (up and down) to horizontal (front to back) then remove her.  She is not ready as she is too afraid of the male and you will have to try another female.
  • Once the male has a sizable bubble nest and the female is acting submissive by swimming with her nose pointed to the floor when he comes to see her, you can let the female out.
  • Make sure you keep an eye on them during this time, or you will have a dead fish.
  • Some nipping and chasing is to be expected, but if you think it is a bit too much or your fish is in danger, separate them.  You can either put the female back in the chimney and try again with letting him settle down, or you can abort, it is based on your judgment and knowledge of your fish's personalities.
  • If the female does not approve of the bubblenest, she will destroy it. You can either place her back in the chimney or leave her free swimming.  Some females will help the male rebuild the nest.

The Spawning

photo credit: Natalie Kilpatrick
  • Now comes the fun part, the female will swim under the bubblenest and the male will wrap around her to squeeze the eggs out.
  • The eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank and the male will swim down and pick them up and place them in the nest.  The female will look dead after the embrace.  She is just stunned.
  • There will be a few embraces to get all of the eggs.  Once they are finished the male will begin to chase the female away from the nest.  You should remove the female at this time without disturbing the nest.
  • The male will tend the nest, picking up the eggs that fall and putting them back in.  After 36-48 hrs you will see the little betta tails hanging from the nest. 
    • Some people feed their males during this time and some don't saying it makes them eat the eggs.  If the male strays from the nest, try feeding him, he may be searching for food.
  • Once the fry are free swimming (swimming horizontally instead of hanging from the nest), remove the male.
  • The male will most likely look sad and depressed.  This can be helped by putting him in sight of the female.

Feeding The Fry

  • 4th day - 5th day after hatching: Infusoria, microworms, vinegar eels, liquid or powdered fry food, egg yolk mixture, baby brine shrimp
  • 6th day - 25th day after hatching: baby brine shrimp & previous food
  • 26th day - 35th day after hatching: brine shrimp & adult betta food
  • after 36th day: Adult betta food