Common Questions From Hobbyist
I decided to add a question and answer section on my blog. I often get questions from hobbyist about bettas ranging from disease treatment to breeding. In this section I will post answers to these commonly asked questions. I believe this will be a good source to learn about bettas. If you have a question contact me at bettastars@gmail.com. Sometimes I get swamped with questions so please be patient. I will try my best to go through them.
3/11/2014 Katrina
"I have two betta that I am trying to breed. I did your tip before breeding but, when I put them in the tank (she was in the jar him out around) he doesn't make a bubble nest and ignores her what should I do? If need I can buy different one (female or male) Thanks, Katrina"
Sometimes the pair is not compatible, meaning they just do not like each other (kinda like your first blind date, he/she was not what you expected). However, you do not know this until they are introduced into the same tank. Some males take longer than others to start a bubble nest. He may be inspecting his new surroundings looking for a place to build a nest. Or he is just too focused on the female at the moment. During this time he may be darting back and forth with excitement. He may think, "Do I show her how handsome I look? Or should I find a spot to build my bubble nest?" If they are conditioned and the breeding tank is setup correctly chances are they will spawn.
Keeping the female in the jar gives him a head start on the bubble nest. Sometimes I release the female into the tank even though the male has yet started on the nest. He may build one later. As long as the female has plenty of places to hide she will be fine. Keep the tank covered and give them privacy. If they feel spooked or thtreatened they will be reluctant to spawn. Many hobbyist make the mistake of sneaking a quick look into the tank. During this time you need to leave them alone and let nature take its course. Be patient and let the magic happen. After 1-3 days if they have not yet spawned than you can conclude that they are not compatible. Or simply put it, the conditions provided is not ideal for breeding. Hope this helps.
4/18/2014
Krystal
I need some advice. I think I am ready to try my hand at breeding a pair of my bettas. I would like to use either my double tail plakat male or my silver dragon male, but I don't know how to pick a female for them. Is it okay to breed a HM female to a DTHMPK male? Also...I have a CT mustard gas male and a CT red white and blue marble female. Would they make a good match? I want colorful babies, but I don't know the first thing about crossing their colors.Also, how do I condition them? Should I only feed them live food? And if so, what? I know you had success with your dragons, so I would value your input very much! :)
I have not done a lot of crossing myself. You will get a combination of both traits from the parents. However, I am not sure the exact % of the combo results (Any Bio majors reading this blog please fill me in). Dominant and recessive genes also come into play. Don't be surprise if you breed a blue and white betta and some red shows up in the fries. If you are looking to breed a certain color it is best to pick a sibling pair with the same geno type. Crossing to get a desired combo color is not an easy task. It is only recommended for season pros.
Some hobbyist are not concerned about the color outcome. I think it is fun to cross colors to see how the fries will come out. You will get a lot of interesting looking fries. Pick your favorite colors and have some fun with it.
I do not recommend crossing strains. The reason is the fries will not fit into any category such as hm, hmpk, ct and so forth. This is bad because you will need to find homes for hundreds of fries. Not many people look for cross strains. As a result you may need to take care of them all or flush a few down the toilet. In short cross colors but not strains.
When conditioning your bettas I recommend live foods such as Daphnia and blood worms. Frozen foods work as well if you cannot get live foods. Give them plenty to eat and water changes every couple of days. The pair will condition better if they are allowed to see each other on a daily basis. Good luck!!
