Betta Breeding

Betta breeding is easy and fun if you know how. If you are new to betta breeding it might sometimes confuse the hell out of you. You might think that the male betta and the female are not compatible. But, you might wonder why the male is not compatible with every female if you do not understand the courtship or ritual carried out by betta during betta breeding.

Though betta breeding might not make lots of money for the average hobbyist, but it is certainly known as one of the easiest tropical fish to breed in captivity. And it really give you endless enjoyment just to watch the pair of betta fish engaging in the "ritual fight", laying and fertilizing the eggs. Breeding techniques might be different between hobbyist and hobbyist. However, there is really no "best way" to breed a betta. Many methods have been successful over the years, but there is always room for new ideas as far as breeding experts are concerned especially professional breeders who really rely on breeding betta for a living.

Bettas breed in two different ways. Species such as the banded betta (Betta taeniata) and the painted betta (Betta picta) are mouthbrooders. Other bettas such as the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) breed with the aid of a bubble nest that is built exclusively by the male.

Betta Breeding: Mouthbrooders Betta Fish
In a mouthbrooder's native habitat, swift currents prevent the betta from successfully building bubble nests. Instead, the male carries the eggs in his mouth, where they are incubated until they hatch. A single spawning among these species can produce as many as 100 eggs.
During spawning, the female and male will embrace and eggs will be deposited on the male's anal fin. Shortly after, the female will "scoop them up" and deposit them into her mate's waiting mouth. This cycle is then repeated until all of her eggs have been expelled. After spawning is complete, the female should be removed from the breeding tank and placed in isolation so that she can recuperate.
The bettas' eggs will remain in the male's mouth for about five days until they hatch. After the young fry have released themselves from their father's mouth, they are on their own and will not receive any further parental care. At this time, the male should be removed from the tank because he may be tempted to devour his own young.

Betta Breeding: Nest Builders Betta Fish
The second form of breeding involves the construc­tion of a bubble nest. This type of breeding is common among Betta splendens and other species
such as the peaceful betta (Betta imbellis). The eggs of these nest builders are heavier than water and will sink because they do not contain any oil that can be used as a flota­tion device.
After the female has expelled all the eggs, the male catches them as they drift down through the water, spit­ting them into the bubble nest before they sink to the bottom. This amusing "catching and spitting" game will continue until all of the eggs are hatched.
A single spawning can produce as many as 300 eggs at one time that will hatch in about two days. The male betta should be removed from the tank after the hatch­ing process is complete.

To take a closer look at reproduction strategies and techniques among the bubble nest builders, pls go to betta breeding.