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    With the help of my high school teacher Mr. Page, I will begin to breed Betta Splendens, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish.  This page will show my progress throughout my little adventure and will include pictures and details of what I have done and what I hope to accomplish while breeding Bettas.  There will also be interesting links, such as my Aquatic Biology class at Hanford High School and other links to Betta information (these sites should be good).  Please visit this site again, I should have  more pictures and information  to make it more interesting.
 

 Betta Color Varieties
 Links To Betta Pages
 Downloadable Master Spawn Record
 Downloadable Master Betta Identification Sheet
 

Information: Betta Splendens

Size: 2.8 in. (7 cm.)

Origin: Southeast Asia (Thailand), usually aquarium bred varieties are available in stores.  The colors are red, green, white, black, blue, and various color mixes.

Habitat: Stagnant and slowly flowing waters, for this reason Bettas should not be kept in water with swift currents.

Sexual Differences: Males are larger, more colorful, and have much more exaggerated finnage.

Tank: A 5 to 10 gallon tank is ideal for breeding or keeping females in, but glass jars or cups work best for keeping males. They can live comfortably in this small space and since males must be kept seperate, they take up less space and make it easy for males to be organized and identified for breeding purposes.

Equipment: A tank bed is optional, but may be useful for plants; decor should include fine plumed foliage and plants as hiding places for females.  Flowerpots also work well for hiding spots.

Water: Temperature- 77 to 82F (25 to 28C)
            Hardness- to 25 dH
            PH- 7
Food: small live and dry foods, live food is the best, and may be necessary to get your bettas to breed. Brine Shrimp, Daphnia, Microworms, Fruit Flies, and Tubifex Worms are excellent choices.
Temperament: Males are aggressive towards each other and to fish that resemble them.  So keep only one male per tank and don't mix fish that have long, colorful fins such as Angelfish, Guppies, and Gouramis.

Reproduction and Rearing:

Tank: 5 gallon tanks are the easiest to work with in my experience, for complete information on how we set up betta breeding tanks in my classroom and raise the fry click here. I have never actually tried using a ten gallon or larger tank but there's no reason why they shouldn't work.

Heater: A 25 to 50 watt submersible heater is ideal for a ten gallon tank. Be sure to have an accurate thermometer so you can check the temperature. The temperature should be kept at 80F (27C).

Filtration: Sponge filtration works well and provides water movement.  Make sure it has been used in a tank with a fish for at least three weeks before putting it in your breeding tank.

Plants: We use fine leaved plants in our spawning tanks such as java moss, be sure to clean it to reduce the chance of introducing any fungus or parasites into the breeding tank. The plants let the female hide from the male after spawning is over so she is not injured or killed by him while he is trying to protect the eggs and also let the fry hide from the male in case he is inclined to eat them.

Water: Temperature- 80F (27C)
            Hardness- to 25 dH
            PH- 7
Breeding age: Fish that are 4 to 8 months old generally make the best breeders, but the can be bred as young as 3 months and as old as 18 months.

    Betta eggs sink so after each spawning, the male picks them up before they reach the ground and deposits them in the bubble nest that he has built.  The male continues to care for the young and maintain the bubble nest until they are free swimming.  After about 36 hours, the spawn should hatch and three days later become free swimming.  Their first food should consist of very small organisms such as Paramecia and Rotifers, a fish food called micropearls has also worked very well in my class and is much more convenient than raising live food to feed to babies, but live food should always be included in their diet. After about five or six days, they are large enough to eat Brine Shrimp or Daphnia larva.  It is possible to raise the fry on dry food alone but they won't develop to their full potential.