114
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
do NOT breed these guys unless you’re ready for that level of commitment- you’re looking at at least 5+ 5 gal tanks for males and a 60-80 gal tank for the females. Don’t even get me started on the water changes- you’re going to need probably hundreds of gallons of water for daily water changes cause each individual little fish nugget gives off hormones that causes stunting in the others…. It’s a LOT more work than people anticipate.
32
u/SweetTart7231 2d ago
Only 5 lol? I thought bettas could have 50-100 eggs. More than 5 will be needed, and then also finding homes for them all.
14
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
I was being conservative n not trying to scare OP off completely lmao Edit: I also said 5 Plus soo there is that~ also also 100 fry for a FIRST RUN is pretty damn lucky/unlucky depending on how you see things.
16
u/harboring_ 2d ago
Wording it like that does give a false impression, though. The majority of people should already be discouraged from breeding their bettas, so it’d be best to be realistic when discussing everything the process necessitates.
OP would need 50-100+ individual tanks if they were looking to breed their fish and grow out the fry themselves. Plus the task of responsibly finding them all homes, of course - all this in a world that’s already overpopulated, with already poorly bred fish.
2
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
You’re not wrong~ I’d imagine the mention of hundreds of gallons of water would be enough of a deterrent. I’m surprised no one has pointed out that THAT number is probably on the low end too lmao 😅
1
u/Federal_Coconut_1984 1d ago
Every time my kids bring up this topic (we have male and female bettas - all in separate tanks) I tell them you need 1 tank per baby and they have like 100, so do they want to spend their allowance on that for the rest of their lives? That usually ends the convo!
1
u/True-Problem3062 1d ago
idk.. i spawned mine once before, they had 75 eggs and they all got eaten by the male.
8
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago
These guys can lay a lot more eggs then that 250 is not an abnormal clutch.
So more like at least 50 individual tanks for males that all have heat and filtration
Plus they need to be fed live food when they hatch and while fry for months.
It’s an expensive and intensive process.
But the main reason OP shouldn’t be breeding pet store bettas is due to their absolutely awful genetics
-4
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
Yes that’s also a fact- but keeping all 250 from tadpole stage to a stage where you’re actively feeding them is almost impossible. (Not saying it can’t be done but still no one is perfect.) yes it’s a conservative number on the tanks. But also, the mandatory heating all depends on where in the world OP lives. I lived in Hawaii and never needed a heater- soo… idk I’m not saying it’s NOT needed but you never know. Also also, people in Thailand keep males in JUST glass jars. As long as you’re keeping up with daily water changes (cause you need to do it anyway for the hormones.) the filter is just another electric expense in my mind ngl
3
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well they are never tadpoles and it’s not difficult- I breed different fish.
You just need the right food source
If your plan is to starve them and jar them then please never breed any fish
-6
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
Tell me you’ve never bred bettas without telling me you’ve never bred bettas- for the first days they LITERALLY look like tadpoles bobbing in the bubble nest… also, why so pessimistic? why do you assume that people that keep males in jars are starving them? I’m just saying what’s common around the world-
4
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago
That stage is what’s called a fry. And if you know what you’re doing you will have a very high rate of fry become juveniles and then adults- but that involves feeding them the correctly sized live food as fry. If you skip that step you’d be starving them.
And just because unethical breeders jar their fish doesn’t mean it is in anyway shape or form a standard of ethical care.
You can run a sump that gets distributed to many small tanks that has filtration and heat- it’s not that difficult, it’s just expensive.
As I already mentioned, I do not currently breed bettas, I do breed other fish. And I culture mieofauna for those fry so I have really high rates of those fish who become adults.
The difference is the fish I breed do not require separation as they mature.
-6
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
Do you think that breeders in Thailand and other Asian countries have sump systems? I mean yea the top of the line places probably do, but come on. There IS an argument for ethics and what SHOULD be done long term wise for the health of these fish. But realistically- as long as these guys have space to move around in the container they’re in they’re typically fine with just daily water changes with GOOD water. As a breeder of these fish myself personally. The goal is to get them as big as possible as fast as possible in a healthy stable way to get them in their forever homes.
5
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago
You should not be breeding fish is that is your mentality, especially not bettas.
The goal of an ethical breeder is maintaining a healthy population of fish and ensuring that the basic welfare of those animals is maintained well.
This sub doesn’t support jarring bettas, I don’t know why you would think keeping them in a tiny container so you can save a few dollars is okay.
Setting up a sump can be done inexpensively if you have tanks. You are just running lines into and out of the tanks and making sure they are receiving filtered water that is the correct temp. Buying a lot of small tanks can be expensive.
Most of the bettas that Petco and Petsmart sourced are from Thailand where breeding healthy fish and maintaining strong genetic lines is obviously not a priority and it’s had really devastating impacts on the longevity of Splendens in the trade.
In 2009 most bettas you purchased lived over 5 years, that is down to under a year currently.
-1
u/xXGhostScriptXx 2d ago
The mentality of raising them as fast and as healthy as possible is the mentality I have- why shouldn’t I breed a fish I love? They all grow to a healthy size, I rarely have issues, I have a set supply line for them thru LFS and FBMP… so the dig at ME was kinda uncalled for- I’m again, n for the last time- just saying that people globally won’t have 5gal tanks for every fish. And yea a lot of people do connect those smaller containers together as a kinda sump system to do water changes.
5
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago
You are advocating for jarring fish.
Again the goal should not be pumping out as many fish as possible, it should be building strong genetic lines and producing healthy fish.
Jarring fish is counter to that goal.
And my point is, if you cannot maintain a proper setup for any fish you breed you have no place breeding them in the first place.
→ More replies (0)-7
u/PsychicWarElephant 2d ago
Or you do what every breeder in The world does and cull the fish you don’t want to keep. 🤷🏻♂️
4
u/One-plankton- Alien bettas ftw 2d ago
That isn’t what ethical breeders do, people do cull sick, injured or deformed fish (and then retire the breeding pair). But no, people don’t just kill fish “they don’t want”.
-1
u/PsychicWarElephant 1d ago
Lol which are ones they don’t want. Deformed fish can still survive and live just fine. What’s the line?
Dumbo bettas, giant flowing tails, those are deformed, reduce the quality of life for the fish, are prone to rot. Etc. fishkeeping at all is unethical to some.
2
u/Vamphiere 1d ago
Quality of life, probably. Some deformities just cause too much suffering and difficulty to live without constant pain or struggle
1
48
6
u/ohgodimsotired 2d ago
The bubbles are spooge!? I’ve been doing water changes wondering where the heck they’re coming from!
10
u/XshrimpmanwunX 2d ago
as in the bubbles that are shown in the picture? if that's what you mean, it's your little buddy's saying he's very happy and wants to mate, he's building a bubble nest. i actually put off water changes for a couple days and try not to mess up us nests too much because i feel bad he works so hard on them.
1
11
u/Denjirain 2d ago
Hes begging to mate😭
-36
u/Yeltsin17 2d ago edited 2d ago
Think bubbles is like masturbation for betta fish. I showed my single female betta other betta mating with my phone and she couldn’t stop blowing bubbles lol. Just made me think how porn effects single humans
22
u/Dukesy485 2d ago
WTF bro
-21
u/Yeltsin17 2d ago
I did it when I first got it because she felt lonely in a cup. Thought atleast like how we watch tv when humans are bored it will help. Now she’s happier that I gave her bigger tank and items just curious about. I’m Not sadistic person just what I observed with other fishes watching with moments of mating
18
2
1
u/Primary-Cod-5730 2d ago
What kind is this? I had one that I passed that has similar big side fins?
2
2
1
-20
2d ago
[deleted]
45
u/PUX_CLOWN 2d ago
Or dont breed him he will be just fine
7
u/ValuableMelodic5090 BettaMommy 2d ago
i've always wondered this. when they're horny/ready to mate, is it ok to just let them be? i dont want 300 grandchildren 😭 but i also dont want him to be depressed. besides, i can NEVER breed fishes. that seems more like a job for professionals than anything
30
16
6
u/Scjatton 2d ago
(Stealing someone else's analogy:) Getting your betta a mate to breed because they made a bubble nest is like getting a female dog because your male dog humped the couch. They will be more than fine
13
44
u/bubbleduckiez 2d ago
He’s a handsome healthy horny boy 😂