How hard is it to breed fighter fish love fish

 

 

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My first attempt went no where. My second attempt with another pair was an overwhelming success.  The male hatched over 300 fry. I should have culled them right down as that many is way too much to look after. They thrived and the majority survived. 

Ikept the pair in tanks next to each other and fed them up on live blood worms and  brine shrimp. When the male started constantly flaring at the female and the female was plump and showing interest I transferred them to a bare bottom tank with floating plants and a sheet of bubble wrap on top of the water. I had a glass funnel and put the female in that in the males tank. They could see each other clearly but the female was safe. Eventually I let her out and several hours later she wanted back in so I took her out and put her back in the funnel. Next day I released her again and the couple bred . I took her out of the tank and left the male in

I saw a few eggs and was happy with that but little did I know how many eggs there were. Once they hatched I left the male in for a few days then took him out. I hatched fresh baby brine shrimp and fed them four times a day - with so many babies it was hard to keep up the brine shrimp so I started to give them chopped up black worms as well. Then I added cubes of freeze dried bloodworms and eventually live black worms while still hatching fresh brine shrimp everyday. It was a lot of work for so many babies . It was beginners luck and a well conditioned breeding pair I would say. 

Hi @ineke 

Any specifics on water parameters, lighting, environment, etc... for breeding betas?

@Cesar I kept mine in tap water  TDS around 250. PH I kept a bit lower around 6.5 . I had no gravel, floating plants , a very low flow sponge filter, temp 27, no light during the breeding cycle, I kept the female in a tank next to the male so they could see each other, I fed lots of live food -blood worms, daphnia, brine shrimp . Once the female was in good condition- nice and plump and showing interest in the male I put her in a glass funnel in his tank. i let her out for short periods each day -I lifted the funnel so she could get out if she wanted. i watched and if he was too amourous for her I again lifted the funnel and she quickly shot back into it by herself. After several false starts I left her in overnight and the next morning she was hiding while he was busy spitting eggs back under the bubble wrap i had floating on top of the water. 

I think Although I had prepared the pair well it was truly beginners luck. I just fed well, kept the tank clean and didn't interfere too much. I think I put a journal up somewhere here but can't remember -it was quite detailed but it was also several years ago my main love was and still is my shrimp.

 

Thank you!

I had a similar experience with lamp eye tetras, just curious I suppose...

I took a group of females and placed them in a ten gallon bare bottom tank. I used a hang on filter and replaced the charcoal with peat to release tannins and adjust water parameters...

I fed tons of live black worms and they grew huge...

Then I scooped them out and placed a mesh net that floated just above the bottom of the tank with holes large enough to let the eggs fall through...

Then added the females and now also males back in to the tank...

Next day, I had sooo many eggs, it was a lot of work feeding the tiny fry, as they grew I moved them to the 65 gallon tank and it turned out to be a very nice large school...

That was years ago, wish I had taken pictures like you did back then...