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My new Bettas


ineke

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dumbos_zpsbjy6cmha.jpg
Half moon dumbo plakats. Not quite what I wanted but still very nice,  now I need to introduce long fins to the mix. The female has diamond eye which I didn't realise is a genetic defect from dragon scale blood - feel free to correct   me on  this but this  is what I have been told. The pair are unrelated coming from Tibetta and Preecha lines - I have been told the gene shouldn't be passed on but that remains to be seen. I will try 1 spawn and see what happens. The photo is not mine but is the actual fish I won on auction


 

Edited by ineke
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This pair were given to me my a breeder here in Adelaide they are Black Orchid Crown Tail plakats- they were given through the area 7  International Betta Scheme where breeders give newcomers a pair of Bettas to start breeding. these are F2 Black Orchids  Australian Bred.

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this is the male -best picture I could get

 

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The female showing the lovely irids- I think that's what they are called- the blue colour between the fins-

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another side on picture- the flash has washed out her colour she is VERY black they both are very beautiful fish

 

she was full of eggs in that picture -I have them both in a spawning tank today and things are going well.

They live in a 30cm cube each and yes that is Benibachi substrate but not a very thick layer its on top of mable chips. i did that because my tap water is at least 7.5 and my RO is 6.5 I'm using a mix of the 2 but want to keep the ph below 7. They seem happy in this mixture ,eating well live black worms ,frozen worms , freeze dried worms, frozen brine shrimp, different types of Betta pellets and an occassional pea!

Edited by ineke
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Very beautiful Bettas Ineke, good luck propagating them. That female is chock full of eggs - I thought she had dropsy at first glance!! 

 

How come you're using marble chips at all? It seems to me that all they'll do is potentially raise the pH and hardness, at odd with what I expect you're trying to achieve. 

 

I have little experience with splendens type Bettas but did breed and raise some crown tails years ago when they were a new thing. I bred them over bare glass because as far as I know, any eggs that fall during spawning can be lost in the substrate. I've bred a couple of other bubblenesters (not Betta sp) over bare glass as well, worked great each time. 

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The gravel is an inert gravel I forget the name - it's not marble chips but I couldn't think what it was- I blame it on a seniors moment because I can- it used to be for my cherries so definitely inert. The tanks they are in are their living quarters not the spawn tank. I have a 20" bare bottom tank with approx 6" water in it with a small amount of moss in a corner, a floating plant, half a foam cup for the bubble nest , a plastic drink bottle with top and bottom cut off and holes drilled in it for a safe place for the female to get used to the male , a small cave for her to hide in. It has a heater and a sponge filter which won't be used until the fry are free swimming also a night light for the male to see the eggs at night. I think I have it covered. I have vinegar eels for the first few days then it will be BBS until they can manage worms and other food.

The guy that gave me the blacks went through just about everything he could think of for a successful spawn so here's hoping.

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I think what you refer to as diamond eye is when the "dragon-scales" grow they are quite thick and gradually move over the eyes eventually causing blindness. This isn't a problem if you don't move the tank decor and have a feeding routine where the betta knows where you'll be putting food in and when. 

I had a dragon-scale betta and didn't manage to establish this routine before he went completely blind and he eventually starved to death. :unhappy:  

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She only has one eye with the scale on it. I didn't realise they were a dragon scale pair. Anyway if she isn't any good for breeding I will keep her as a pet . I will keep in mind about her going blind if the other eye were to be affected but I think they are born with it. I wouldn't like to be responsible for breeding a defect into a line so we shall see what happens on the first spawn.

I shall have to cull any babies with it or give them away as pet only if she does pass it on.

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Very nice Ineke..... Beautiful betta and better(see how I did that) than 95% of the stock that you see in the lfs.

I think you have to start a line somewhere it's almost impossible to get show winning quality without any flaws first up. Where you go from the starting point up to you.

Edited by inverted
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Disagree inverted.

One thing I stand by is lfs get in amazing bettas.

Aquabid/imported bettas normally are horrible for showing.

All the crazy/wacky colours may look good to the eye, but by ibc standards are rather poor.

First Vic Betta ibc show we won reserve best of show female, with a female we bought for $7 from a lfs.

Main issue with shops is how some keep them doesn't make them appealing.

Boronia aquarium are probably the best example of keeping bettas in great condition.

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I think you'd know better than me....

I just know what I like to see. Why do the Thais breed these beautiful fish and the shops only sell the same old fish we've been seeing for decades? Are you saying I should buy a red veiltail :D

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Stores have access to it all, ai bring in some great quality fish, same with aquatic solutions.

Main problem is how does a shop justify to Joe blow that getting a nice half moon is worth $50 or so when a vt is $10.

Boronia aquarium are best for quality males at good prices.

The Thais breed all crazy colours, but fin form normally has a lot to be desired.

My favourite bettas I've ever owned have all come from Australian wholesalers. And every betta we have bred, minus one from an ibc show, has been from Australian wholesale bettas. No need to pay $100 for a pair, enjoy the chase of the amazing fish.

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Yeah I second that lodo. The shops have access to virtually all the amazing fish that reach our shores legally and anyone can check the stocklist at AI or Bay to check what is currently available. It's usually a good indication of the general availability of things in this country. If something is on that list then don't let a shop tell you they "can't get it in". What they should say is "we don't want to get it in" or "we don't want to help you".  

A good LFS that will take care of you is worth alot; a shop that won't is worthless. If "Joe Blow" wants to pay $50 for a half moon then his retail supplier should be willing to support that; furthering the hobby is good for the whole industry while allowing someones keen interest to stagnate is bad for it. 

 

When I worked at Boronia we always did the best we could with our fighters and it's nice to hear that is still the case there. 

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I have to agree as well. The actual Betta that started my quest was a shop bought one- to my eye it was beautiful- I don't know how good a specimen it actually is but thats what appealed to me- shame it was a Tasmanian shop. I check out our local shops quite often but they keep getting the same type all the time- I guess they buy what sells. 

I have noticed an improvement in the care given to most of the Bettas- still a couple of shops with substandard care- but mostly they are kept clean and in heated tanks- again if they keep them with heaters and decent tanks people may realise they should buy these accessories so it's in the shops interest to use the right things . It's a shame people seem to think of Bettas as a throw away item. Buy one in spring keep it until it dies of cold next winter and then buy a new one, the standard answer is the petshop said they are OK kept the way they are- no heaters and small bowls. I have had discussions about it with aquaintances who do  this yearly- i can't get them to understand that keeping the Betta in better conditions is actually cheaper than buying new ones all the time. I better get off my soapbox here! 

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The black pair look much nicer in the flesh. A very deep black with the blue/ green in between the fins. Brenton Tomlinson culls his fish very heavily and only ends up with a small number that he feels are good enough to breed with. I was lucky to get them he usually has a waiting list for his fish but as I'm local to him I jumped the queue

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They're all stunners! Looking forward to the pictures of baby bettas growing!

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I have a 20" bare bottom tank with approx 6" water in it with a small amount of moss in a corner, a floating plant, half a foam cup for the bubble nest , a plastic drink bottle with top and bottom cut off and holes drilled in it for a safe place for the female to get used to the male , a small cave for her to hide in. It has a heater and a sponge filter which won't be used until the fry are free swimming also a night light for the male to see the eggs at night. I think I have it covered. I have vinegar eels for the first few days then it will be BBS until they can manage worms and other food.

The guy that gave me the blacks went through just about everything he could think of for a successful spawn so here's hoping.

 

Sorry Ineke forgot to respond to this... Yep sounds great, I think you have it covered too. The foam cup is a great idea and in fact I did use one too. I used a large glass jar to introduce the female in and it took a few goes putting her in before they were properly happy with each other. 

The night light is a great idea when breeding any fish that provide parental care. 

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Unfortunately attempts with both pairs led nowhere. They seemed interested even wrapped a few times but then the boys started chasing the girls and really getting stuck into them. The girls hid and wouldn't go back under the nest so in the end I took them out. ( I did them seperately of course not both pairs inthe tank at the same time). I think A) I rushed the conditioning and B) I'm too soft and took the girls out too soon. I have given them a few days rest and have started feeding live black worms and other high protein food and will set a tank up again next week. In the mean time I will watch more videos and read up on them a bit more. They all seem ok and the damage to the fins isn't too bad. The girls are being treated with melafix for a week then will do a big water change for them. I am a bit worried about my salamnder girl with the diamond eye- it only covers 1 eye but I think I can see thickening over the other eye although the eye is clear. I will breed her once and use any females progeny but if any show up with diamond  eye i will not use them again. I hope she doesn't end up blind and would hate to inflict it on a whole new generation. I have been told you can use oil of cloves as a very genlte way to euthanise and I will do that if I have to -just hope it doesn't get to that.

I am still waiting to see if I have won the male on Betta4 Betta auction that ends Thursday morning. I will also need to find a replacement girl for my diamond eye one.

THEN I might have to look for a Betta Barracks - I have seen some nice large ones -not the little ones used in the shops - will need to save a bit of money first but think it would be a good way to keep the boys.

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I find the term diamond eye seems to be a way to push a fault to be fancy :s only been coming up recently.

Seen scaled eyes for a while though.

Spawning will come. We generally condition for at least a week before even introducing female to the male. Then we put her in jar to see the male.

Main thing with bettas everyone does it differently so keep experimenting until you find a way that works for you

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Thanks lodo I have so much to learn about Betta but everyone has said the same there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong way as long as they are healthy and given the right conditions. I will setup the breeding tank again but I will make it a little less sterile this time, a few more leafy plants and better hiding places. I followed the instructions given to me by a breeder but it was very naked just a jar for her, a heater a sponge filter- not on yet- and a half foam cup plus I put in one floating plant. I will soften it up with a few bunches of leafy plants. It might not be needed but it will make me feel happier!

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Thanks for that I have plenty of moss. As long as it stays fun it's all good. If they spawn that will be great if not I will enjoy them for the beauties they are. It would just be nice to experience it at least once and then of course the hard part of keeping the fry alive. I'm prepared as I can be .

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This is where breeding vts to begin with is always a great tip.

Spawning is much harder than people think, and when it's expensive fish it makes it very easy to loose hope and throw the towel in before you even get started.

My first spawn was vts and I still reckon were amazing looking fry.

I may put one of our spawn logs on here to spread how we spawn

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That would be great there are quite a few Betta keepers here and any info about peoples experience is always well read. Look forward to it.

 

I have recently been told that the plakats are much fiestier fish to breed. I will find out tomorrow if I win my longfin male and will use him with my girl. I do need to invest in a few more girls though - normal halfmoon or veiltails.

 

I'm trying to find a secondhand betta barracks -the larger type not the really small tank type - but not having much luck - looks like I need to save my pennies -or sell some shrimp - so I can buy a new one. There are plenty for sale everywhere except SA and too expensive to have them shipped from interstate if I can even find someone willing to ship. But that's putting the horse before the cart- I need to breed before I need more space -I have enough spare tanks to set up but don't want tanks in every room of the house- well I do but don't think hubby will want them everywhere although I can use some space in his computer room he said -which is nice of him!

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Just thought I would share my excitement this weekend. I put my dumbos together again and within 3 hours we had eggs. It was all very text book - everything that was supposed to happen happened. The next day I thought the eggs were lost I couldn't see any and the nest appeared broken however I didn't want to disturb anything so left it alone. Eventually I looked under the bubble wrap my boy had used to build his nest - I looked from outside I didn't touch the tank- and sure enough the boy had moved the eggs to underneath and there appeared to be a good number. This morning there are tails hanging down - again just as all the info says I just can't believe my luck. The hard bit will be when the boy comes out and I take over. I have vinegar eels ready for the first few days, brine shrimp cysts on hand to hatch and some ocean nutrition brine shrimp in suspension incase my brine shrimp don't hatch. I'm ready as I can be just do a bit more research as to when I start feeding I think it's day 3 after they are free swimming because they have their egg sacs to live on .?

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