How to Breed Siamese

Siamese fighting fish, which are commonly known as Betta fish, are usually housed separately in small aquariums. The colorful and flowing finned breed is originally from southeast Asia, according to the Betta Fish Center. The fish were found in rice fields and freshwater streams and were actually used for fighting competitions. The fish were first introduced into America in 1910. You can easily breed your own Siamese fighting fish. They are already sexed and sold separately at pet stores, and you can certainly breed them for their variety of colors.

Things You'll Need

  • Male Betta fish in an aquarium
  • Female Betta fish in an aquarium
  • Aquarium drops
  • Aquarium thermometer
  • PH testing strips
  • Brine shrimp
  • Tubificid worms
  • Betta flakes
  • 5-gallon aquarium
  • Java moss
  • Small net
  • Clean jar
  • 10 inches of string
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase young Siamese fighting fish, less than a year old, from a reputable fish pet store. Purchase a male and a female that are easy to sex. Males typically are more colorful with larger fins, and females are smaller with less pronounced fins. House them separately in their own aquariums.

    • 2

      Use only distilled water or add aquarium drops to each tank's water to remove chlorine and other impurities. Be sure the water temperature is roughly 80 degrees F, since the fish are from a warm climate. Keep the room they are housed in warm, which should regulate the temperature of the water.

    • 3

      Test the pH of each tank's water with pH testing strips. Ideally, the water should be a 7.0 for good breeding conditions. If the aquarium water is far from 7.0 or neutral, change the water and add the appropriate amount of aquarium drops. Check the manufacturer's instructions.

    • 4

      Feed them a mixture of live food, such as brine shrimp and tubificid worms, and Betta flake food, from the pet store. Give a pinch of food two times a day. The fish should eat all the food within a few minutes or you are overfeeding them, which can cause their tanks to become dirty quickly.

    • 5

      Set up a larger aquarium at least 5 gallon with neutral water at 80 degrees F. Place Java moss into the tank. A large tank will allow plenty of room for the fish to chase each other during mating, and the plants give adequate hiding places for the female. Place the male Betta fish into the new tank with a small net. Let it adjust to the new tank for 24 hours.

    • 6

      Introduce the female Betta by placing it in a clean glass jar with water, suspended at the top of the aquarium. Tie string around the top of the jar and secure it to something outside the aquarium. Upon seeing the female, the male should start to blow a bubble nest to house the eggs. He will also swim over the female to show himself to her.

    • 7

      Look for vertical bars forming on female Siamese fighting fish. When females are ready to mate, their scales darken and the stripes appear. Release the female into the larger aquarium. The male and female will chase each other, and fighting may occur.

    • 8

      Observe the male wrap himself around the female. This is how the fish breed. The female will then release her eggs and the male will place the eggs into the bubble nest it created. Remove the female after mating with the small nest and place it back into its own tank. The male is the one who will tend to the eggs.

    • 9

      Remove the male after 48 hours when the eggs have hatched to prevent it from eating the babies.