How to Breed Beta Fish

For many people, the betta fish is their first introduction to the aquarium hobby. These fish are capable of breathing air, and that allows them to be kept in fish bowls and desktop display vases as well as in aquariums. If you want to try your hand at breeding betta fish you can. Betta fish are more difficult to breed than live bearers like guppies and platies but not as difficult as many other egg-laying species.

Things You'll Need

  • 5-10 gallon aquarium
  • PVC piping
  • Plants
  • Aquarium heater
  • Thermometer
  • Styrofoam cup
  • Yellow plastic lid
  • Bubble wrap
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a 5 to 10 gallon aquarium halfway. Do not put any gravel on the bottom of the tank. Add a few hiding places, using PVC piping and plants. Floating plants like water sprite and Java moss are both excellent choices for the betta spawning tank.

    • 2

      Select your male and female betta based on your criteria and the recommendations of other betta breeders. You can also ask the staff at your favorite aquarium shop for recommendations and help choosing breeding stock.

    • 3

      Add a heater to the tank if the water drops below 75 degrees. If the water is too cold the bettas may not spawn. Bettas often spawn better in water that is about 82 degrees, so a heater is a good idea.

    • 4

      Cut a Styrofoam cup in half. You will use this as the nesting site for the bettas. It is easy to see the fry against the white background of the cup. Some hobbyists also use a yellow plastic lid as a nesting site, since many bettas like to choose a round and yellowish spot to lay their eggs. Bubble wrap is an excellent choice as well, since it looks so similar to the natural nest male bettas build in the wild.

    • 5

      Place the male betta in the aquarium. Float the cup, lid, bubble wrap or other proposed nesting site in the tank and allow him to explore and examine it.

    • 6

      Put the female betta in a jar filled with water (with the lid off, of course), then float that jar in the tank. This gives the male betta a chance to see the female without disturbing her or becoming too aggressive.

    • 7

      Watch for the male to display his fins to the female and the female to respond by turning a darker color and displaying the bars on her sides. At this point the male betta should begin building a nest by blowing bubbles and sticking them to the nesting site you have provided.

    • 8

      Place the female into the tank with the male. The female generally goes into hiding while the male completes the nest. When the spawning begins the female will deposit her eggs into the nest the male has carefully constructed. When spawning is completed the female will return to her chosen hiding place.

    • 9

      Remove the female from the tank and leave the male in place. The male will care for the nest and rebuild any bubbles that have burst. Watch for the newly hatched fry to emerge from their bubbles. When the fry start to hatch add a small amount of fry food to the water to give them the extra nutrition they need. If you have live plants in the tank those plants can provide nutrients as well.