Things You'll Need
- Adult pair of betta fish
- 10-gallon aquarium, with a minimum height of 5 inches
- 1 fluid oz. bottle of chlorine neutralizer
- Plastic corner box filter
- Filter floss
- 2-foot-long plastic air tube, 0.75-inch diameter
- Heater
- Two small glass jars
- Plastic pegs
- Thin plastic leaf
- Eight to 10 plastic plants
- Commercial food for adult betta food
- Commercial food for fry (baby fish) of egg layers
Instructions
Place a 10-gallon aquarium that is at least 5 inches deep, on a stand. Fill the tank with tap water and add chlorine remover.
Place filter floss into a corner box filter. Place one end of a 0.75-inch diameter plastic air line on the vertical inlet pipe of the box filter. Attach the opposite end of the 0.75-inch- diameter air line to the nozzle of an air pump. Place the filter into the aquarium and turn on the pump.
Set the aquarium heater to 82 degrees Farenheit and position it against the aquarium glass, using the adhesive suction cups.
Place two small glass bottles in the aquarium. Secure each bottle to the rim of the aquarium with a plastic peg. Fill each bottle with aquarium water.
Purchase a male and female betta which possess the colors and fin shapes for which you would like to breed. Choose bettas younger than 12 months. Place the male and female fish into their own bottle. Put the bottles next to each other, so the fish can see one another. Leave the bettas for seven to 10 days to let them become accustomed to each other.
Lay a thin plastic leaf on the surface of the water to help the male construct his bubble nest. Place a clump of aquatic plants into the aquarium so the female can hide if the male becomes too aggressive.
Notice when the female fish becomes heavy with roe (eggs.) She will have a visibly rounded abdomen at this point, which indicates she is ready to release her eggs. Place the male and female together in the 10-gallon aquarium after the initial seven- to 10-day introduction period.
Watch the male construct his bubble nest. Observe the male bending his body around the female. He will release his milt as she begins to release her eggs. Remove the female once she has released her eggs, as the male fish typically become aggressive at this point.
Use a plastic in-line tap to reduce the amount of air produced by the vibrator pump, so the filter continues to function, but the water movement does not disturb the bubble nest and eggs.
Leave the eggs to hatch. The fry will hatch in one to two days and will feed from their yolk sacks for two days after hatching. Remove the male on the fourth day. At this stage the fry will be free-swimming. Both the male and female can be placed in your display tanks or returned to your fish dealer.
Feed the fry twice daily on day-old brine shrimp or commercial fry powder for egg layers. Observe the colors of the young fish and the shape of their fins, as they grow. Keep only those fish which possess the fin shapes and exhibit the color or color combinations you want. Breed the young females back to their father to strengthen the qualities that you have chosen. Keep only those fish from each spawning which exhibit the correct fin shapes and colors. Continue to breed, until you have obtained the exact physical characteristics that you require.