For Betta Breeders only Please! Serious answers?

Question

I bought a beautiful male red betta w/ white fins from Wal-mart...I also bought a blue/red female...she is very full of eggs, and he has built a bubble nest...I have them in a "double breeding" tank (removable partition)..(the tank is the size of a regular hex tank that you can buy at Wal-mart)...with the partition in, he courts her(spreading fins and wiggling), and she watches w/vertical lines on her body...when I remove it, he attacks her and her lines become horizontal...is this mating behavior? Is the tank to small? I have a fake plant in "her" side of the tank for her to hide behind. Any suggestions? Any GOOD books on mating behavior? HELP! I don't want him to kill her. Any info will help.

Answer 1

I was having the same problem, so I went on the enternet and found my resours. so go to that website and try reading it. It hrelped me out a lot. you can go on google and search -betta fish; breeding- and there are plenty of sourses for you to find out more information. hope it helps.

Answer 2

First, never buy fish from Wal-Mart. They are never really taken care of by the staff. They only want your money. One male is appropriate for a tank, but you do need at least three females (in case he kills the female you have). Female betta behaviour changes rapidly. I had the same problem when I tried the same thing as you. It is best to let the bettas swim together. Do not seperate unless you house more than one male. I used a 10 gallon aquarium. As far as plants, if you have a plastic one - take it out! It can damage the fins and body. Try to find "silk" plants instead.

Answer 3

Personally I would just leave them alone to get on with it. my bettas bred in a community tank (as did the pink kissers that were in there with them) BUT I did have live water lillis planted in there. The eggs hatched and were microscopically small, creamy dots in the foam nest. You will need infusoria to raise them. Liquifry is ok too. good luck.