To ensure the health of your breeding pair and their offspring, you need to have a healthy, well-prepared breeding tank. I suggest beginning the tank set up at least two weeks prior to your first planned spawning attempt.
The first step is deciding what size tank you plan to use. I use 5 ½ gallon tanks, but for a beginner I recommend a minimum of 10 gallons. It is much easier to control the water perimeters in a larger quantity of water.
The next step is shopping for the required components of the tank. The tank must have a fairly tight fitting cover and a light. You will need to include in the tank a submersible heater, a slow water filter (I recommend a sponge filter) with an air control valve fitted to the airline tubing, and hiding places such as driftwood, plants (live or silk, although I recommend live), caves and other decorative additions that can provide hiding places. I discourage the use of gravel in a spawning tank unless you want to limit the size of your spawn. Eggs will become buried in the gravel and the male is unable to retrieve them.
Next you will need to decide on a "home" for your breeding tank. The ideal spot is somewhere fairly quiet. An unused bedroom, or study would be ideal. Breeding is a very stressful time for a pair of bettas and the need their privacy. A lot of noise, commotion or interference can result in an unsuccessful breeding attempt. Once you figure out which room you are planning to use, you must decide on where in the room to put the tank. It must be on a sturdy surface that will not be needed for at least two months. Once the fry hatch, you will not be able to do a full water change for at least a month and I do not recommend moving them anywhere for at least two months because of the stress that it would cause. The surface should be at least 3 feet off the ground so you will be able to do partial water changes. The tank is heavy and you will not be able to lift it higher in order to get the siphon going. I once made the mistake of putting the tank too low and ended up having to catch more than 50 tiny fry with a turkey baster and it was not fun! It was not only frustrating and time consuming, but I ended up losing more than half of the fry to stress related problems.
Once you have found a home for your spawning tank, it is time to set the tank up and let it run. I usually let a tank run at least a week before adding the male. To set the tank up, position your submersible heater on an angle in one corner of your tank. Set your filter up according to the directions on the package, this too will need to be set on an angle. If you are using a sponge filter, you may encounter problems in this area. The sponge filter tends to float up. To compensate for this, I use a fishing weight and some fishing line, tied to the tubing on the filter and it stays down just fine. You will also need to attach the air control valve to the airline tubing and set it to a very slow trickle. Next add you plants and other hiding places. Set them up strategically so that the female (or male as the case may be) has plenty of safe havens to rest.
Now is time for adding the water. Add enough water to fill up about half the tank. Everyone has different preferences for what water additives to use, so add whatever you normally use in your water. Some people also like to add black water extract or Spawn Aid to the water as well. Place the hood and light on the tank.
Last of all, turn on the heater and filter and let it run. Check every few hours for the first day to make sure no problems arise.
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You should be able to see the eggs in the bubble nest. They will look like tiny off white beads among the bubbles. The male will tend to the nest over the next several days. He will catch any falling eggs and blow them back into the nest. After approximately 36 hours, the eggs will hatch.
The male will continue to catch the falling fry until the are free swimming. At that point (the fry are usually 2 days old) you should remove the male from the breeding tank. His tank needs to have clean, conditioned water with MarOxy added. Continue feeding him live foods for the next few days.
At this point you are completely responsible for the fry. Approximately 36 hours after they are free swimming, you can begin feeding them microworms or vinegar eels. You must feed them four times per day. After 6 days, you can begin feeding them baby brine shrimp. If you are
using commercially prepared foods, follow the directions on the package. Once the fry are about a week old, you can turn on the sponge filter. Make sure it is running at a trickle, about one bubble per second. You may want to use a turkey baster (reserved for fish use only) to clean out the muck (feces, left over food, etc) on the bottom of the tank. After the fry are about a month old, you can start doing partial water changes. After two months, you can
do a large water change. When doing water changes, it is imperative that the temperature and pH are the same as what is in the breeding tank.
Depending on the size of your spawn, you may at some point have to move them to a larger grow out tank. It is also a good idea to start collecting jars for the male fry.
