Wingin' It Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Some of the betta fry are sinking then wiggling up to the top, then sinking and going to the top! Is there something I'm supposed to do? aerate? feed? What do I do now??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 what is the size of the tank and how full do you have the tank? strength of filter flow and type of filter? is the male (dad) betta still in there with the fry? how old are the fry? they've all hatched out of the bubble nest? yolk sacs still attached to fry? any of them free swimming? no gravel or anything on the bottom of the tank? (you should never have substrate in a betta fry tank). i need answers to all these questions to be able to determine the situation. if you have had to take the dad out, then you want to drop your water down some. normally the dad would be in charge of picking the fry up off the tank floor and putting them back in the nest while the fry are still in 'wriggler' stage. for example, if you have a 10 gallon tank and it was only half filled for the spawning and when the fry hatched, i would drop the water down to about 1/4 to 1/3 the height of the tank, as long as that still allows you to have the filter work properly and the heater will not be out of the water at all (translation: dry hot heater equals kablooie!) with the amount of the water in the tank being so minimal, you will want to do daily water changes. i would do a 25% to 35% change, using a piece of airline tubing, and siphon the old water into a clean, fish safe bucket. that way if any fry do take a ride in the tubing, they can be scooped with a cup or netted (they say those lil shrimp nets are the best) out of the bucket and put back in the tank. disclaimer: i've not successfully bred bettas myself (the male was just too mean), but did enormous amounts of research. there are members on here that are seasoned betta breeders. blackmumba! where are you?!?!?!? lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMumba Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 LOL Betta Fish mommy you touched alot of key points. Your fry aren't free swimming stage yet, the father will usually do the picking up and spitting back in the nest... You should Never take the father out until all fry are free swimming... If you have though, too late for him to be the rescue so you will have to substitute daddy figure. Like BettaFishmommy says drop the water line so that they swim backup to the nest is less... until free swimming at add one week to that then slowly add more water to the tank... 10% a week is fine... feed as soon as you notice a free swimmer!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Okay this is what I was told by Catherine Stuart who used to be the local transhipper in calgary(oh how I miss her). No water changes for 3 weeks and make sure the lid is tight or even saran wrap the tank lid. It may kill you but it's fine for the fish. You don't need to use a filter for those 3 weeks but can add an airstone later. Take Dad out when he seems disinterested or if he's out, don't worry. Make sure there's plenty of java moss as it's a good source of infusoria. Keep them quite warm in a couple of inches of water and start feeding microworms or something like that after a couple of days. Good luck and let us know how it goes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Man I feel like such a newbie!! This is the first time i've gotten past the eggs laid stage! At first I left dad alone, and then I got freaked out thinkin' he was eatin' the fry, which he may very well have been doing, but I figured, 'Eh, what the heck' and put him back in so he's still putting the fry in the bubble nest. They're currently in about a 3 gallon tank that's filled about 1/3 and there's a small heater and a rock with riccia on it. Also, I wasn't sure if I should have added an airstone, so I did anyways. They're sooooo small!!! two days ago the parents spawned and now the eggs hatched late morning! I'm a bit smitten! hahaha...I think it's easier to just buy the fish though...lol Less stressful! It is definately cool to see the stages though. Thanks for all the imput! If the fry make it to free swimming and actually grow, i'll be super duper impressed with this CT dad! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMumba Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 :thumbs: If you put him back in, and he is picking up the fry and spitting them back into the nest.. fantastic he will resume his fatherly duties. I know it looks like dad is eatting the fry, but he is actually collecting them in his mouth to do a major drop off at the nest. They fall to the ground 100 at a time, he can't pick them up one by one could you imagine.. hahaha Good luck, keep us informed. BTW - Betta breeding is alot of work... I put alot of hours into each betta I have... For what I get per betta... does not ever recoup the cost... but I love them so much... its their personalities... I call them the dog's of the fish world!! They wag their tails when they see you, go back and forth at the glass to say hi, *really its just them saying where is my food human I want it now*... they look up at you when you feed them, then the jump up to attack the food... sometimes I have to save them from the cement floor cause they jump so freakin high!! Oh, and fingers taste good, betta's have sharp little teeth ... makes you pull your finger back pretty darn quick when the chop down... no blood just like a what the heck... jeez!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 hahaha...true enough BlackMumba! I only have the one adult male and the rest are female...and if the fry actually survive I will definately have a deeper appreciation for the work that goes into rearing these colorful little guys! Thank you fishclubgirl for my little man!! I'm always looking in on him waiting for him to grow up to be even more beautiful! BTW...the girls are even more colorful now! I'm always amazed at the colors coming out of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I have a silly question... Is it VERY obvious when the fry become free swimming? mine seem like they're swimming purposely, and then they go ahead and bump into the side of something seemingly really hard...some are sitting on the side of the glass and some just sit around at the top...Dad doesn't seem to do anything other than keep them in line and re blow his bubbles...?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 It's free swimming not synchronised swimming that you're looking for, lol!!! Sounds like they are. Congrats and we want to hear updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMumba Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 They are free swimming younguns now.. they will be on the hunt for food, you can remove the male now and or leave him in for an extra day or two don't matter he will still care for the babies.. Keep us updated!! :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 YAY!! I'm excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 The fry are 6 days old now...and I managed a pic. These are just a few of the fry...there are at least 30-35 in the tank...maybe more 'cause they're really good at hiding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wackinator Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 wow congrats :thumbs: my only attempt at breeding bettas flew out the window when my male ate the babies after taking care of them for 4-5 days xD but congrats on your spawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Thanks blackbelt609! This is my 2nd attempt at spawning...the first time the male ate all the eggs. I was kinda antsy about the male possibly eating the babies so dad went back to his bowl on day 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMumba Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 They look great... !!! :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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