Raising baby fish for the first time is the most terrifying thing you can do aside from actually try to give birth to live young yourself. No matter what kind of fish you are breeding, this is a truism that cannot be ignored. Breeding bettas is quite fun, but it is also quite a big challenge. There are many online resources that tell you how to get things started, I even wrote a series of articles on the topic here, here and here. Read them if you’re having trouble getting the breeding process started.

Read this article if you already have eggs, or if you are wondering what awaits you. Whatever you do, don’t follow it, learn from it.

Read on…

A three part series on the art of breeding Betta fish…

Part One

Breeding betta fish can be fun and rewarding if you have good stock and a breeding goal. However it can also be difficult to achieve and if it is successful it can sometimes result in hundreds of betta fry.

Part Two

How To Ensure Good Parental Survival Rates

First of all, don’t just throw the female in with the male and expect them to breed right away. It is best if you keep them in the same tank but separated from one another. You can do this with a weighted soda bottle if you have nothing else. Leave them like this for a few days. This way they get to see each other but they are not forced upon one another and nobody gets hurt.

Part Three

In the last article, I wrote of how the male fish embraces the female fish, bending his body around hers and squeezing tight.

The effort of this stuns both fish for a moment. If the embrace was successful, a group of eggs will drop from the female and usually, the male will go after it as the female will be too busy lying stunned at the top of the tank.