Anybody else into bettas or am I a loner?

[blueskybetta]

Just wondering if anybody else is breeding or showing IBC? I'd love to have someone else to trade stock/tips/stories with. If not........ I should have some beautiful fry available in about three months out of my Melanos and blue marbles.... and I'd be glad to spread betta fever.

[biggin]

I have been really interested in betas.... Just have not decided on what I want to do. I would really like to do something different from the typical beta in a jar that you see at the fish stores.

I would be interested in hearing suggestions.

I still like Sushi that hangs out on the counter at a Chinese place Christine and I eat at.

[blueskybetta]

If you want to experiment, I have a couple pairs of plakats for freebies. If you'd like to get in seriously I have a kick butt pair of melano copper halfmoons set to spawn that will bring some seriously beautiful fry up for sale in about 3-4 months.At 4 months they'll be big enough that you can spawn your own. It's a whole different fishy addiction. I'd be glad to help you get started.

[biggin]

Recommendations on tank setup?

I have a few extra tanks right now that I am on the fence what I want to do with them.

I am thinking that the little cups you always see them in is not the best enviorment, do they do better in smaller setups or larger or is it as big as you want?

[biggin]

I am always looking for a new experiment.

[blueskybetta]

If I'm not spawning I keep my males in quart or half gallon jars, bare bottom with a floating plant, females that are used for breeding get the same treatment, if they aren't breeding quality or they are retired, females can be great community tank fish if they're put in with peaceful fish. For spawning I use a ten gallon, half full with a java fern floating free, the male builds his nest in a styrofoam cup cut in half, after a couple weeks I add a sponge filter and some baby ramshorn snails. Betta care is very basic.The male will rear the fry for the first three days, sometimes the first couple of months if you watch him carefully and include enough food that he doesn't eat the babies( I always chicken out after a couple of weeks). They're just awesome fish to raise. If you'll come get them I'll give you both plakat pairs. Jamie.

[blueskybetta]

The biggest I've ever kept a solitary male in is a two gallon, they really don't do a heck of a lot in the extra space.

[biggin]

Alright I will bite.... I will give it a try.

[blueskybetta]

The plakats aren't my favorites, but they are very hardy, somewhat colorful and easy for beginners. I tried my first couple of spawns with petstore fish because a good pair of halfmoons or crown tails can cost upwards of 50-500$$ depending on the breeder and I didn't want to risk that kind of money as a newbie. But, with a little research they are easy to breed. I've seen the parents of the two pairs. They are awesome, they should produce fry better than themselves for you on a second gen breeding.

[biggin]

I am always looking for something different to do. Chrisine likes Betas also so that should be good.

[bra8ndy8]

I have a blue beta in my community.....I thought it was a male cause he is a dark blue....but he doesn't have long fins at all!! WHO KNOWS???

[blueskybetta]

do you know what type? Plakat, veil teil, crown tail? In plakats and short tails all fish have short fins and their is not much difference in fin length between males and females, in all of the other fin types, short fins indicate females. Generally males are darker and more colorfull but that is not always the case.The best way to tell is to look at the distance from the front two fins(forgot what the heck they're called) to the fin that runs along their belly. If it is a short distance, that generally indicates a male, if there is a sizeable space, and a little white speck that sort of looks like an egg hanging out, chances are it's a female. Also females when ready to breed get horizontal striping across their bodies. Send me a pic and i'll sex it for you. It's a lot less confusing than me trying to explain it in not so technical terms. :)

[bra8ndy8]

LMAO!!! I can get that too you!! It looks really dark blue purple....and short fins.....but bigger then the females I have seen in stores! And what kind???? UMM BETTA!!! LOL I didn't know there was any other kind.....can you tell she/he was given to me!!

[blueskybetta]

With females type is hard to tell, (betta women are so complicated) I have had some pretty big females,:confuzeld: though, most of the female bettas i've seen in petstores lately have been juvies around 4 months old,still quite tiny, a betta doesn't stop growing until seven months or a year, and can even grow again after that supposedly if you drastically improve food quality and tank size.

[bra8ndy8]

Hummmm well she is in a 100 gallon....I'll get the pic to you...and this can all be over!! hehe

[EAST_TX_RN]

I love bettas and used to have a male. I have no idea what kind. I had him on the back of my jacuzzi for over a year and decided to set him and a female up in a 10 gal. tank. I floated a half styrofoam (sp?) cup and waited and waited. The female died. Never figured out why, but after that I lost interest in trying to breed bettas and my male died not long after. I did not have a floating plant in the tank. Lord knows what I did wrong. After a few years I got into cichlids and here I am!

[biggin]

Lord knows what I did wrong.

Where to start.... :confuzeld:

[fishyjoe24]

i'm think about putting a male betta in my 2 or 3 gallon tank.

[blueskybetta]

The plant is for the female to hide in, males can put a heck of a beating on a female really quick, though however in my last spawn my female nearly killed my favorite male. If they won't mate usually the male is too young or isn't properly conditioned. I'll leave a female in a small jar inside the tank and let him watch her and show off for her and as soon as he has built his nest I'll let her go and then voila! Usually they spawn, sometimes you just get an infertile female or some that just won't mate. I love em though, I guess it's the challenge of a good spawn that keeps me coming back. Jamie.

[ElijahTurtle]

I like the plakats & HM's the best. Never bothered to try to breed them altough it's on my too-do list.
I'm tired of the poor quality of LFS bettas so I gave up on them. I've still got 2, but one is old & about to go the big "1000 gallon in the sky" the other I have is a male plakat that the store had unknowingly sold as a female. I didn't even realize it was a male plakat till it killed my wife's other female betta.

Here's my setup that I kept them in: Betta Condo (http://www.dfwfishbox.com/showthread.php?t=506&page=2) & BC continued (http://www.dfwfishbox.com/showthread.php?t=506)
Ladydragon is buying it off of me. When I have my own house, I will reproduce the BC in the future using a 33Long as an in wall setup.
Here's Monty, he was a HM but I never knew how to classify his color, it was different from every angle. He was my favorite betta:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/elijahtturtle/M1.jpg

Same Betta, different angle/different color:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/elijahtturtle/M2.jpg

Again... same fish

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/elijahtturtle/GreenMonty.jpg

[poel_19]

I had a red blck crowntail he was rad!!! I miss him....has anyone seen the black orchid crowntails?? they are super hot!!!

[blueskybetta]

According to the first pic he looks copper, in the second he looks to be a color we call mustard gas. Which color is he usually, the brownish gold or the blue/gold? Don't know if its the camera playing tricks on me or the fish. Jamie.

[ElijahTurtle]

I don't have him any more, but he was predominantly black with butterfly traits. The fins became translucent at the edge. Once I got him home under good lighting, all the other colors showed. It's not the camera playing tricks, he really was a different color from every angle. Unfortunately I lost him before the move, I think that was the closest I ever came to crying over loosing a fish. That's part of why i lost interest in bettas. I don't think I'll ever buy another betta from a store. If I ever find another one like him, I would pay good money for one.

From broad side he was black/copper.
From a forward angle he was black/metalic blue.
From a rear angle he was black/metalic green.
Under indirect lighting he just looked black.

[blueskybetta]

I have what you want, however they are halfmoon and not crown tail.

[poel_19]

I would love a tour of your betta setups!!! I love bettas but truly have no luck with them...

[blueskybetta]

There isn't much in the way of a setup right now, I have one of those big screen entertainment centers with two ten gallon spawn tanks in it and the jarred fish on the shelves and supplies in the cabinets at the bottom, isn't much to look at but it keeps everything centrally located. I swear sometimes they make me wanna go :brandy:

[cecichlidsar]

I wanna c some pictures :D

I use to breed bettas a while back...........
I just bought 2 HM plakat pairs from oveseas :spend::spend::spend:, they should arrive anyday now.

My breeders were/are always kept in 1 gallon jars/containers, I'm planning on setting up a drip system to raise quality this time and maybe one day be able to show them. :blahblah::blahblah::blahblah:
I would post pics but darn phototrashcan isn't working right now.

[jjriotgrrl]

and i wouldn't mind having females in my 55 gallon....hmmmmm..would a goldfish kill it? they have similar tank requirements....:confuzeld:

[supersmirky]

I currently have a pair. NOt sure what kind but I posted pics under the labrynth fish

[cecichlidsar]

The pics err heah!!!! the pics err heah!!!!!!!!!!
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/cecichlidsar/Fish/tn.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/cecichlidsar/Fish/c.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/cecichlidsar/Fish/b.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/cecichlidsar/Fish/tn1.jpg


MArbles u gotta lov'em

[cecichlidsar]

Sorry!!!!!!


the pics belong to Mr. Nonphon Yadbenthong from Thailand :exactly:

[tsunderl]

I was all set to go raid your tanks! lol Gorgeous fishies.

[supersmirky]

Very nice. Is that a female?

[biggin]

No it is a shorter finned Beta....

Very nice. Is that a female?

[cecichlidsar]

small pics are females, large ones are males.

I got my fish today!!!!!!!!!:tease::tease::tease:

I'll try to get pics of them once they settle down

[bra8ndy8]

WOW can't wait!! congrats!

[supersmirky]

Sweeeeet. We all are waiting for pics!