Sub order : Anabantoidea (fishes with airbreathing accessory organs)
Family : Belontiidae(labyrinth fishes)
Genus : Betta
Species : Splendens
Common name : Siamese fighting fish,Betta
Range : Thailand
Temperament : Males are very aggressive and vicious to other males of their ownspecies,and should be maintained singly in a aquarium,females usually are peaceful and serverl may be maintained together provided no males in the tank.
Temperature Range : 70 to 85f;optimum 78f.
Mature sizes : Males 2.1/2 to 3 inches;female slightly smaller
Sex differences : Males have the more exotic color patterns,enhenced by large draping finnage.
Bettas, like many other anabantoids,are bubble nest builders.when the eggs are laid,they are picked up by the male and deposited under a nest composed of floating sticky bubbles.while there they are carefully tended by the male. It is not difficult to induce bettas to spawn;the hard part is raiseing the fry.Fry of most anabantoids are very small and harder to feed.
Aquarium
The Aquarium this should be minimum of ten gallons and should have a tight fitting hood to prevent cold drafts blowing across the surface of the water.the depth of water should be kept around 6inches no more than that.Plants and plants arrangements
The plants should be considered from the viewpoint of a hiding plac for the female,because the courtship of bettas is usually aggressive several bunches of cabomba or ambulia should be used and it will also support the bubble nest and prevent its breaking up the best arrangement of plants is the two back corners.Sand or Gravel
It is best not to use sand or gravel in the betta spawning tank,because it is easier for the male to see eggs that have fallen down.Water conditions
It is recommended that the ph should be 6.8(slightiy acid)and no more than 8 degrees of hardness.But i never bothered about it and never tested the water parametres so can't tell more about it.Filtration
It is not that important but still if you want to you can change the slight amount of water without disterbing the setup or the bubble nest.Beeding Temperature
Although from 80 to 85f is a proper range,but the most suitable is exact 80f.This should be maintained constantly and should not fluctuate.Conditioning the breeding pair
A careful selection should be made.special attention should be paid to the size and the colour pattern;the female should be well rounded on the ventral side,indicating she is full of eggs.Now the main thing breeding
Put the pair in a aquarium with a glass divider,and daily obervation should be made.Once the male spreads his fins,usually followed immediately by building of the bubble nest,the glass divider should be removed.The male will intermittently pay attention by building the nest and chasing the female.In the spawning time male will wrap himself around the female and she will realease the eggs from 1 to 15.And as she realease the eggs male will realease the sperm and catch the eggs in his mouth and place them in the bubble nest.
Full spawning takes around two to three hours and upon completion female should be removed .She should be placed in a small aquarium where she can recuperate.
At this stage it is advisable to feed the male with live food cause a well feed male is not inclined to become cannibalistic.
The eggs usually hacth within 48 hours,but the fry do not leave the nest until the yolk sac containing their initial nourishment is absorbed.This usually requires from three to four days,after which the fry become freeswimming.They will remain constantly at the surface,and any that sink are picked up by the male and replaced at the surface.
To be continued
