Friday, May 29, 2009

Breeding Betta Fish

t is not an easy task to breed Betta fish. However, one important factor is to take care of your Bettas for efficient breeding.

How to Breed?

To begin with, it is necessary to have a female Betta fish. However, it is a bit tough to find a female Betta fish these days. Female Betta fishes are dull as compared to males. Even though some are beautifully colored, their fins are usually shorter than males.

You can keep two female Betta fishes in the same tank, but you cannot do the same with males. First, you need to keep the male and female Bettas in different tanks and provide them with the best quality food. The female needs to eat properly, because female Betta is less likely to produce eggs with an empty stomach.

With the help of this diet schedule, the male begins to form a gurgle nest, while the female fish starts looking a bit plump. At times, you may even witness the eggs within the female Betta's belly. This is the right time to put both the fishes together in the same tank.

Next, you need to constantly supervise them, because there are chances that the male Betta may attack the female Betta. If this happens, then it is wise to take the female Betta away and try breeding her some other time, usually after several days.

While breeding, the male Betta fish will wrap his body around the female in an attempt to fondle her. After this, the eggs drip out of her, since she spawns, and immediately the male Betta discharges his sperm to inseminate the eggs.

Next, the male Betta will scoop all the eggs in his maw and puts them in the bubble nest. This is the right time to get the female Betta from the tank.

Betta Babies:

After two days of actual breeding, small Bettas emerge from their nests. After this, you need to take out the male Betta fish from the tank, because he might eat the offspring.

Food for infant Betta fish is not available, as they eat only tiny microbes and protozoa. You may breed microbes with a little straw from your backyard and keeping in an open jar full of water. After 3-4 days, you will see that the water in the container becomes a little muddy with all kinds of tiny life in it. This is the sign that the jar is full of food for baby Bettas.

L. CLARK is a successful publisher of http://www.betafishcareguide.com WEBMASTERS you may publisher this article provide you leave the link in place.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Friday, May 15, 2009

Bettas - The Most Exotic Fish For Freshwater Aquariums

If you compare the difference between the salt water or marine fish and freshwater fish, you know that the fish for freshwater aquariums can be a bit dull and boring compared to salt water fish. However, there is one fish for freshwater fish tanks that is so beautiful and exotic it can rival any of the marine fish.

This fish is the Betta or Japanese fighting fish. You've probably seen them sitting In tiny round bowls at your pet store. These are the beautifully colored fish with long flowing fins that come in a range of red, purple's and aqua's.

These fish exhibit a grace and beauty that compares to none other and you might just one of the lucky fish tank with a dozen of them. However, this wouldn't be very good idea since male Bettas - the ones with the long fins - a very territorial and will fight to the death.

When buying Bettas for your fish tank you need to make sure that you only have one male aquarium. You can have more than one female, but the females are not as beautiful as the males having much shorter fins and in fact, the females can also fight but are not as aggressive as the males.

in addition to being beautiful, the Betta is also one of the few freshwater fish that can survive in water that has little in as they can actually take the oxygen from the air itself. But just because they can survive in a little tiny bowls doesn't mean you should subject him to such a boring life. just like with any fish the bigger the aquarium and the better the water quality and healthier you fish will be.

If you do decide to keep your Betta are in a small fish bowl you'll need to spend a lot of time doing water changes in making sure that the water quality is good enough for your fish to size. The water in a small bowl will soon become toxic due to decaying food and wastes and there is not enough room in a small bowl for enough bacteria to build up for sufficient biological filtration. You should probably change out half the water to three times a week in order to keep the ammonia nitrate levels at bay. Also be sure that your fish gets the appropriate heat and light necessary to survive.

Feeding your Betta the appropriate food will help keep him healthy and colorful. Bettas are carnivores and will need a meat-based feed food. They like food such as prime time, freeze dried blood worms and you can also buy food specifically formulated for the Betta fish. If you're feeding him frozen brine shrimp, thaw it out so that your Betta can digest it properly. Don't overfeed refresh, simply given up what he can eat in a minute or two as you want to avoid having food rot on the bottom of your tank which will reduce the water quality.

Bettas like a water temperature that is around 78 to 80°F and it is good to keep this temperature consistent. keep your tank away from windows so that algae does not build up and also keep it out of drafts or sunlight is the sunlight can heat the water up to much. Adding live plants suitable or aquarium can help filter the water and keep the quality at peak levels.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://fish-tank-guide.com where you can learn more about aquarium care and fish such as the Betta.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Friday, May 1, 2009

Ten Tips for Caring for Your Betta Fish

Betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish are one of the most popular types of fish found in homes across the world. Their vibrant color and active lifestyle seems to draw in fish fanatics as well as those who have never had fish before. Betta’s are relatively easy to care for and their low maintenance is particularly appealing to people who would like to have fish but don’t have a lot of time to care for them.

Once you bring your Betta’s home you should begin to familiarize yourself with their movements and typical behavior patterns. When you look at your fish after you’ve had them for awhile you’ll know if something is wrong, if they are not feeling well, or if the water in their bowl is not in the best condition simply by being observant.

1. Make sure the jar or bowl that you keep your Betta in is big enough so that he can swim around and not bump or tear his fins or scales. Also be sure there is plenty of surface area so that he can get enough oxygen.

2. Your Betta will thrive in the cleanest water that you can provide for him. He does not require a filtration system, but you should change out a third of his water every three days so it stays fresh and clean and keeps your finned friend from getting bacterial or fungal infections. Aged water (water that has set out for twenty four hours) is what should be used to replace the old water.

3. Do not put your Betta fish with other Betta’s. They are called Siamese fighting fish because they are, in fact, fighting fish. They will tear at one another, often causing the death of at least one fish before they stop. Betta’s can be coupled with algae eaters, guppies, or corydorus catfish safely.

4. Use a turkey baster to clean small particles of uneaten food or debris from the bottom of the bowl or jar. Allowing this debris to sit at the bottom of the jar will cause the water to become cloudy, unsanitary, and to smell awful.

5. The PH of your tank should be at exactly 7.0. You can get a PH testing kit at your pet store along with solutions to minimize or increase the PH of your water.

6. When you clean the plants, rocks, or decorations in the bowl you should never use soap on them. It’s very hard to completely rinse all soap from these items and the soap residue can harm or even kill your Betta. Instead, use warm water and an abrasive brush to clean his things.

7. Keep your Betta tank, jar, or bowl covered! Your Beta will jump and you don’t want him to end up flopping on the tabletop! Keeping the water level at least two inches from the top of the tank should also cut down on this problem.

8. Your Betta is a meat eater and likes live foods, such as brine shrimp the best. Frozen bloodworms are also a good choice for your meat eater. Most Betta fish will happily eat the Betta pellets sold at most pet stores. For a special treat every now and again you should offer some live food! You’ll have fun watching him eat it up!

9. Do not decorate your Betta bowl with rocks or marbles that may cause your Betta to get stuck between or under them. Be sure that they are a flat smooth surface that provides no risk to the health of your fish.

10. Remember that your fish is a living, breathing responsibility. You need to feed, clean, and care for your Betta just like you would any other pet. If he’s sick take him to the vet, if he’s hungry feed him, if his home is dirty, clean it.

That’s it! These ten tips for caring for your Betta fish will have you well on your way to keeping a healthy fish. Internet Betta Groups or library books can be a great source of information should you want to learn more about your finned friend!

Adam Short is the owner of Betta Fish Center and co-wrote the above article with Amanda Fenton. Amanda has been caring for Betta fish for over 25 years. She is a contributing writer to http://www.bettafishcenter.com - site providing information and tips on betta fish care.