First of all, Good News ! I have got 2 pairs of betta spawning.
The purple male's spawn is 3 days old now and I can already see some of the fries almost free swimming. But I think this male has lost quite a number of eggs due to a sabotage by a female that apparently didn't get to spawn with him. I was actually quite shock to see the beach female swim up to the bubblenest (already heavy with eggs) and wiggle feriously in attempts to destory the bubblenest. No wonder I saw the bubblenest in diff. forms and shapes when I chk earlier the day before. The male must have been very perseverant by rebuilding the bubblenest again in previous sabotage attempts. Luckily the male managed to drive that female off, if not the consequence could have been more disastrous. But I guess the damage had been done, I didn't see as many fries as I would have observed in my past spawns. But I reckon it is probably destinated for nature's selection to be in play. Lesser fries to compete for space might means that most of the fries from this spawn will grow up successfully.
Now as to which female was the mother of this spawn is still a mystery. Why I say this is because I had thrown all six females into the breeding tank to create the mood of competition inorder to entice the spawning. I had removed three lower ranking females leaving the last three candidates that were most ferocious. I believed it is the metalic blue female that is the mother but I can't be 100% sure. How I derive that - that beach female "destroyer" can't be the mother, the other beach female still looks heavy with eggs, though the metalic blue looks fat too but it does not looks heavy with eggs. Thus my suspect is it is the female that had succeeded in spawning with the purple male.
Right at this instance, the female had all been removed, and the purple male is all tender loving care, closely guarding his spawn. The breeding tank is in good condition, green water, plenty of water plants, conditioned sand bed. Good broad surface water plant to provide shade & shelter for the fries, and in partial exposure to good sunlight to stimulate infusoria growth. Infusoria will be crucial to the fries in the very 1st few days of growth.
I am planning to remove the purple male next Saturday (2 July), one week after the spawn, but I will observe and see if I need to do it earlier.
Hooray to the purple male !
Now, another better news, that 1st male of mine that didn't managed to spawn in many past attempts, had succeeded in doing so. I threw a fat red female into his earth pot only with the intent to arouse it but not to spawn. But I guess the two were so ready that by the next morning, they were curling all over each other. Now all other fishes in the earth pot had been removed, including the red female, and the 1st male is closely guarding his precious offsprings.
Now, what is most interesting is this - this male actually moved his eggs to diff. locations 3 times ! Had anyone seen such things before ???
The pair spawned under a small floating plant. But after I put a big water hycinth, that is after all the other fishes had been removed, the male actually moved his eggs to this gap between the stems of the water hycinth. And then, this morning when I think I scared it by peeping his bubblenest (which is successfully heavy with eggs), I think he got a shock and actually moved his eggs again to another water hycinth leave a few leaves away. Amazing right ??!!
Well, I hope he doesn't lost many eggs in between the 3 shifting.
One conclusion that I can finally draw on this, this 1st male is not impotent after all, I concluded that it is a mere mismatch between this 1st male and that 1st female. So the problem is most likely with that 1st female after all.
Similarly, I am planning to remove the 1st male from his earth pot sometime next Saturday (2/7) when his fries becomes free swimming. By then, I am also planning to move his fries into the breeding tank where the condition should be better for the young fries. The 2 batch of fries will be about 1 days diff. in ages but I reckon it should be fine and should not cause any conflicts. Besides, the breeding tank should have enough space for all.
To update on how all these came about. After several initial unsuccessful attempts, I got fed-up and last Saturday (18/6), I went to serangoo north and got 2 more male (the purple one and another black one), and 5 females. The results is apparent, and the conclusion is most again, don't leave all yours spawns in one pair of bettas. Always have backup pairs.
Once I got 2 successful spawn going, I am planning to do so with the 3rd male. I am planning to spawn it with that beach female that is heavy with eggs. But I am running of tank space and I need to work something out before I attempt the 3rd spawn.
What I am planning to put in place,
- I have secured a microworm culture source. Arranging to pick it up tomorrow morning. That will tie the fries over the crucial 1st week of their life.
- I am planning to get a net to cover up the breeding tank once all the fries are moved into it, and when the father has been removed. This is to prevent mosquitos from breeding in it. The young fries won't be able to eat up the larvaes that such tender age and you won't want mosquito infesting my home due to it.
- I need to get more wild almond leaves to condition and sooth the adults fishes. Fresh water from the tap is not the most ideal for these fishes. I need to rest the breeding pairs too and this is what I believed the best thing to do for the bettas.
- I am hoping to get another 2 feet tank, fill it with sand and water plants, to create another ecosystem for my fishes, be it the females bettas, the neon tetras, the guppies or the barb. In time to come, when this new tank is ready, it can either be used as a refuge/rest place for the females bettas, or as another breeding tank. But if I am to do this, I would need to think about where to put all my other smaller tanks that I had shelved at the lower deck of the tank stand right now.
- I am hoping to get some duckweeds once again. This can be quite a nuisance as it can multiply too fast and too much, but if I use it right, it can provide plenty of 'rest spots' for the bettas.
So much for now. Hope to post some digital shots of the spawns for all to admire.
Cheers !
