Betta Fry... feeding tips, please??

cheekyfish

Hi, I am planning on breeding my male and female bettas. Everything is ready, but I am confused about what is the best food for the fry, once they finish off their yolk sacs. I have heard of giving them a little bit of boiled egg yolk, but wouldn't that pollute the water really quickly? A little advice, please!

TankMAster

Build a brine shrimp hatchery? Microworms are a good food as well. Their first food should be Infusoria or green water. Place a clear container of chlorine free water outside and wait 2 weeks. Instant green water!

After 3 days they can start on newly hatched brine shrimp until they get big enough to eat 3 day old brine, then 5 day old. You need at least 5 hatchery setups. High protein foods like mashed /whole blood worms should also be fed once fry grow older.

Don't consider breeding them if you cant maintain the quality of water and food. No use breeding a low quality fish that you cant find a home for or sell.

Many people take feeding for granted. This is the baseline for healthy fry production. It starts with the parents. Live mosquito larvae is the benchmark food for the parents!

Regards

TM

cheekyfish

Thank you,TankMAster, that was really helpful. I'm still curious, though... what do you think about the whole "boiled egg yolk"? Have you ever heard of it?

No worries about water changes, or what I am going to do with all of the fish... I change the water weekly, and I will be changing it every few days when I have fry. I have lots of room for lots of fish, and a lot of people wanting the fish, so I should be fine... thanks for the advice!

~cheekyfish

TankMAster

Hey, water changes must happen everyday once the fry are born..Make sure you use aged water. daily water changes is beneficial for the health of the fry.

I have tried it egg yolk but failed. Newly hatched brine shrimp is the cleanest option since you cant run a fast filter in a fry tank. The fry can chase after these shrimp and enjoy it! No mess other than minuscule poop traces :)

I've been speaking a lot to a Professor who knows a lot about fish nutrition. It may seem like the whole egg thing works for some people but brine is the cleanest way for fry to eat. I cant stress enough how important water quality is!

Siphon waste as soon as you see it! Don't let ammonia build up in that tank.

If you cant get your hands on brine shrimp, egg is an option or powdered baby food. Forget about breeding healthy fry altogether if you are going to use crushed tropical flakes!

Take this into consideration when you want to breed any fish.

- Maintain pH and temperature
- Daily 50% water change with aged water at the same temperature as the tank
- Fresh food must be available every 3 hours. Siphoning is a must!
- Introduce Live floating plants
- Always use a bare bottom tank when breeding and raising fry. It helps keep the tank cleaner.
- Always have constant aeration during daylight hours (Some species)
- Never remove the fry until they are 1 inch. They find it hard to acclimate.

Once the bettas have spawned, cover the tank top with glass to form a perfect seal. You can also use cling wrap or plastic sheets. This helps maintain a stable temperature of air pocket so fry fill up with warm air.

Keep us posted. Post your setup here so I can see what you have going. Make sure you start a brine hatchery once the eggs are in the nest. It is vital that you add some green water to your tank when this happens! The fry's first food is their yolk sack but their second should be infusoria!

Don't worry too much about solid food for now. Worry about that 5 days after they hatch.

Regards

TM

cheekyfish

Alrighty, then, water changes every day! Got it!

I like the sound of brine shrimp, so that is what I am going to use. I have a proper brine shrimp hatchery, complete with a net and sea salt, too, so I'm good to go... all I need is the eggs, and I am getting those tomorrow! I want to be prepared and have EVERYTHING ready before breeding.

Do you think it would be all right to use water from my community tank (where the male betta is housed) when I change the water in the fry tank? I have never had any diseases in that tank, and it is squeaky-clean.

Do you think you could give me an estimate of how many days I should feed the fry infusoria, brine shrimp, dry food etc?

Sure, I would love to keep you updated on the progress of the spawning!I will try to include some pictures, if possible.

Thanks for all the help!