Here is the direct link to the blog post with the pics
Thanks MG. I’m recovering from a rather difficult bout of depression and had to take a break from being online in general. It’s a slow recovery so I have been trying to take it easy and focus on something that brings me the most satisfaction with the least amount of stress. I mean, I love my kids and family will always come first, but I don’t think they appreciate me like the fish do ;)
it’s amazing how much personality they have. Here is a video I made of Sekihan, the male I just spawned, doing his dance. This was taken shortly after I got him in March. His red has filled in, and he is much bigger.
I love bettas too. When I had a large freshwater tank, I would keep a male in the tank. My kids would each keep one in a smaller tank in their rooms. I haven’t gotten everything set up again since my big cross country move.
It’s awesome you were able to breed them. I’ve managed guppies so far…
I had a betta several years ago. We kept him in a 5 gallon tank and I used to feed him blood worms off of the tip of my finger. That little guy had more personality than any 5 other fish.
I’ve read that if you have a large enough tank, you can stock it with two males and several females for each male. Supposedly, the two males won’t fight to death, but will establish territories with each having their own little group of females.
Has anyone tried that?
It sounds like it would be interesting.
yeah! My guppies breed like crazy. They are like the rabbits of the fish world. Lol most of my girl to been throwing orange and yellow friday or with snake skin pattern. I just got to purple moscow malesfrom a friend of mine and I am hoping that will throw some neat patterns into the mix.
it sounds possible in theory, but it would be my instinct that in order to do that it would have to be huge! Like 255 gallon huge. Bettas tend to establish large ranges of territory. and the females will establish a pecking order as well. So there would be causualties with the females and possibly the males depending on the personality. Bettas just too unpredictable for me to try anything like that, but I would be interested to see if the results if someone else tried. I know multiple females can be kept together in a large tank. Like 5-6 females in a 30 gallon
My son has a red male betta in a small container. It has some pebbles and a fake plant, and he changes the water every few days.
I’m not a fish person, but I worry about that fish. Is he happy? Seriously.
Dude, since most humans I know tend to struggle to come up with a coherent definition of what happiness is, I doubt the Betta has it figured out.
I like to think of happiness as a skill vice a condition. 
I’m thinking the captive Betta’s priorities are clean water with nice oxygen in it, a temperature range that won’t kill him, consistent and tasty food.
He most certainly has some type of drive to procreate, so a bigger container and a lady Betta would likely get his gills pumping more water through them.
He would be happier in a larger container. Just because bettas can endure small container doesn’t mean they like it. It doesn’t have to be anything grand–A gallon or two with a couple more fake plants to explore and rest in would be great. Just be sure the water is conditioned in the same way he is used to.
Thanks, guys. I’ll talk to the boy about bringing some more joy into that fish’s life.
Bettas can be very happy in something that’s about 2 to 3 gallons. 1 gallon is great for some betta fish and some, especially the ones with really long flowy fins seem to feel cramped and start to nip their own fins out of stress. They will loterally eat their own tail! Also just giving the beta something to do every once in awhile will help. They sell little bitty mirrors for the betta and he will look at himself and flare at it as if it’s another betta in his territory. This helps to exercise and to mentally stimulate them. But a simple compact mirror or even the back side of a CD will work as well. I’ve even shown my bettas videos of other bettas on YouTube lol. Just giving the betta more spacious accommodations and and making sure that the fake plant he puts in there don’t have any sharp edges that may rip fins should make his betta extremely happy! Keep in mind that they are tropical fish so as long as the room temperature stays above 72 degrees and below 85 degrees he should remain happy and healthy without a heayer. it’s great that your son changes his water. Some people don’t even do that much. They think betas can survive in dirty water.!
I wouldn’t add a female beta into a male Bettas tank unless you’re willing to have separate accommodations for the female. Also some males will kill the female beta during mating. And the amount of fry produced varies from a few to a couple hundred. So adding a female would not be a great idea. but you can show him pictures or videos of female betta. Kinda like betta porn lol
:eek: and you are worried about that murderous bastard not being happy in a small bowl?
BTW,
I went and read some more stuff about multiple Bettas in the same tank, people are all over the place with their claims.
I seem to think it would work if the tank replicated their natural habitat, with lots of cover and plants to hide behind.
In other words, the tank wouldn’t be for the visual enjoyment of humans, unless you enjoy watching fish hide behind plants.
lol.
My male I just bred was a mean bastard. My girl looked like tenderized meat after he got through with her. But to watch how gentle and doting he was with the fry, it was an eloquent contradiction.
My son has tried, but our fish always die no matter what. The water always tests fine, always fed, have all the recommended setups/equipment.
It could be the stock. Pet store bettas are notoriously weak and come shipped from the breeder sick or genetically inferior. When this spawn gets old enough I will post on my blog how to contact me about them if anyone is interested.
I love bettas! I have two, Red and Jewels.
Red is the older one, he’s a gorgeous elephant ear variety. He has a 10 gallon tank in my bedroom which he peacefully shares with 3 ghost shrimp (1 is pregnant!). He is beautiful, interacts with you when you’re near the tank, and I absolutely adore watching him swim around.
My other one is Jewels. I’ve only had him since this past spring and he lives in a 5 gallon tank in my office at work. People love to come say hi to him and he just soaks up the attention.
I’ve never been much interested in breeding.
I have counted approximately 20 healthy and growing fry, about the size of a grain of rice. I can see tail fins already! I am going to try to get a video update on my blog soon and some pics. 
