BettaDance: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

WARRIOR

He was not a fighter betta, yet his behaviour was exactly like a fighter ; aggresive, quick to challenge a fight and flare most of the time. He had a strong build, may be because his father was a giant. I was very tempted to put him in the fighter ring, but as a betta lover, think i should not do it.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

MARILYN MONROE

She was a gorgeous lady, yet to meet with his prince charming, anyone? haha! Moreover, she was a giant geno. Anyway, i like to equate her sexy appeal to US famous actress...Marilyn Monroe.

PURPLE STORM

There were four siblings looked alike. This particular one has a better finnage and almost symmetrical. The only drawback was that he was a piebald. Purple is my favorite colour. It is certainly joyful to see this purple betta with platinum effect.

Monday, July 25, 2011

SWORD TAIL

This turquoise hmpk was purchased from a local store at rm20. He was very aggresive all the time. He did not have an sword tail when young. It was only apparent when he reached about 8 months old. Hope he will pass this gene to some of his offsprings.

OLD BUT STEADY

He mated second time at the age of 9 months old, yet he was still ready to spawn 2 weeks later. His second marriage spawned a healthy batch about 50 fry. Due to my wrong judgement in timing of removing the female from spawn tank, the bride jumped out and died.

Breeding and Care of fry

It is relatively simple to breed betta. First, you need to choose a compatible pair; both male and female should be about equal size, matching colour and same strain. The female should have a stomach full of roe in order to get a good spawn. I prefer to use a container with size 1.5' length x 1' width x 1' height for breeding. The water level is about 3 inches and half piece of ketapat leave will be placed floating for the male to build nest. I would put the male in the container first, then put female in a 4"x4"x4" glass before placing it in the center of the container. This is to condition them for spawn, three days should be good enough. I will feed them with frozen worms to boost up their energy levels and sexual desire. After i released the female, courtship instantly begin. Most of the time, the male will force for a spawn by biting the female. The female usually give in after two days and lay eggs.It is advisable to add a few drops of anti-fungus liquid to protect the eggs. I would remove the female after notice its stomach is flatten. The male will continue to take care of the eggs for the next few days. The fry will normally hatch in two days. Once hatched, the male has to be removed to avoid fry being eaten by him. I would feed the fry with microworms or brine shrimps for first week, followed by frozen daphnia for the next one month. Subsequently, frozen red worms or pellets will be fed to them. Water can only be partially changed after one month.
#1)Do not put aquarium plant in breeding tank as there may have velvet or insects that would kill the fry.2) Brine shrimp is a preferred food for fry.

History

Prior to 1800s, people of Siam (Thailand) started to collecting bettas from paddy fields and rivers. They reared it as a hobby and sometime watched betta fighting as entertainment. King of Siam started licensing the collection of these fighting fish in 1840. He gave some bettas to his good friend, Dr. Theodor Cantor, a medical scientist from Bangor. Dr Cantor named betta as Macropondus Pugnax. In 1909, Mr. Tate Regan renamed it as Betta Splenders. It was not until 1927 that the first brightly colour, long finned betta arrived in the United States.Many variants of betta have been developed by hobbists through out the world. But, one particular person i wish to mention is uncle Sala from Thailand, he developed giant, halfmoon, crown tail and many other strains.

BettaDance