SAS Member Spawning Report

Betta Stiktos

Betta stiktos spawning under bubble nest created by the male.  Photo by Josh Aymett.

General Information

Name:

Josh Aymett

Date (yyyy-mm-dd):

2013-03-11

Common Name:

Betta stiktos

Scientific Name:

Betta stiktos

Aquarium Conditions

pH:

6.8

General Hardness (ppm):

75

Temp.:

84

Nitrate (ppm):

.5

Tank Size (inches LxWxH):

30x12x14=20 Gallons (20 Long)

Water Source:

Folsom Tap

Changes:

How Often -

50 percent water change a week before spawning. I continued to add small amounts of water up to the time they spawned.

How Much -

50%

Filtration System(s):

Disposable carbon filter. I turned it off during spawning though.

Additives:

Banana leaf tea & IAL

Tank Décor

Plants:

Live

Substrate:

None

Structures:

None

Lighting

Piano lamp. They like to spawn in darker areas. Usually in the morning. In all the 5 times that I have spawned splendens complex members, only once have they spawned in the afternoon.

Reproduction

Reproduction Method:

Egg Layer

Approx. # of Eggs/Fry:

No clue. Probably a little over a hundred.

Location of Eggs:

NA

Parental Care:

None

Date of Hatch or Birth (yyyy-mm-dd):

2013-03-10

Date Free Swimming:

2013-03-11

Food

Food Fed to Parents and How Often:

Freeze dried bloodworms 3 times a day. Small amounts.

Food Fed to Fry and How Often:

Infusoria. Nothing else as the fry are still too small for bbs. I plan to feed them on infusoria, decap bbs, frozen cyclops, hikari first bites, and ground flakes until they are adults.

Comments

In my experience, them spawning is not affected by the water or tank size. I have spawned bettas in half a gallon. (unsuccessfully) Conditioning is the most important part. Condition them separately until the female is fat with eggs. Float her in a bowl in the male's tank until he has a nest going. If he won't build the nest, separate them for a few days and reintroduce. If he ignores her, she probably isn't conditioned enough. Release the female when the male has a decently sized nest. Be prepared and have at least a 20 gallon growout and 50-100 jars. The more the better. These fish are very easy to spawn, but fry raising can be tricky because fry are small. Often too small to eat freshly hatched bbs.