How to Breed Wild Bettas

Co-authored by Aaron Bernard

Last Updated: August 20, 2021 References

Wild breeds of the betta genus tend to be less aggressive than the domesticated betta splendens, but should always be careful when placing any fish in a tank together to breed. Here's how you can breed wild bettas with minimal stress.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Picking Out Your Betta Fish

1
Visit a reputable breeder online or locally. Pet stores are often unsanitary and sell bettas too old to breed or with bad genes. They may also not even have wild betta varieties available. Ask a lot of questions. Try to determine how well the breeder understands the genetics of their fish. If they seem knowledgeable, ask for suggestions for picking good pairs.
- While it is tempting to pick out fish that are bigger and brighter, these are often older, which will make it more difficult to breed them.^{[1]
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2
Choose what kind of wild betta you want to breed. Many wild bettas can be kept in male/female pairs, like betta imbellis, also known as the "peaceful betta." Be sure to research as much as you can about the species. Because many of these fish are endangered, many hobbyists also like to keep and breed them to ensure their survival. If you want a wild betta fish, find one from one of the following complexes:
- Akarensis
- Albimarginata
- Bellica
- Coccina
- Foerschi
- Picta
- Pugnax
- Splendens
- Unimaculata
- Waseri
3
Sex your Betta fish. You will want to get a male and female. If it has a small white egg spot on its underside, it is female. If not, it is male. Unlike domestic splendens, wild bettas may be harder to sex according to fin side and color. ^{[2]
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- Be sure that the male is at least as large as its female companion, preferably a bit larger.^{[3]
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4
Purchase two pair of bettas. Unfortunately, not all bettas will get along or make it to mating age. You should have two pairs in case one does not work out. Purchase them all at the same time, so that they will be at approximately the same age.
- For optimal results when breeding, it is typically best to mate two fish with similar color patterns. Bettas can breed with any other species in the genus, so hybrids are possible.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Playing Matchmaker for Your Betta Fish

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Keep them separated. Bettas are an aggressive species. With some exceptions, Betta fish have difficulty being in a bowl together. In general, you should keep them in separate aquariums.^{[5]
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Research source} When you are prepared to breed them, it is imperative that it be in a tank that is at least 20-gallons large, with no other fish.^{[6]
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- Wild Betta breeds are less aggressive and can often be kept together. Domesticated species were typically bred to be fighting fish and are thus highly aggressive. Wild breeds are more sedate, but you should still be careful when introducing wild bettas to each other.^{[7]
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- Females Betta fish are also less aggressive than their male counterparts. They will chase other bettas, but they are less likely to bite and seriously injure each other. You can keep as many as three female Betta fish in a single tank, though you should monitor their behavior to ensure that their aggression does not escalate.^{[8]
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- Male Betta fish can be kept in a large tank with fish of other species, especially if they have different color patterns.^{[9]
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  Research source} When you are ready to breed your bettas, however, they will need a separate tank for themselves. Only the male and the female can be in the tank with the fry, and even they can only be there for a brief period of time.
2
Fatten up your Betta fish. Your bettas will become more likely to breed when you fatten them up. For about a two-week period, switch from pelleted food to a wide variety of live foods. Try brine shrimp, black worms, tubifex worms, and daphnias. Feed a variety of foods, two to four times a day.
- You can recognize when a female is getting ready to breed because she will get larger. You might even be able to see the eggs growing underneath her skin. Vertical stripes might also appear on her body.^{[10]
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- Well conditioned males, on the other hand, will begin to produce bubble nests. These are small collections of bubbles which should accumulate on the top of the water, near the edge of the tank.
- Live feed should be available at most pet stores.
- You should aim to feed the fish as much as they can take. If any food remains in the tank after five minutes, you have fed them too much. Clean out any renaming food to prevent contamination of the aquarium.^{[11]
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3
Let your Betta fish get to know each other. While conditioning your bettas, place a male and female couple where they can see each other without being able to interact. This can either be in two separate tanks adjacent to one another, or in the same tank, with a glass divider.^{[12]
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- You should move the fish close to each other at around the same time that you begin feeding them more heavily. Doing both of these two things simultaneously will effectively send your bettas the message that they should prepare to mate.
4
Put them in the same tank. Place the female betta into the male betta’s tank. The two will likely nip at one another; do not separate them unless it looks like they are causing serious harm. Eventually the male should take the female to the bubble nest where the two will embrace each other until mating is over.
- The mating process will take about an hour or two. The male will take the female to his bubble nest and the female will release eggs into it. The two fish should interact with each other throughout the process. Once it is over, the male will scare the female away.
- Rather than putting the female in the male's tank, you can transfer them both to a new tank. After the breeding process, you will need to remove the male from the aquarium with its fry (baby fish), thus making it possibly advantageous to return him to the tank he is accustomed to. However, the male needs to spend at least a week in the aquarium before the mating process to create a bubble nest in the tank.
5
Remove the female immediately after mating. After mating is complete, the male will scare away the female. Remove the female from the tank immediately to prevent further injury. Try to take precautions to prevent infection.^{[13]
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- When you remove the female from the tank with the male, put her in an aquarium that has been treated with a disinfectant like Betamax. She has likely been injured during the mating process and you should do what you can to prevent infection.^{[14]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Caring for Your Fry

1
Remove the male. Approximately three days after the mating process is complete, the fry should eat up the remainder of their egg sacks and you should see them begin to swim around slightly. At this point, you should try to lure the male away from its fry and use a soft net to lift him out of the aquarium.
- You should lure the male away from the fry so that you do not accidentally net and remove any of the fry.
- The male has, like the female, probably sustained injury during the mating process. Therefore, you should treat its aquarium with Betamax to prevent infection.^{[15]
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2
Feed the fry. You will want to progress to feeding your fry larger foods as they mature. After they finish consuming their yolk sack and begin moving you can feed them them vinegar eels, and then, after three day more days, brine shrimp. From then on, alternate between feeding them brine shrimp and microworms.
- Through this process, you will be giving your betta fry progressively larger feed. They will have difficult consuming large food at first, which is why you start them off with vinegar eels. As they grow, you can move on to brine shrimp and microworms.
- Do not try to feed fry flakes. You should only use live feed.^{[16]
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- Live feed is available at most pet stores and can be ordered online.
- Stick to small portions. Feeding the fry too much can pollute the tank with leftovers and can detrimentally effect their health. If any food is remaining after five minutes, feed the fry less food next time.^{[17]
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3
Clean the water frequently. Fry tend to rapidly pollute the water until it becomes unsustainable. You should purchase a testing kit and use it regularly to be sure that ammonia and nitrate levels reach no higher than 0. You might need to replace small amounts of water, about 5% of the tank, daily.
- Filtration systems can be harmful to fry when they are young and vulnerable. Because of that, you will need to rely on changing the water by hand to keep the tank hospitable to vulnerable fry.
- Don't worry; even if your water isn't great quality, bettas can still breathe by talking a gulp of air above the water.^{[18]
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  Fish & Aquarium Specialist
  
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Keep the temperature in the tank stable at around 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the aquarium away from windows, heater, vents, or other household items that could cause the temperature to fluctuate.^{[19]
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5
Separate fry after about two months. Because of their aggressive nature, betta fish cannot live together indefinitely. After about two months they should be transferred to separate tanks. Watch to see if they have begun to fight or if males have developed larger fins than the females. These are indications that they are mature and should be separated.
- If you are successful, you'll probably have more betta fish than you can manage after this process. Consider selling some to a pet store or look for buyers online. Some fish might also have deformities and can be culled to prevent further deformities.
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Question

Is it okay to breed them in a small tank or flower vase?

Caeiia

Top Answerer

You can't use anything too small. Also, the eggs will need pumps and heaters like a normal fish to keep them healthy and this is impossible with a flower vase.

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Question

How do I know if my betta is old enough?

Dieyun Ding

Top Answerer

Bettas should mature quickly. A betta only needs to be a few months old, so it's pretty likely you have a fertile betta.

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Question

Can I keep a male and a female betta fish together in a bowl?

Dieyun Ding

Top Answerer

No. The male is likely to harm the female in such a tiny space.

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