How to Take Care of Your Baby Beta Fish

Raising baby bettas is a labor-intensive task.

One of the most exciting parts of fish ownership can be watching your fish breed and reproduce. Bettas are no exception to this. After going through the time and effort of preparing your male and female, getting them to spawn and finally hatching fry successfully, it can be heartbreaking to see the fry die off in the following weeks. With a little patience and care, however, you can easily raise most of the fry to adulthood.

Things You'll Need

• Fry tank
• Infusoria
• Baby brine shrimp
• Turkey baster
• Sponge filter
• Mason jars

Instructions

1. Watch and wait for the first two days after the fry hatch. During this time, the male takes care of them and they feed off of their yolk sacs, requiring no additional food.

2. Remove the male 36 to 48 hours after the fry hatch. After this point, he has little left to do with the rearing, and may start eating the young. Prior to this, his care is vital in preventing the eggs and the babies from sinking to the bottom where they cannot get air. If the male is obviously eating fry before the 36 hour mark, you can remove him and hope that some of the fry are able to survive to their free-swimming stage.

3. Feed the fry small portions of microfood or infusoria every four hours or so through the day for the first week. Infusoria can be cultured at home by putting a small amount of aquarium water in a jar and adding a drop of milk, some crushed fish food, a piece of lettuce or commercial infusoria starter powder.

4. Begin feeding baby brine shrimp after the first week. Microworms also can be offered, but brine shrimp will most likely be easier to find at a local store or to culture. Live food is very important until the fry are old enough to recognize food sources that don't "wiggle."

5. Clean the tank frequently and carefully, using a turkey baster or syringe to clean debris from the bottom of the tank. Only add dechlorinated water that has been brought to the same temperature as the fry tank.

6. Install a sponge filter with a fine grade sponge after the third week. The fry will begin breathing from the surface soon, and the sponge filter keeps slime and bacterial deposits from filming over the surface and killing your fish.

7. Switch the baby betta fish to frozen brine shrimp for the next few months.

8. Separate the male betta fry into individual jars at 2 to 4 months, or as soon as signs of aggression begin to develop.

9. Continue weekly water maintenance as the bettas grow and develop.

References

• AquaArticles.com: Breeding Bettas
• AqualandPetsPlus: How to Raise Betta Fry
• BCBetta.com: Raising Fry