Unlike the majority of my spawns, my Betta coccina pair have produced predominately females. In fact, I only have one male in the F1 group. I have moved the pair into another tank so hopefully they produce a few more males. However, even if this is the only male I ever get, I personally think he is developing into an exceptionally beautiful young fish. My intention will be to separate him out into a tank with one of his female siblings. Betta coccina is one of the species I want to focus on, and having learned my lesson about what can happen when you put all your eggs in the one basket, I would ideally like to have at least two or three sibling pairs to work with in, in addition to the original breeding pair. I do have a large number of free-swimming Betta coccina fry in my other tank, so it shouldn't be too many months before they colour up, and I can correctly sex them. As soon as they get to a more camera friendly size, I will be sure to take some photos and share them on this site.
Betta coccina were the first wild betta species I kept. That was just over four years ago, and it marks the time I've spent with these fish. During this time, I feel like I've learned a lot, achieved a little, and made a great mess of mistakes. But there's still plenty of time to make a whole mess more! Today I discovered that one of my F1 Betta persephone males was guarding a nest of fry in one of the film canisters. The pair are three years old, so it was surprising to see a sizable number of fry. I think they have out-done even some of my younger pairs with the amount of fry they have produced. The male is quite distinctive looking, and as such, I believe he is the father of my other F2 fish.
Unfortunately, the pair I actually intended on breeding, have done nothing. The male has built a bubblenest, and that's it. I am starting to think this fish is a eunuch. I'm not sure how the fry will survive with so many other fish in the tank, particularly the sub-adult on the other side of the divider. But hopefully at least a few might reach a size where they aren't thought of as food. Betta brownorum
This pair have been spawning almost non-stop since arriving here, and there are a large number of free-swimming fry present in the tank. I want to maintain this species long-term in my fish room, so the goal will be to get at least one F1 sibling pair from this group . Betta burdigala This pair have spawned several times since arriving here, and there are a large number of free-swimming fry present in the tank. This isn't a species I'm particularly interested in, and the only reason I have them, is because there was a mix-up and I got sent the wrong species. My intention is to find someone to take the breeding pair, and then as soon as the fry are at a size where I can sex them, they will be sold. Betta coccina I have split this group into two separate tanks. One tank holds a small number of F1 juveniles and sub-adults, and the other tank holds the F0 breeding pair. My intention is to get more fry from the F0 pair as thus far, they have only produced a single male offspring, and I will obviously need more than this, if I want to maintain the species long-term. Betta hendra There are a disproportionate number of males in this group. My F0 pair did manage to successfully spawn once or twice, but I doubt the fry survived. The intention will be to sell/give way the excess males, and to have two separate tanks, one holding the F0 pair, and the other holding an F1 sibling pair. Betta livida My F0 breeding pair still spawns occasionally. They have produced a very small number of fry/juveniles, and the majority of these seem to be female. I will be introducing the biggest F1 juvenile into a tank with my spare wild-caught male some time this week. The intention is to avoid my group from becoming too inbred, as I am likely one of the only people in Australia working with this species at present. Betta miniopinna The only pair I have of this species eat their eggs, so it's doubtful that I am going to get any further fry from them. However, I do have nine fry from a pair that has since been sold, so I will certainly be attempting an F1 sibling cross if possible. Betta persephone Sadly the female from the pair I received has shown no interest in the male, and since arriving, has been suffering from poor health. However, I have since paired the male up with one of my home-bred females, and so far things are looking good. Betta rutilans Sadly, I lost my F0 female to disease. Fortunately, I still have the F0 male, as well as a small number of F1 juveniles and sub-adults. I am having some difficulty in sexing this group, but if there are any females, I will be using them to cross back onto my F0 male as soon as I have space for another tank. Betta sp. api api Two of my pairs spawn sporadically, and there are fry present in all three tanks. The biggest of the fry are starting to colour up, and as I only want to retain an F1 sibling pair from each tank, I will be starting to sell off the excess males and females as soon as they become sexable. Betta uberis This pair still spawns on occasion. They have managed to produce a small number of fry/juveniles. Unfortunately, most/all of these fish look to be male, and aggression is becoming an issue. This week, I will be separating the breeding pair out into another tank so as to give any fry they produce, a better chance at survival. My tanks run very much on a system of 'survival of the fittest'. Weak and deformed fry tend to die off within weeks of hatching, being unable to compete against their stronger siblings. However, from time to time, I will have deformed fry (particularly in smaller spawns where there is less competition) that manage to survive to a size where I have to make the decision as to whether culling is necessary. Zig-Zag (pictured above) is the result of a breeding between one of my Betta brownorum F1 males, and the F0 female. The spawn took place just after I'd finished up a copper based treatment. In fact, there was still copper in the water when the eggs hatched, and so I wonder if this had an adverse effect on the skeletal development of the fry.
When he was younger, Zig-Zag's spine was so severely bent it looked like a concertina fold. It's actually a miracle his digestive system even functioned as it should. Out of that same spawn, there were only two other survivors. One fry that was perfectly healthy, and one fry that was completely lacking its caudal, dorsal, and anal fins. However, while I culled the second fry, I couldn't bring myself to cull Zig-Zag. I personally hate killing fish, and I simply couldn't kill Zig-Zag when he was not just surviving, but absolutely thriving. His disability didn't hinder him at all. In fact he's always matched his healthy sibling in both growth and aggression (a trait this line seems to have in spades). Weeks later, I am glad I made that decision. Nowadays, apart from a shallow indentation in front of his dorsal, Zig-Zag's topline is almost completely normal. Obviously, he will never be used in my breeding program. But he will definitely spend the rest of his life here with me as a treasured pet. With that said, I am hoping his remaining sibling is female, as I would very much like to cross her back to one of my two F1 males and see what they produce together. |
AuthorLocated in Melbourne, Australia, I currently keep and breed a number of species from the coccina complex. Archives
November 2017
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