This poor Betta stiktos male has to win the trophy for 'Best Fish Father of the Year'. I have shamefully destroyed his nest not once, but twice, and both times he has taken it completely in his stride. The presence of the female has not yet proven to be a problem. In fact they spawned this afternoon even though this batch of fry aren't even free-swimming yet.
These are not very flattering photos, but I thought I would give the male a break and not blind him with the flash on my camera. .... but my Betta stiktos male has a small number of newly hatched fry he is tending to.
After a rather rough start (I thought he had eaten his eggs and practically destroyed his nest), he has more than proven himself to be an exceptional father. The only concern I have is that the female is still in the tank, so I may have to catch and separate her out in a breeder net, so she can't predate the fry. Just some updated photos of my Betta persephone tank since the water has cleared and the fish have started to settle in.
After a trial run with a piece of black card against the back panel of glass, I have decided I will be painting the back of this tank and the other two tanks on this shelf black. There is a clerestory window directly behind this shelf, and I think it makes the fish in these tanks feel rather exposed. I will have to purchase a light if I do this however, as without the natural light coming in through the window my plants are most likely going to struggle. For now, they are just going to have to make do with my trusty Dymax 'Astro Light'. |
AuthorLocated in Melbourne, Australia, I currently keep and breed a number of species from the coccina complex. Archives
November 2017
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