Breeding Containers

There are many ways to set up breeding containers, and each offers pros and cons for the parents and the fry that need to be considered.  There is no "one size fits all", but a few generic options that are universally pretty good.  I will be covering that, as well as other containers I've explored. 

Before you Start

Setting up a breeding tank or pond is no different then setting up a normal tank.  Before adding any bettas you need beneficial bacteria to be established either by using a seeded sponge filter, or using a cycled tank.  Failing to do so will cause poor water parameters that kill your fry.  This is one of the most common reasons I see new breeders fail.  

Personally I like using highly established planted tanks because they have Infusoria and other things that newly free swimming bettas will eat!  It's also more likely to have stable water parameters.  

The first thing we will discuss if Container Size.  

Container Size

When setting up a breeding container, it is best to decide what size you'd like to use.  I have breed bettas in containers as small as 2.5 gallons and up to 30 gallon low boys, and have found that both large and small tanks each have pros and cons, so choosing a size is not as straight forward as it may seem.

Tanks 20 gallons and larger are great for giving female bettas space from the males.  It keeps them safer as they have more space to hide and wait until the male is ready.  The other bonus is that as the fry grow, all you need to do is add more water with each water change instead of moving them.  The drawback with this is that you will need more live foods in the earlier stage in order to evenly feed the entire tank.  This isn't as simple as adding extra eggs to a BBS container, it will require multiple hatcheries going at once or additional live food sources along side of the BBS. 

Tanks 10 gallons and smaller are better for feeding fry.  Because there is not as much space for the fry to take up, food is more concentrated for them.  This is great for efficiency of your live foods.  The issue with smaller tanks comes from the breeding process, as well as fry growth.  Because the space is smaller, the female has less space to hide from the male.  If the space is too small or the male too aggressive, he can easily kill her, or vice versa.  Containers below 2.5 gallons should never be used, and even that size is pushing it.  You will aslso need to do more frequent water changes with smaller tanks to help with growth.  You can feed a ton, but without water changes the fry may be grow slower or even be stunted.  Another other issue with smaller tanks is that the fry will outgrow them quicker then larger ones.

I recommend first time breeders use a 10 or 20 gallon tank, making the choice to focus on the safety of the female if the male is extra spicy vs demand for fry food. 

Larger Tanks (20g and higher)

• Keeps female safer from an aggressive male 

• No need to move tanks as the fry grow 

• More food is needed to evenly feed all of the fry in the spread out space 

Small Tanks (10g and smaller) 

• Females can be at risk with an aggressive male, extra hides are required to keep her safe. 

• You will need to move the fry as they grow. 

• Easier to feed small fry/less live food is required each feeding.