# Freshwater Aquariums > Freshwater Aquarium Livestock > Bettas >  Breeding  Betta splendens

## Reddevil

Have you ever dreamt of breeding  the Siamese  fighter Betta splendens, but have been put off by the thought that they are difficult to breed? Untrue, if you  follow this simple method of spawning and rearing fighters.  What are we dealing with and where do  they come from? They come from Thailand and are kept at a temp of 80f in soft acid water. They grow to about 60mm.   Colours; Reddish brown in wild stock.  Man made colours include vivid reds and blue and a mix of the two. There is also the Cambodia which is a light cream, but  is not commonly seen.
*Breeding*
First make sure that you have a pair.  The sexual difference is easy to see. The female of the species is a duller colour, and is heavily built around the front  part of her body. Males of course, have longer finnage.  To condition them for breeding  put them into a spawning tank, 24x12x12, furnished with a mop or thick clump of plants as a refuge for the female. Supply the  male with a half of a polystyrene tea cup, cut lengthways, and floating on top of the water.  the nest will be built under this "cave". It provides an area protected all around the  top and the sides, with the male underneath. Place the female in an opaque  plastic container in the prepared tank, so that the male cannot see or get to her; he will  kill her if she is not ready to spawn.  You must feed them well with the best  of food, plenty of live food is best. It need not cost a lot to do this as you are only feeding two small fish.  After a week or so the female will  fill up with roe, looking as if she has swallowed a marble. When she is ready to spawn a small whitish pimple will be seen  in the ventral area. Now transfer her to a clear container so that the male can see  her. If he is ready he will start to display, and build a nest. When the nest building has  gone on for a day or two the female can be released. Keep a close eye on them at this  time, the male becomes excited and displays his maximum foliage to the female, also he opens  his gillcovers wide.
He will try to entice the female  under the nest.  Eventually the female joins him, and  he will wrap his body around her, then turn her onto her side.  She will release a number of eggs  which he will fertilise.  The eggs drift slowly down and will  be collected by the male spitting them into the nest while the female recovers. This is repeated until she has released  all her eggs. This is the time when she needs refuge, and she is best removed. The male is  left to look after the fry until they are seen clinging to the bubbles and polystyrene. The  male is now removed.  Cover the tank with sheets of  clingfilm or polystyrene. Make sure that there are no gaps. When the fry are free swimming feed on infusoria or substitute by  lifting a corner of the covering and then replacing it.. NO DRAFTS OR COOL AIR MUST BE  ALLOWED ON TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.  The fry grow rapidly on a diet  of micro worms and brine shrimp. You will find that a number of fry will not grow as fast as the rest. These are best culled  out. In about 2 months the young male fighters begin to battle and so must be separated into  small containers. Water must be changed weekly in these.

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