Half Moon double tail Betta

When it is time to select your breeding pair. Well, I hate to break the news to you, but unless you have quality breeding stock to start with, you will NEVER produce any quality bettas. Considering the fact that it takes the same amount of time, space, money and work to raise a crop of crappy bettas or one of splendid specimens, it seems obvious (well, at least to ME LOL) that breeding quality stock is wiser. It is also easier to give away, trade, sell quality bettas than it is to unload bettas that look like Quasimodo (you know, the Hunchback of Notre Dame) on a bad day :). In short, make your life easier and a little more spent upfront will go a looong way. So here is some advice as to how to select good breeding stock, and the do and don't of purchasing bettas for breeding purposes. Listen to mother: I know best.

Avoid pet store bettas like the plague. I have covered the topic in length in my very first Bettatalk Radio show, so here is a little synopsis for those of you who missed it: Pet store bettas are not suitable breeders for many reasons, but here are just a few:

So do yourself and the betta hobby a BIG favor and don't propagate bad pet store betta genes.

Avoid larger, flashier bettas. As I said above, only younger bettas are suitable breeders and most often, the younger the better. Young bettas may not look very striking, as they have not yet had a chance to blossom and to grow striking finnage. They are usually much smaller than adult bettas. The beginner breeder may not know how to pick breeders and will automatically go for the larger flashier bettas, not understanding he or she is making a mistake in doing so. Seasoned breeders will always go for young, smaller pairs. Hence if you spot the photo of a male with big fins on a site, you should run as fast as you can in the opposite direction! Hugh. Wise Buffalo has spoken.

Pick the proper size breeders. If your male is big, then pick a big female. But if he is small then you must find a suitably sized female for him. The rule is the female should be of equal or lesser size then the male. Never bigger. Do not worry about the female being "full with eggs" this is just a bunch of #@*! and all females will produce eggs, whether they look big or not. Sometimes, a female that is "full of eggs" will actually become a problem for the male who can no longer wrap around her properly, resulting in failure to fertilize the eggs (duh).

Pick the proper strain according to your bettabilities. Not all strains were created equal :) and some of them are much more challenging than others. Melanos are a good example and very often will be hard to spawn. Halfmoon males are also notorious for being horrible breeders. My advice is: pick a strain according to your bettabilities. If you are just starting, pick one that is easier to breed even if it is not your favorite color. One has to start somewhere and you still have a lot of learning to do. Later when you know what you are doing (as though we EVER do !! LOL) then you can move to fancier, rarer and more fragile, temperamental and expensive strains.

Always buy breeding stock in pairs. It is always best to get both your male and female from the same breeder. If at all possible, you should buy a brother and sister. If no siblings are available then ask the breeder you are buying from to select a suitable mate for your betta with compatible genes. This is a very important detail too often overlooked by beginners! Unless you have both pieces of the puzzle, you will not be able to successfully reproduce the traits of the strain you have selected. It is imperative that you deal with a breeder that has extensive genetics knowledge otherwise he or she will not be able to adequately match a pair for your needs. That is another reason why you should never buy breeding stock form a "green" breeder, regardless of how nice the betta photos on his or her site are. I cover more about this in the "where to buy stock" page. Again, cutting corners at the beginning will usually result in major set backs in the end. So you get what you pay for and it is best to spend an extra $20 or $50 buck and get started on the right foot. Many beginners also have the misconception that one should not breed a brother or sister together because you would get inbred fry.