Marine Betta

[ichthyoid]

What do you use for flow in the larvae tank?

 

[ThRoewer]

What do you use for flow in the larvae tank?

Marineland powerhead 900. I have to clamp the hose to the larvae compartment almost completely shut.

 

[ichthyoid]

I was thinking you must have some filter pad, or floss of some kind, over the intake? Because they are so tiny and vulnerable.

 

[ThRoewer]

I was thinking you must have some filter pad, or floss of some kind, over the intake? Because they are so tiny and vulnerable.

There is a screen between the two tank compartments.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 5

 

[ThRoewer]

The new Calloplesiops argus came down with a bacterial infection and finrot. Especially the male got it bad. I started treating them with Furan. Let's hope that gets it under control. The two females look better but none of them is really taking any food at the moment. On Friday they had taken some live brine shrimp.
The end of the video shows the neighboring quarantine tank with 2 small "regular" Marine Betta (Calloplesiops altivelis) that will become my third pair (or will be paired with offspring from pair 1), a pair of juvenile False Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), a pair of Bullseye Mandarins (Synchiropus picturatus), and a pair of Bluestripe Pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus).




Marine Betta Pair 1 has spawned again:




The larvae from their last clutch are developing, but have taken losses.

 

[TriggerFinger]

How many fry do you estimate are still alive?

 

[ThRoewer]

How many fry do you estimate are still alive?

Hard to say but I would guess about a hundred who have a chance. There are still more but not all are feeding well enough to make it.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 7:




I tried freshly hatched Artemia but they would not even look at them. Same with adult rotifers and Apocyclops. So far they only go after Apocyclops nauplii... and that at an infuriatingly slow speed.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 8:




They feed better after I reduced the number of rotifers significantly and added more Apocyclops nauplii.
It's still another week to metamorphosis but they slowly start looking like little Marine Betta.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 9:

Getting bigger...




I would say there are still up to a hundred around:

 

[ThRoewer]

Two smaller Marine Betta in a 10 gallon quarantine tank:



As can be seen, they get along great.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 10, morning:

 

[fishkeepinginasia]

T

After a break of almost 30 years, I plan on raising a few more Marine Bettas.

I currently have one spawning pair in my 100-gallon mixed tank (where harvesting the eggs is difficult) and a harem group of 1 male (wild-caught), 1 large female (wild-caught), and 1 smaller female (Sea & Reef tank bred) in a 40B. I hope the 3 in the 40B will start spawning soon.

This is the male of the pair in the 100-gallon tank with eggs:



This was right at the entrance of the cave structure and could have been easy pickings. Unfortunately, I had neither suitable food nor a suitable larvae tank ready, and the next nest he put in the back of the tank where it can't be reached.

This was the pair while in quarantine, still quite little:




And this video shows them now in the 100-gallon tank




This is a (crapy) video of the harem group:




The male of the group (back then still a female) and the small female have been together since June 2015, the large female I added just a few days ago. When putting the larger female with the other two I expected actually a little bit of fighting but she got along with the male right away and pretty much ignores the smaller female. In the past I had pairs spawn 2 weeks after putting them together but it could also take a few months. I have started feeding krill but might also try to find live grass shrimp to get them going fast.

I also will have to build a special larva tank.

This is fascinating. Following.

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 10, evening:

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 11:

 

[TriggerFinger]

They’re easier to see in this video. They must be growing nicely! How big are they? To me it looks like little grains of wild rice swimming around, maybe a little thicker than rice.

 

[User1]

Great and amazing work. Really and well documented. Also looks like a lot of effort goes into it with caring and passion. Very nice. Also very beautiful fish one that I have on my stocking list down the road.

 

[ThRoewer]

They’re easier to see in this video. They must be growing nicely! How big are they? To me it looks like little grains of wild rice swimming around, maybe a little thicker than rice.

They are still tiny. They haven't grown much in length, in the first 2 weeks they primarily grow in height. The real growth starts once they are through metamorphosis and settle - which should be starting any day now...

 

[ThRoewer]

Day 12, morning: