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The Shallow Method Spawn By: Betty Splendens Submitted: 10/3/2003 Tub Spawning Setup. A.) Spawning tubs. B.) Fry nursery pans. C.) Grow-outs. D.) Infusoria culture Newly-hatched fry hang from the bubblenest Shallow Spawn Method This is my method of choice, and we've had tremendous success with it. What I have at home is a lot of the cheap, plastic tubs available at any store like Wal Mart. The kind I buy are approximately 3 feet long by 2 feet wide and 5 inches tall. I only get the clear variety and fill it to a depth of about 4 inches. The only things added to the tub is a cluster of live floating plants (java moss or fern) and a clear plastic lid that I float on the surface for the male to build his nest under. What I do is make sure the tub is extremely clean, and fill it with new water and a neutralizer. I do not use heaters in my breeding tubs because the temperature in my fish room stays at between 80 - 85 degrees at all times, but I have used submersible heaters in these containers with success. Once the plants are added I let the water sit under a bright light for several days to facilitate the growth of infusoria, and then I add my breeding pair. Sometimes I condition them, sometimes I don't. It doesn't seem to matter much either way. I do feed them very well before adding them to the tub, since I won't be feeding them at all during the courtship and spawning. When the pair have explored their environment and discovered each other, courtship usually begins in earnest. Bettas seem to really like these shallow containers, and since the female stays visible to the male, he keeps his mind on business. I have spawns happen very quickly, and the fish don't harm each other as much as you might think. There are some torn fins and missing scales, but I don't think they get hurt any more or less than those fish spawned in ten gallons. The only drawback is, you have to keep an eye on them and remove the female as soon as spawning is complete, or the male will almost certainly devastate her. I clap a lid on top, check them every hour, and remove the female as soon as she retreats. Unless the male is a confirmed fry-eater, I leave him in the tub to help raise his fry. He is fed well (see "Leaving Father With Fry Method", Parts I and II) for the entire duration of his vigil. The fry are not fed at all during the 1st week, as they are absorbing their yolk sacs and feeding on the plentiful infusorians in the spawn tank. After one week, they are started on newly hatched brine shrimp. The bottom of the tub is siphoned every day, removing and replacing about a quart of water, until the fry are a month old, and then move them into a larger plastic tub with a sponge filter. Fry grow quickly and are very hardy. Shallow method spawning is very easy, but the breeder must use his or her own good judgement with regards to the breeding fish. If the female is displaying her 'stress stripes' (horizontal stripes) and seems to be taking excessive abuse from the male, or vice versa, separate the pair, recondition them, and try again in another week. Alternately, I have had pairs live quite happily in these tubs for a long time, without much more than a passing interest in each other and no bubblenest, and then suddenly decide to spawn. If you do have a pair like this, remember to do partial water changes every week as long as they are living in the tub, and definitely do feed them.

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HEJSAN FROM SWEDEN EVERYONE! Everything in Sweden is going well, although I'm still busy learning the language and coping with a newborn, so it will be a bit before I'm as active as I'd like with the fish. This is a Facebook update! I have created a new BettySplendens Facebook page that will be used exclusively for betta-related networking. On the 16th of August I will be going through and deleting most of the people on my personal Facebook page who are not actual friends or family (many of you have become friends through the course of the hobby, and of course will not be deleted). If for any reason you wish to remain on my personal page, please let me know by emailing bettysplendens@yahoo.com, or FB email. Otherwise, go to the new BettySplendens Facebook page and click the 'like' button for more betta-related news and updates :).

Tack så mycket (that's ''Thank you very much'' in Svenskie-land ;))! ~Victoria~

Slight change of plans! I have decided that, instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm going to create a personal FB page and use the old one purely for betta stuff. So if you're on the original page (now called BettySplendens Bettas), please stay put! :P

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