Remove The Male

Your male will take care of the eggs until they hatch and the fry are free swimming. The free swimming stage occurs two days after the eggs hatch. At this stage, you should remove the male. Put it in another tank where it will recover – the male has not eaten since some days and may have been bruised(torn fins) during the spawning process. Feed the male and add a piece of indian almond leaf to its water. The tannins released by the leaves will prevent the bruises from infecting.

Feed The Fry

The fry are now free-swimming. It means that they have to be fed now. First food can be infusoria and microworms. After a week, add some freshly hatched baby brine shrimp to the fry. As the fry get bigger, you should start changing water regularly. At this stage you can increase the water level of the breeding tank. Stop feeding baby brine shrimp when the fry are big enough to take powdered food.

Keep The Tank Covered

As mentionned in the Betta article, the betta possess a special organ called the Labyrinth. It starts developing when the fry are at about four weeks old. At this stage, the latter will go to the surface to breathe air. If the air above is not humid and warm enough(because of cold air drafts), the fry may get pneumonia and die. Therefore, cover the tank. Merely putting a towel or a used shirt is enough if you don’t gave an appropriate cover. Keep the tank covered until it is time for jarring.

Jarring

As the fry grow, you will notice that some males are maturing and flaring. These signs of aggression should be monitored closely. At this point you should jar the aggressive males. Jarring is the process of isolating the males but don’t forget the housing criteria when jarring. Any deformed fry should be culled.

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