Spawn Update

After a cross-country move, water issues and fish issues we seem to be on track with some breeding. It has been a while since we had an update of what we got growing out and what direction we are going with out breeding. So here goes.. and yes I am insane to have this many going on. On the bright side ya’ll will have lots to choose from on AquaBid.. lol.

Spawn 43 – Metallics: This group is of age and being sold. I sent several to the fall shows and they did well. The females in this spawn are super nice.. they have great spread and good branching. Most are a light minty green of all things. Many have the nice wide dorsal bases we are breeding for but what I like most about the girls is their balance. No slanty or long anal fins! their mother took 2nd place both times she was shown. She had a slight dip in her topline or she may have placed higer. Her form and balance carried through and got stamped on each girl in this spawn. That stamp made a real impression on me. We look hard at the males for form but often times are easier on the females allowing imbalance or less than ideal branching. Many times it isn’t our fault as there are very few good ones for sale and you work with what you have. If you want to raise good bettas you have to get the best girls you can get your hands on. Any one of the girls in this spawn will be an asset to a breeding program. Look for them to be posted soon on AquaBid. The really nice ones will not be cheap.. but they will help get you producing some good females yourself.

The boys in this spawn are all over the place. Whereas the girls were minty green the boys are multi’s with some butterfly type patterns thrown in. This line has huge finnage and great branching. So I like to get some maturity on the boys before making any decisions. With the good branching comes extreme branching heading to rosetail. When you get a tail that branches like crazy it often times is short in length in relation to the other fins. So I watch out for that. I want to see the branching as well as long length. So we wait and watch. The ‘frilly’ ones will head to pet homes as they become apparent. So far I am liking a copper with a white splash on his anal, a couple of green and white marbles, and a tri banded Butterfly that is red, white and blue. Also got several nice double tails. They need maturity too as like to see how well they carry their fins. Most of the doubletails are long-bodied.. good for breeding. I try to stay away from breeding the shorter bodied ones as you lose that long torpedo look a betta is supposed to have.

Spawn 44 – metallics [8/6/11]: Yeah, I know.. more metallics. Same female as above spawn crossed with a royal and white from a fellow breeder, Karenc. The female was minty green with some red wash and we have the royal dad. I EXPECTED royal and green with red wash or marbling. What I GOT is a bunch of light bodied fish. A flash light shined on them shows very light blue and green.. pastels. Yeck! Form wise they are looking good. I was looking to cross in the good solid form Karen has in her fish with that nicely balanced female and it appears I will have sone nice look fish. I figured I would have to clean up the color a bit in the next generations but the pastels are kinda throwing me for a loop. I can cross this spawn to the other for a slight outcross but not sure what the pastel is going to do in my goal for shiny dark blue and green fish.

Spawn 45 – Grizzle [8/25/11] Dad was blue bodied with a grizzle patterned blue and yellow fins. Female was yellow bodied with blue speckles [from spawn 27] Female was colored right but could be much better in form. She was shorter bodied and not 180. She had good branching but was more a super delta spread. I may lose the  halfmoon spread in this cross but this spawn was after a color. I am trying to create blue and yellow marbles and grizzles. I love the two colors together so trying to see if I can get a yellow body with the blue marble/grizzle pattern on top. This is my F1. At about 8 weeks of age I already have some males in the barracks. One is lavender with yellow fins.. the rest are speckled. They really are too young to tell what color they will be, but so far the form on the boys does not appear half bad. They are shaped a bit different from my other fish so will see how their finnage develops out. For females I appear to have some solid blues and speckles on others. I am watching to see if their mother stamps them with the less then 180 spread.

Spawn 46 – Red and Black: Crossed a red female with one of my black males and have 2 fish. They are still small and one appears to be red. I was curious if the black would improve the red or the red might improve the black. With only 2 fish will not see much. May try again another day.

Spawn 47 – Steel x Royal [9/3/11] A royal DT daughter of this male pictured was crossed to a very nicely balanced steel male. He does have some red wash but form wise he is great. He has the same type dorsal and tail and the anal is shorter and more in balance. I should get royals and steels, hopefully with big full dorsals and nice balance. Some will probably have red wash.. but can work that out with some solid form. But, see spawn 44 about what I SHOULD get… lol. Fingers crossed no more pastels! I have my metallics I am breeding towards shiny blue and green, but I also want the traditional iridescent colors of royal and steel-blue as well as green and turquoise. These guys are the cross for that.

Spawn 48 – Blue x blue/yellow [9/7/11]: Same male I used for the grizzle spawn above crossed to a royal female with yellow fins. Don’t know what I am looking for here.. bi colors as well as a cross for the marble/grizzles above with better form. She is typier.. longer bodied, anal in proportion, good spread and branching. If I need to improve form for spawn 45 I will have some of the same genetic mater with both of them having the same dad.

Spawn 49 – Red Marble [9/14/11] OK.. I got on AquaBid and totally lost my mind the end of August. The problem is that box from the transshipper to my house. I think it is expensive so I make sure it is not empty. That means when I import I usually do it four fish at a time. This splashy pattern really caught my eye and I actually had a female colored like this I could not get rid of because I though it was too cool. So.. bought this boy and am hoping for red and white marbles. I do like the Cambodian body with the red marble pattern in the fins. He has long nice finnage so hoping for interesting fish for the marble and form and finnage classes. This is a really HUGE spawn and I am going to be in real trouble if even 1/4 are males.. gonna have to keep fish moving through the barracks.

Spawn 50 – Reds [9/14/11] This red boy started they buying binge. I sweet talked Karen McAuley into selling me a pair of her reds. The female [Chili] shredded her brother [Cowboy]. He got put in isolation to grow his fins out and to build his betta ego back up. I wanted reds so I imported one.. and he did nothing but hang out with Chili. So, I bought this guy.. and three more fish to fill that box. I crossed him to Miss Chili and got a very large spawn that are just starting to color up. I need to get some pics as they color up down the back and in their faces. This male had great form and so does Miss Chili. I have great expectations for this spawn producing some very nice reds and Cambodians. I would prefer a darker body but for my first red spawn, and my 50th spawn.. I am delighted.

Spawn 51 – Yellow x Orange [9/14/11:] I had a few yellows crop up in my breeding so decided to find a nice yellow male to breed them to. The male I wanted I got out bid at about $85.. so went and bought this one from the same breeder. Over halfmoon, good color and balance I awaited the shipment. As you can see by the spawn dated I got that shipment and all three males went into spawn tanks.. and I got spawns on the same day. My yellow females were not ready so I put him with a very nice orange female I have. She has nice form and I’m thinking orange and yellow fry. They are coloring up like the reds.. fins and along the back.. and I do appear to have some yellow and [fingers crossed] orange. The tank is a new one set up and I do not have a real light over it so I may actually have red instead of the orange. Should have better lighting soon. The female I had up for auction for a few days.. and the more I looked at her the more I decided I did not want to sell.. so I pulled her. She will be back up for auction when these guys [yet another large spawn] get a little bigger.

Spawn 52 – Steel x Royal [9/20/11] Sibling offspring of that nice steel male above. Male is like dad but has a little shorter anal giving better balance and the female is a royal double tail. She is shorter bodied than I like but it was a very small spawn ans I really wanted to keep the line going. I will have the related spawn for crossing to if needed for longer bodies. Again, hoping for royal blue and steel, this time with no red wash as both these fish have clean color. I just pulled the male whem I got home this evening.

Spawn 53 – Red [10/4/11]: Cowboy finally got his fins and attitude back so I put him back in with his sister. This time I put her in with a chimney I made from cutting the top and bottom off a 2 liter soda bottle. Last time she was flirty and in the mood and a few hours later he was a mess. This time was going to keep an eye on them and make sure he could hold his own. When she appeared agreeable [remember she has been bred before at this time] I turned her lose and he right quick put her in her place. I think I had a spawn later that evening. this is a sibling cross and I will have some reds to cross into the others.. both sharing same mother.

Spawn 54 – Steel x Metallic Green [10/3/11]: Male is sibling to the royal with great form above [spawn 47]. This boy has the same great form and balance with a bit broader and fuller dorsal. He too has a bit of red wash that will need worked out of the line. Female was a very nice metallic green from the first spawn listed. I spawned her then sent her to the Connecticut show and she placed 2nd. She too has the wider dorsal base, great branching and spread and very nice sharp edges on her tail. I am expecting some very good form on these fish. I figure I will have some patterned fish with the red wash and marble the metallics carry. All I need is a few good ones and we will improve the color in the next few generations. My metallic males have that super branching and at times do not get enough length on their tails, This male has good branching and nice long length. So I am hoping to bring that balance to my metallic males.

Spawn 55 Steel x Metallic Green [0/9/11]: more metallics. A repeat of the spawn above except with a sibling female. She is just as balanced, has the wider dorsal base and a bit longer fins. Remember I am wanting more length of the tails in my metallics. Similar breeding to allow some crossing of the best of each.

As you can see I have a LOT of fish coming. Some of them will mature up before the shows and will be offered for sale. We will pick the best for breeding and AquaBid and the rest will end up as beautiful pets. We are working on a web site that will tie into our auctions and other very nice fish offered for sale by top breeders. Look for that in the coming months as well. Hope ya’ll are needing fish.. soon!