Beginner's Brine Shrimp Hatchery Tutorial

OPENING:  Brine shrimp are a great betta fry food.  Some adults like to weigh into a cloud of them inhaling them by the mouthful too.  Hatching them isn’t that tough either. The process is clearly laid out for you in this video.

As you can see, this helpful video offers some great tips.

• It starts off with a list of items you’ll need which among other things will include a two liter pop bottle, air pump, airline, rigid airline, brine shrimp eggs and premix.
• If you aren’t using aged water, add a dechlorinator.
• If you have a shrimp and salt premix you’ll want to add a tablespoon of that to your two liter bottle.
• Add one liter of water to the bottle.
• Place the rigid airline into the water and unleash the bubbles. These will keep the eggs in motion and they should hatch in 24-36 hours depending on the temperature. 78-80 F is ideal. Lower just means the eggs will take longer to hatch.
• When the shrimp hatch the water will look bright orange. Now you just use your rigid tubing and airline as a suction to draw the shrimp out of the hatchery. Then get the air line pumping the air again to keep the shrimp alive and in motion until the next feeding time.

There are many slight variations to this method.  For example some use two pop bottles, cutting one in half and using it as a base. They invert the other and sticking it in that base so that the eggs, when they fall, are funneled into an airstone which keeps them suspended.

Brine Shrimp Hatching FAQ

QUESTION: I’m new to this. Why should I feed my fry BBS?
A: They are a nearly perfect food when freshly hatched. Reason being their yolk sac offers a decent amount of protein and fat to nourish the babies.

QUESTION: What can I do to get a great hatch?
A: Buy eggs rated to give you a 90% hatch. They’ll cost a bit more but they’re worth it because they’ll hatch out more artemia. 

QUESTION: Anything else to improve the hatch rate?
A: Make sure you’ve got sufficient aeration. Eggs that aren’t kept moving are more apt not to hatch.

QUESTION: What should I do with the excess from a hatch to save them for another time?
A: Stick the brine shrimp in an ice cube tray and freeze them

QUESTION: How long will these guys live in the my hatcher?
A: They can go for several days if you keep the aeration going. They will live off their egg yolk initially. And if you don’t aerate them well, they may suffocate.

QUESTION: How can I increase the temperature of the hatchery to get them to come out faster?
A: One way would be to keep a light on them. The heat from the bulb will heat them up. Or you could keep your hatching set up in a heated aquarium.

QUESTION: Do I have to use premix?
A: No. It’s just that the premixed eggs/salt is somewhat more convenient.  Alternately you can use aquarium salt (not iodized table salt), baking soda and shrimp eggs. You’ll need a pinch of baking soda, add one tablespoon of salt for every liter of water, and a quarter or half a teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs. Fill your pop bottle most of the way up and add the salt, baking soda and shrimp eggs.

QUESTION: Which reminds me, how many shrimp in quarter of a teaspoon?
A: That’s about 180,000 shrimp.

QUESTION: What if I want to feed my BBS to grow them out? 
A: You can try things like phytoplankton, Liquidfry, yeast, soybean powder and egg yolk.  Just take care not to overfeed. In other words frequent smaller feedings are better than one huge feed.  It is very easy to foul their water. 

CONCLUSION:  This post reveals just enough to make you dangerous.  Do a bit more research however and in no time you'll have a hatchery full of BBS to feed your baby bettas. 

Treating Dropsy in Betta Fish

OPENING: Bettas with dropsy are a sad sight as this video clearly shows.



See how swollen this poor guy is?  Notice his scales are sticking out like what is commonly referred to as a pinecone?  Classic symptoms.  Painting a perfect picture of what a beta with dropsy looks like.  As this eHow article points out, it's more or less the result of a bacterial infection.

Now most betta keepers would agree with this following video that warns that dropsy is very hard to treat successfully.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't try.  But it does mean you should go into the treatment routine knowing ahead of time that the odds are against your fish. 



That said this video outlines a five step treatment process step by step. 

Usually with a betta it will be isolated already.  You want this because the antibiotic medications recommend aren't recommended for general consumption. 

At the same time you are told to use Epsom salt to help relieve the excess fluid buildup. 

The point about no activated charcoal should not be overlooked.  It will remove the medication from the water making it less likely you will succeed.  So if you've got such a filter operational, remove the carbon before starting treatment.  You can always add is later to help remove the medications from the water.  That and water changes should accomplish that. 

CONCLUSION: This helpful vid gives you a good overview of what you are up against should your fish be unlucky enough to come down with a case of dropsy.  It does a good job of describing the disease and what you can try to do to beat it. 

To Cycle Or Not to Cycle, Is That The Question?

Some say that happiness is what happens when keeping bettas is a cycled tank.  Life is easier for you. Life is better for the bettas.  Which I'd tend to agree with. 

Now if you thoroughly understand tank cycling raise your hand.   Okay a few hands went up.

Otherwise for the rest would it be safe to say you don't know what a cycled tank is?  Or that you don't know why you should know?  If that's true, then this quick heads up should be an eye opener to the possibilities.


If you didn't sleep walk through this video here's what you should have learned.

• The phrase "cycling a fish tank" is about your filter as much as anything else? It also involves the nitrogen cycle and it's referred to as a cycle for a reason. Here's why.
• Your fish are ammonia producers. The amount produced depends on the type and number of fish.
• When doing cycling with fish you start with a few so called hardy fish. These would be fish that can cope with spiking ammonia levels without dying basically. The idea is to build up the beneficial bacteria that break down the harmful ammonia compounds. First it is broken down into nitrites. And finally nitrates. The latter is for the most part benign in limited doses.
• Ammonia is most harmful. Nitrites less so. Nitrates again pretty much not so harmful.
• Doing the cycling with fish is a way to gradually introduce more fish over time to give the bacteria in the tank time to build up to handle the ammonia load. This is likely not a good thing to do with a prized bettta fish however.
• To monitor this cycle you'll need an ammonia test kit. It will pretty much last forever so get a good one like something from API. (Don't get the strips. They aren't nearly accurate enough.) You can see how simple it is. A vial of tank water. A few drops of reactant. Wait a bit. And BOOM you know your ammonia levels.
• Strips are said to be okay for measuring nitrites and nitrates. I tend to disagree. Again a single kit from API can do it all. But let's say that's up to you.
• The typical nitrogen cycle your tank will go through is pretty predictable.

Initially you are going to have an ammonia spike. This is stressful for the fish. Very stressful. In a way it's like living in a smoke filled room. It might not kill you, but breathing in that smoke 24/7 isn't doing you any good either.

The good news, if there is good news, is that the ammonia is food for the good bugs. So they too will multiply like crazy. This will eventually crash the ammonia spike but replace it with a nitrite spike because that's what the bacteria break ammonia down into. Better but still not good. 

Meanwhile your fish is trying to cope with these gyrating water parameters and still be styling while doing so. Also not so good.

More bacteria develop which will eventually take care of the nitrites. This leads to a jump in nitrates. But this is manageable by regular water changes. Which is why the routine is to change out say 80% of the water once the nitrates spike to get that level down. And from there you are good doing 25% changes every week to 10 days or so. 

• But you can also see how 100% water changes are hard on your betta. Because every time you're flushing any good bacteria that have developed down the drain. So that ammonia levels spike, the bacteria catch up, nitrite levels spike, bacteria catch up, nitrate levels spike, BOOM you come along and do a 100% water change somewhere along the way and start the process all over again. Leaving the fish to try to adjust, and adjust and adjust.
• With one betta it's unlikely you can bring in aged filter media. But might be doable if you have a number of these guys in different tanks.

Now I'm not going to tell you that you can't keep bettas in an uncycled set up .  You can. It just makes caring for your betta fish that much easier.   But if you have a tank and you do bother to cycle it, it can often expand the life span of your betta, sometimes dramatically. Because the fish isn't constantly trying to deal with unhealthy spikes in ammonia and nitrite levels that can result from doing 100% water changes. 

Okay so if this whole cycling business is as clear as mud sometimes it helps to get your brain around a concept if you see it explained a second time from a slightly different perspective.  So here's a second pretty decent video.



The nice thing about this one is you get to see a nifty image of the nitrogen cycle from fish to nitrates.  That to me helps make the whole process crystal clear.  Hopefully you'll feel that way too. 

Even better there's a second image, well a chart actually, that shows how the three compounds, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates spike and then crash over time.  Which is pretty darn helpful too. 

And pay attention to the approximate number of days it takes to make each part of the cycle happen.  Which only reinforces the point made that if you are doing a 100% water change once a month, your betta fish is likely under constant stress. 

Still I can't say for sure that if you have a cycled tank you are going to significantly expand the life span of your betta fish.  Sure having them in a tank rather than a bowl will help.  And not subjecting them constantly to ammonia spikes that accompany 100% water changes will help too.  But there are other pitfalls that can shorten their life expectancy. Some of which are beyond your control even.

So to cycle or not to cycle is that the question really isn't the question.  Because for the health of your fish you do want to cycle your tank.  Your betta will be happier.  And you'll be happier.  With that let's end this cycling story.

In the Presence of Dragons

INTRODUCTION:  Breeders have brought an exciting new look to a betta tank near you.  A so called dragon betta fish is an all original color/scale type.  Pretty nifty, huh?

Now it's a lot easier to see what it is than explain what it is.  So if you take a closer look at the half moon plakat male in this video you can't help but notice what really thick scales it appears to have. 


If you miss or can't quite see what I'm talking about, pause the video when the fish's side is full to the camera and you'll easily see the effect on the scales that truly makes this a dragon.  You'll notice both their thick, distinctive appearance as well as the metallic like glint.  Almost resembles armor, no?  Should also bring to mind dragons of lore.  And may be the closest you get to the real thing.  Who knew? 

Dragon Betta Defined:  You'll know one when you see one.  To be one the body of the fish typically has to flash remarkable metallic iridescence.  One that almost could be described as having a silvery look to it.  Which when combined with darker finnage produces a contrasting yet dazzling display that almost glows.  Each scale seems to be almost highlighted to stand out.  Even better, anymore you can find them in a vast and growing array of colors. 

I personally feel the most stunning are of the thicker Plakat body types.  But here again the look is spreading to other body types too.  If you're curious as to the origins of the color type, this article may be the one to read. 

CONCLUSION:  So have you been overcome by "dragon fever"?  Some find that when in the presence of dragons, like this one,

 
it's hard not to be smitten.

Lazy Breeders Guide to Betta Fry Feeding

INTRODUCTION:  Okay so the time to start to wonder what you're going to feed your betta fry is not when you see their tiny tails hanging with the bubbles in the nest.  The time to line up what you're going to feed your fry is before you even start conditioning their parents.  Anything less is irresponsible.  Because without the proper diet 85-90% of your spawn could be gone in three weeks or less from starvation. And how fair is that?

And don't think you've got things covered with some kind of fine dry food.  Won't work.  That's right ain't a gonna happen.  At least not in the fry's lifetime, short at that may be.  And it's really sad to think you're measuring their miserable bettafish lifespan in a few short weeks and finding it's over before you even know what you've got.

Still it happens. That's because for many, fry feeding's a huge hurdle to overcome if they're going to successfully breed betta fish.  (Not that I'd advise doing so but it seems many have their hearts set on trying so why fight it?)  Otherwise you're just another wannbe who is doomed to failure after failure no matter how well things go in the breeding tank.  Left to wonder why did they die this time, instead of getting to the exciting point of seeing some amazing colors and fins develop right before your very eyes.

Okay so that's the problem.  The solution?  You need to think live and you need to think micro-sized.  Because those you are trying to feed are surprisingly teeny tiny in size. With teeny tiny mouths to match.  But they possess a supersized appetite that needs to be satisfied and on a regular basis. 

Naturally you can feed a number of things to those eyes and tails that are potentially an attitude in waiting.  Just has to be downsized to their level. 

And you have to be able to grow it yourself.  Because you're unlikely to find the fry grub you need at any of the big box pet stores.  Or your local pet store for that matter. 

Admittedly some into betta breeding favor feeding infusoria.  And yes these microorganisms meet the small enough test.  That's for sure.  But they can fail the water quality test in a big way by adding to spiking ammonia levels.  And ammonia is super deadly to fragile fry.  Can wipe them out faster than you can spell ICH.  (Although let me hasten to add it's not ICH they got.)  It's a toxic brew that's trying to pass for good water that poisons them indiscriminately seemingly without cause.  Leaving the betta keeper to wonder what happened to all the fry? 

For much the same reason I'm not big on egg yolk even though some are.  Unless you are extremely careful, and I mean to say extremely, the cloud of protein your egg yolk produces can rot and this too can easily pollute the water badly.  Leaving your fry to cry foul.  As in foul, nasty, deadly water.

Okay so if those two don't make the cut what does?  Initially you're better off with microworms and note that their name gives you a hint as to their size.  And then a few weeks later adding baby brine shrimp (BBS) to the list.  Sure it's hard to get your head around how something so small, or BBS, can be too big for your newborn bettas.  But they are. 

FACT: Microworms are bigger than banana worms but smaller than either Grindal or white worms.  Just like in the Three Bears, they are sized just right for newly free swimming fry.  

Okay so the nematodes also known as microworms are it.  (Which if you notice are about as small as the performer formerly known as Prince!  Kidding!) As this video shows all you basically need is a starter culture and a growing media and your fry feeding problems are pretty much over.  Which is why this is the lazy way to feed your fish, more or less. 




Here's how this approach to culturing microworms works.

Cook up some oatmeal and let it cool to room temp.  This would be your growing media and a bit too soupy is probably better than being too dry.  How much you ladle into each of your plastic containers isn't vitally important to success.  Keeping in mind the worms, as they are, live on the surface not in the depths.  So too thick and you're just wasting perfectly good oatmeal.  On top of the oatmeal sprinkle a dusting of cream of wheat.  To this you add a bit of starter from an existing microworm culture.  (And do pay attention to the bit about using a clean spoon, or in this case chopsticks, so you don't cross contaminate your cultures.)  To finish things off, this recipes calls for a sprinkling of brewer's yeast.  Less is more with the yeast.  Seal your new worm colonies with a lid that has a few air holes poked into it.  And you're good.  If things go right you'll soon have worms crawling up the sides of your containers ready to be harvested and fed.  As the video shows collect them on your finger, drop them into water, suck them up with an eyedropper and add them to the tank housing your hungry fry. And you probably want to have a number of containers of these guys going at the same time so you have enough for a nonstop harvest.

CONCLUSION:  Here's the deal.  You do not want to wait until you have hungry fry depending on you for food before starting this process.  Because you need starter culture to pull it off.  Without that you're sunk.  Sure you may find someone at your local aquarium club or whatever who has a culture available. Or you can pick some up off eBay for less than five bucks.  And once you've got that you can produce these miniature worms FOREVER.  But if you have to track starter culture down your spawn may well be dead before you are in a position to feed them properly.  This is why the responsible thing to do is plan ahead.  And have your wriggling microworm cultures going strong before you have fry that need to be fed.

Flashy Males Or Plain-Clothed Females

INTRODUCTION: Did you know that the lovely veiltailed bettas being sold in pet stores are more likely to be males rather than females?  Really?  What gives?  And no it's not some sexist conspiracy on the part of the retailers, but more a bowing to the law of supply and demand. Because survey says more people prefer keeping flashy male bettas than their less colorful female counterparts.

Why is that?  Good question.  And no, it has nothing to do with their respective prospective life span which can run to two, three years or longer with luck. Nor does it have a lot to do with demeanor although some males can be real characters.  Rather it's all about marketing, and males just rate better in that department on a scale of 1-10.  Guess you could say Technicolor wins out over dishwater gray. 

So I also guess you chalk this retail tendency up to the fact the male of the species are much more colorful than the females  are. The males also have longer flowing fins than females too. Even so you likely won't see many like this guy:



Just an incredible specimen.

Yet that's not to say that breeders haven't been busy doing what they can for the fairer sex.  Because breeding these bubblenesters has evolved over the years and believe it or not breeders have now started to develop better selection techniques so they can produce some females that also come in different, more exciting colors too. They are no longer all greyed up. 

Just don't get your hopes up.  As despite those advances they'll still never compete with their drop dead gorgeous brothers.  They still don't come anywhere close to the gaudy colors and impressive fins of these fishy male hunks.  That are more or less living pinwheels of colors coming in almost any hue you could want. 

CONCLUSION: So that's the appeal of male betta fish - a kaleidoscope of color.  Without a doubt it's truly a colorful world inside a tank with one of these guys, don't you think? More so than with almost any other tropical fish you can name.  So that's why when it comes to voting with your dollars, the guys have it all over the gals.

Five Unexpected Ways to Affect Betta Fish Life Span

INTRODUCTION: It's a common question.  Asked in various ways in various places online.  Like Yahoo Answers, betta or tropical fish forums, as well as in comments on blog posts.  But it comes down to pretty much the same thing: When it comes to betta fish life span, what can I expect?  How long will my pet live? 

And it's also a thoroughly reasonable question knowing that tropical fish will have a shorter life in many cases than other pets.  Certainly there are exceptions but generally speaking fish are simply not going to be all that long lived.  So it's helpful to have an idea of what you're dealing with, no? 

But as questions go I feel this one, or at least when asked this way, misses the point.  Rather than asking about expected lifespan directly, it might be better to ask what affects life span and how can you prolong it.  See the difference?  Because while an expiration date is more of less baked into their DNA, typically given as three to five years, there are many things the betta keeper does that can affect how long their finny friend will be around.  Because far too many of these guys don't live anywhere near that long.  In fact some measure their personal longevity in months or weeks even.  Such a premature death is too bad especially when it is easily avoidable.

WATER QUALITY
The first thing that can affect life span is water quality.  And don't just skim past this as it's a biggy.  Because long betta life often comes down to two words: water quality.  If you are diligent about doing water changes so that their water doesn't become toxic you are taking a good first step to maximizing life span.  Because even if the water looks good, it's clear, doesn't smell, etc, ammonia and other unseen contaminates could be building up to dangerous levels if you aren't replacing water on a regular basis.  And these pollutants can kill. 

WATER TEST KIT
This is also why knowing your way around a water test kit would be next on the list to things to do.  Most male bettas with a long life ahead of them have their water tested, and tested often.  And not with those notoriously unreliable test strips either, but using a full-blown water test kit.  Where you draw a tiny vile's worth of tank water, add a precise number of drops of reactant and then compare the resulting color to a chart to see what's what.  Sure the better ones can cost a tad more than your flimsy run-of-the-mill strips.  But since you get a better read on water conditions they are well worth it, even mandatory, if you ask me.  At least if you're serious about maximizing beta life span. 

TANK SIZE
While on the topic of water, the amount of water your fish is kept in goes a long way to determining how long your betta with maintain its youthful zest for life, let alone being alive.  And you don't need to consult a crystal ball to come to that conclusion. 

Those fighting fish kept in a tiny bowl with frigid water temps are not likely to be found wearing funny hats at too many New Year's celebrations.  Cold water aside, noxious substances that lead directly to death without passing GO, can skyrocket out of control in no time.  Before you know it your veiltail will be floating belly up and you are left to wonder why.  While the why should be obvious, it's too late at that point to do much about it.  This is why you shouldn't bother even asking the how long question if you aren't willing to address the how much.  As in how much water.  And housing your fish in at least a five gallon tank that can be properly heated and filtered is the minimum in my book.  Doing so may not be an absolute guarantee of longevity, but it's certainly another step in the right direction. 

WATER TEMPS
Along the same lines if you can't be bothered to heat the water tropically you might was well work out a beta fish flush routine in the bathroom because you'll be using it often. I'm not saying you need to get a top of the line titanium alloy submersible heater to keep your flaming red crowntail comfy, but you do need to rely on something more than room temp to do the job.  Like a nice Tetra heater perhaps.  That way you won't find your beta wrapped in java fern yearning to be warm at least. 

 For those looking for more help, here's a short video the covers the basics of choosing a fish tank heater. 



Video takeaways:  It's good to remember that you get what you pay for with aquarium heaters.  Aside from that this is a good quick overview of lower priced heaters and what advantages a step up to submersibles might offer.  That and a couple of other useful tips you won't want to miss. 

MENU CHOICES
Finally do you feed flakes or pellets?  Not as funny as boxer or briefs perhaps, but flakes are a nearly surefire way to have your fish looking for help in the morning at some point.  They can swell up in their bellies and create bloat faster than you can spell C-O-N-S-T-A-P-A-T-I-O-N.  Which is why anymore those looking to have their fish a long time rely on pellets.  With occasional frozen treats like blood worms and brine shrimp to create a bit of added excitement on the menu.  Because the wrong food choice is simply a bad choice. And yet another misstep easily avoided by those looking to tap the maximum life span they can for their betta fish.