Many people considered feeding a fish every other day a healthier feeding regime because they feel it prevents a wide assortment of fish ailments. These claims are largely unsubstantiated as there is little to no evidence supporting or refuting the claim. It is however generally accepted that an every-other-day feeding regime is not harmful to fish.
Whatever feeding regime you chose to use for your fish tank, it is important to remain consistent
Most aquarium owners feed their fish on a daily basis, or multiple times per day. This is generally considered an unnecessary amount of food, but there are exceptions which will be discussed below. One of the primary arguments for an every-other-day feeding regime is that a daily feeding is frequently more food then these fish would ever get in the wild.
An alternate method sometimes proposed as a compromise between the two schools of thought is to feed very small portions on a daily basis. This is thought accomplish the same goal, but will typically only work in a significantly understocked tank. This will not work on a over-stocked, or even a well stocked tank because a single (typically the dominant) fish will consume the majority. This could lead to starvation in some of your more timid fish.
So the nest has been built, the male is showing off, the female is showing vertical bars and is full of eggs, it's time to let them in together! When they first realise they can get to each other there will be a whole lot of confusion, chasing and nipping. This is where the bushy plant is handy for her to hide in. It will take several hours, to several days, for them to really realise what they're meant to be doing. If it looks like the female (or indeed the male) is getting too beat up, separate them. It can be almost instant, to 24-48 hours before they truly do the deed.
When they do manage to work it out they will both hang under the bubble nest, the female will hang with her head down in a submissive posture. The male will begin to wrap his body around hers, physically squeezing out the eggs from the female and fertilising them.
The eggs will begin to fall to the bottom of the tank, which is why a substrate is advised against as they will get lost. The breeding will pause frequently, both fish seeming paralysed for a few seconds, and then the male, occasionally the female, will begin to dash around frantically collecting the eggs and spitting them into the bubble nest. They will wrap several times more, when you are sure the female is empty of eggs, she can be removed to her tank to begin the process of recovery. Do not leave her in the tank, once she's finished she will swim away and try and hide, during this time the male will now see her as a threat and she could be injured, or even killed.
The male will stay with the nest until the fry are free-swimming. He will tend to the nest and not feed, mouthing the eggs, blowing bubbles, he may even entirely move the nest and eggs. He will spend most of his time underneath the nest watching the eggs, catching any that fall, he will often eat any infertile eggs. Some first-time dads may eat eggs or fry, if this is seen to be happening, it's best to move him out of the tank.
The fry should hatch in about 48 hours. They will wiggle about, you will see little tails hanging from the nest, and then they will start to fall. The devoted dad will dash about and catch these and put them back in the nest. The dad will spend most of his time for the next day or so catching these fry and putting them back in the nest. In a day or so the fry will develop their strength and be able to stay in the nest themselves and develop a horizontal swimming position. Once they are able to swim, the dad can be removed to recooperate.
First things first, your pair needs to be pampered for around 2 weeks to ensure they are at their optimum health. Treat them with IAL, live food such as bloodworm and immaculate water conditions in their 5 US Gallons (18.9L) tanks.
The next part of the process is to set up your 10 gallon tank. Add water but a maximum of only 4"-6" depth. Keep it bare-bottom, substrate would hide the eggs. Use the sponge filter, add a bushy plant (live plants work best to help keep the water healthier while the filter is off), some IAL, float the styrofoam cup securely in the tank. Make sure this tank has matured, in that there is as much good bacteria in the sponge filter as possible. Add the heater and set it to 80°F (26.7°C) .
Next, the male needs to be introduced to this tank. Add him slowly and carefully using the drip method (in a bag/cup, with tank water slowly dripped in for at least half an hour). Once he's in the tank, give him a day or so to get used to his surroundings.
Now it's time to introduce the female to him. She will need to be added to the glass chimney, so they can look, but not touch. The male will frolic and dance in front of the female, flaring and generally showing off. The female may or may not act receptive. She should be fairly eggy (fat with eggs) already, if not do not let her in with the male until she is. You will know she's ready for spawning if she's eggy and is showing vertical (not horizontal) bars. The male should be getting busy and building his bubble nest under the styrofoam cup, he will alternate between showing off and building his nest.
Choosing a perfect breeding pair is essential, using any old pair will produce effectively mutt-babies. When breeding Bettas, having an aim for tail type and/or colour is key. A pair should be in optimum health and no older than 1 year, 6-8 months old is ideal.
When it comes to what fry you'll get from a pair, this when buying from another breeder has it's advantages as you will able to find out the family tree and work out what colour/fin types are recessive and what are dominant.
Betta genetics can get quite complicated and drawn out, but it is important to remember the two main dominant colours are red and blue, and the dominant (and undesirable) tail type is veil.
Theres quite a surprising amount of kit you need before you even being to get your pair together. This is the recommended equipment list, many breeders have their own, slightly different, tried and tested methods.
