Show Bettas Conservation Program

[Bettarazzi]

Since it looks inevitable that batch testing of imported bettas will come into force I'm starting a thread about conserving genetic material so that we can continue to enjoy breeding show bettas in Australia.

If you want to discuss or find out more about batch testing go here: http://ausaqua.net/f...showtopic=10316

If you want to join the Wild Betta Conservation Program go here: http://ausaqua.net/f...showtopic=10434

The idea of this program is for people to commit to maintaining certain finnage types and colours. Participants would report their spawns regularly. This will most likely be through a bi-annual survey. And the data will be collated so we can have a good view of the health of our breeding efforts. Let's use this thread to talk more about how we want this program to work. But for the moment it would be good to get an idea about the finnage types and colours people are interested in working with.

The groupings below are just a suggestion. Happy to listen to other opinions. You'll note that it doesn't exactly match IBC groupings. In particular, I've put melano in the dark iridescent group. My reasoning is that melano's have to be constantly crossed to steel. And have you ever seen a melano without iridescence? This is not meant to be a show class grouping. My view is that as long as we've got people breeding something in each group, we could resurrect the rest of the colours if some of them get lost.

Finnage Type: Halfmoon, Crowntail, Plakat

Colour groups:

1. Dark Iridescent and dark metallics (royal blue, turquoise, steel, copper, teal, melano, dragon)

2. Non-iridescent (red, yellow, orange)

3. Light iridescent and light metallics (pastels, opaque, platinum, gold)

4. Patterned all colours (butterfly, marble, bicolour, cambodian)

[shadoh]

What a great idea Bettarazzi! I'm just starting back with breeding bettas after a long absence and once I have a test spawn under my belt and the cobwebs cleared out, I'd be more than happy to participate. I'd probably stick to 2 different lines - Probably marble CT's and melano HM's. Will be watching this thread with great interest!

Jarrod

[Neffy]

I'm working with and will keep going

- Halfmoon patterned (buterfly)red/pink

- Giant halfmoon PK patterned (marble) pink/purple

- Halfmoon Dragon orange/pink (up in air i dont have a suitable female atm and i lost the location of the joint spawn post )

Edited September 10, 2010 by Neffy

[Bec]

OK ... I am happy to help out AND want to work on the giant halfmoons, I am not fussed on which colour and will probably work on finnage over pattern and colour.

I have a large stock of colours and am happy to help out anyone who wants to breed a certain line.

I have the following from Thailand of late:

Orange

Extended red

Opaque - died in transit (have female though)

Black lace - recent death (have female though)

Blue orchid- recent death

Yellow

MG

Butterfly

Turquose

Blue

Salamander

Melano

let me know if you are commited and I will do your colour spawns sooner than later. (Price according to what you can afford )

I am bringing in a nice red crown tail pair ... if anyone (from Melbourne) would like to take them and do a spawn with them they are welcome to them provided they are prepared to give me a good replacement pair from the spawn (I can see these will be my last cabs of the rank and will probably die of old age before I get to them).

Edited September 15, 2010 by Bec

[Yanagi]

I intend on breeding and currently own Oranges, Orange Blacks and Orange Dragons, Plakats.

[Melbourne_betta_HM]

Hello everyone

I'm currently working with HM

1. Dark Iridescent and dark metallics (royal blue, turquoise, steel, copper, teal, melano, dragon)

with a dash of red lol!!

My current stock is

Red/Orange CT male (pet)

Royal Blue OHM male (marble & BF gene)

Salamandar HMPK male

Pair of Metallic Teal Dragon HM

Super Red HM female

Copper HM female (marble gene)

Copper marble HM female

Currently working spawns are:

Salamandar HMPK x Super Red HM

Royal Blue OHM x Copper HM

Metallic Teal Dragon HM x Copper HM

[Becki]

I'm working on Bi colour in Crowntails/Combtails as well as Blues and Red Crown tails and Marbles.

Red Dragons - Im crossing him to a lovely red crowntail / combtail female.

I have a black lace male which I got from Lisa along with a black dragon. Both are in need of a lady friend,

[delyall]

Ima trying to help.. Im looking at expanding my breeding stock.. but for now I cant get a successful spawn.. Im hoping its because of bad weather

Here is what I have to work with now-

orange dragon hmpk pair (trying to breed these.. no luck so far..)

and a lavender butterfly hm girl, royal blue hm girl, copper hm girl and black orchid hm male

I also have a couple of nice looking pk, a 'half giant' pk and a nice dtvt female

Edited September 14, 2010 by delyall

[Bettarazzi]

My interest lies mostly with the dark irids and metallics but I hope to be breeding bettas long enough to have a go at most colours, fin types, giants and wilds. I guess I would be willing to focus my conservation efforts on a strain which not many other people were working on. But with only 8 responses in this thread (even bearing in mind that the thread is only a few days old), our conservation program isn't looking terribly encouraging. If batch testing came into force in a couple of months and Jodi wasn't able to continue bringing in show quality bettas and wilds, I wonder what the hobby will look like in a year.

An important part of a conservation program is reporting on how safe the various populations were from being lost to the hobby. A group would be considered safe if there were 3 breeders who had fry or juveniles (not just adult breeding stock). Looking at the responses so far, we can't consider anything to be safe.

[Chuckie]

our conservation program isn't looking terribly encouraging.

I agree. I wish I could volunteer. I can, and am happy to, spawn hundreds of bettas, but I cannot cope with jarring, shipping or selling for the foreseeable future.

My earlier experiment entailing me spawning and raising the bettas and someone else jarring, shipping them etc, proved not to be sustainable, and is no longer an option.

If we can try and set up some sort of co-op/partnerships in that regard - ie people willing to spawn/raise and those willing to jar/sell - I am more than happy to spawn whatever colours are wanted/needed. But the jarring/selling/shipping partner/s need to commit 100% to seeing their part of the project through to completion. I do not want the bettas back once I have done my part, nor can I keep them past jarring stage.

[Bettarazzi]

Funny you should mention "co-op". I was looking into co-ops last year for something else and I wondered if a co-op could work for betta breeders. Kinda like a farmers co-op. Maybe we should explore that idea a bit more.

[louu]

I also have been wondering what could be achieved by collaberations, my situations is slightly more difficult I am full of enthusiasm but due to personal and spacial restrictions I may not be able to contribute in a great way, or at least a consistent way jarring is out limited spawning is available though I would be ok about lending out some of my stock to other people though unfortunately it hasn't been a good month for fish in my house the small amount of stock I had are all but wiped out and all I have left is one old wussey pet dragon who I have a feeling would run and hide from a female.

I am interested in breeding high quality crowntails and unique fish eg distinct and unusual colour patterns and double tails particularly dtvt as well as other breeds of fish

so maybe first before I get ahead of myself we should have a show of hand who would be interested or if any one has any ideas.

Though it does sound like a lot of work. hmm....

[Becki]

currently for me im doign one spawn at a time and once the fry are old enough to be sold / sent to new homes I prepare to the next spawn keeping only the best of each spawn and then only if they are what I am looking to breed, this is hopefully how im going to keep my fish numbers down but still be able to breed. I have an LFS that expressed interest in buying betta's off me so im going to be visiting them soon and see if they still are.

[shadoh]

I thought I might revive this thread. With the re-launch of an Aussie based betta show, local and club shows, it seems that interest in quality show bettas is once more on the rise and although batch testing wasn't bought into effect as swiftly as we thought it would be, the threat of it being implemented sometime in the future hasn't completely gone away.

I just read my initial response to this thread made in Sept 2010 after a LONG absence from the betta breeding scene (hadn't bred bettas since the 90's) and just before my "test" spawn - my Jewel Box Spawn . How my tastes and priorities have changed... After the fun I've had with my HMPKs, I can't imagine wanting to concentrate on anything else. I still want to concentrate on 2 lines - Blue Marble HMPKs and Non Red HMPKs (as you get a few oranges, yellows and reds in most NR spawn, I'd be happy with the variation produced there) If I came across a dalmation HMPK, I'd concentrate on those I figure that leaves me a little room if I want to "experiment". For example, If I get bored, I could put a female HM with one of my HMPKs for a long tailed version of my lines every now and again. Or attempt something that has remained beyond my grasp - starting a CTPK line from scratch.

With 2 main lines to focus on, I would have more direction for my end goal (my current goal is to breed every pair I bought so I can justify their purchase.) Any fish I purchase from here on will be bought with my line and end goals in mind.

[shadoh]

Almost 10 years since my last post and it's hard to find anyone breeding solid lines. Non Metallic blues are next to impossible to find. Even some of the solid Metallic colors like solid coppers are 'rare' to find. 

Please prove me wrong. Is there anyone out there breeding solid colour bettas? 

[Bettarazzi]

I would breed solids if I could find a nice pair. That said, I haven't actually been looking really hard. I've kinda made an assumption that shops won't hold females so I haven't gone on an LFS crawl. Although I'm thinking doing a crawl would be good to get a feel for how the industry is doing. I was shocked to find a prominent Melbourne shop had closed sometime in the last couple of years while I wasn't paying attention. But a few other shops have cropped up and would be worth a visit.

[shadoh]

If I could find some stunning pure yellows or oranges, I would go in that direction. Blues and blacks would be my 2nd choice.