Betta breeding tank vs. trough

[bewarebrunette]

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a cement trough, and was thinking of breeding my bettas in them instead of the standard tank i'd usually choose.

I guess the mozzies would be more inclined to lay their eggs in them than a glass tank.

Have you done this before? positives/negatives? any infoooo would be great !

Thanks guys

[fishbites]

There's plenty of cement fish ponds around Australia and the fish do fine as long as the ponds are 'seasoned' before putting in fish.... overseas Betta breeders use concrete ponds too... if in doubt about the concrete though you could perhaps line the trough with some pond liner....

[bewarebrunette]

I'm not overly worried about the cement chemicals as it was used as a pond before it came to me. I'm just thinking for breeding if anyone had advantages or disadvantages. I guess as a disadvantage using the cement you couldn't suck poop out the bottom without sucking up little ones....

[splendidbetta]

If you use the cement it would be a good idea to add some plants and allow the trough to cycle and develop an ecosystem before you spawn in it.

A negative is that predators like dragonfly larvae might infest the pond and you won't know until too late.

[fishbites]

Ahh... well if using for spawning... will be difficult to get food directly to the fry once they become free swimming and scatter throughout the pond/trough.... but if as Stefan suggests and get it well planted and cycled beforehand... there should be a lot of micro life in there for fry to eat to start them off... maybe a fly wire mesh screen on a light timber or pvc pipe frame over the top will stop the dragonfly larvae from being a problem while the fry are small....

[splendidbetta]

Make sure the screen is high enough above the water so the dragonfly ovipositor can't reach the water.

[bewarebrunette]

I think I might leave the trough for now. Might put some other fish in it for now.

I've heard some people talk about 'green water'. Say for example I left the water in the trough in the sun and it had lots of algae and the water is green (and I'll use to q's for this)

1. do people put green water in with fry - micro organisms and what not??

2. Could bristlenose live in green water?

I have a feeling there will be many variables here but just curious...

hope it's making sense.

[jo oakley]

I have always used green water with my fry,

I wouldn't use it as the only food source.

Adult BNs need more than green water

heres a link to give you some ideas

http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/bristlenose_catfish.htm

[bewarebrunette]

Thanks Jo, I do actually keep BN. I've just been considering putting them in the cement tubs or the in-ground pond we have as there is lotsss of algae on the sides. I don't want to put them straight in there there because I don't know how green is too green, or even if the pond would get too hot for them

[paul]

One thing that u need to remember is that green water doesn't mean algae infested water. The microbes in green water are different to water that looks green because it's loaded with algae. Putting fish in algae might not be the best for them, but some types of fish will fair better than others I guess.

If the trough is big enough there is no reason you can't keep fish in there. If you r thinking of putting betta in there then it may be ideal as a growout tank if there is a nice balanced ecosystem. Lots of goddies for the fry to get a natural and varied diet.

[Bettarazzi]

I'd suggest spawning in a glass tank then transfer the fry into the pond at around 4 weeks when they're starting to eat larger foods. In the early stages it's much better to have the fry in a small glass tank with good visibility. I did one spawn in a large plastic tub but I found it difficult only being able to see the fry from above. I moved them when they were only a few days old from the tub into a small glass tank and found that much better for feeding and monitoring water quality. I would get the concrete pond ready to receive the fry, with plants and maybe seeded with daphnia.