Betta fry

Question
I'm going to start breeding Betta fish and I'm wondering if there is a way to keep fry from being sucked into my filter without buying a new filter.

Answer
Katrina,

 Being a breeder of Betta fish, I get questions like this all the time. Breeding Betta's is not easy, but it also isn't overly difficult. What it is though is very time consuming and and it needs a lot of dedication from you. I always tell people before you start, you should ask yourself if you are truly ready or this? Do you have enough jars to house hundreds of male Betta's? They will need to be removed from the breeding tank when they start showing aggression towards the other fish. This could be as early as 2 months old. Since they are tropical fish, each container that houses a Betta will have to have a heater. Do you have time to do frequent water changes? When your fry are 2 weeks old, you will have to do water changes every 1 to 2 days. The new water will have to not only be conditioned, but will have to be the same temp as the water in their tank. If it is colder, or even warmer, the fry will go into shock get ill and possibly die.Are you prepared to grow live food? They fry will need live brine shrimp, live vinegar eels, and live micro worms. They cannot live off of liquid fry food, nor first bites powder food. You will need the right food for the age of the fry. The biggest question is Do you already know what you are doing with the fry? Do you have people that will buy them, or give them away to friends? Remember you might have hundreds of fry and you have to have heated container for the males when you separate them from the girls. The females can stay together in the same tank. And lastly, Do you have the financial means to keep the fry and their parents with everything they need? It does get quite expensive. If you can answer yes to ALL of the questions, then good luck to you. It is a great experience and I am sure you will enjoy it.

Filters: You will have to have a sponge filter. Where I live, I couldn't find one anywhere. They do sell them online, but that is quite expensive, so I decided to make my own. Don't forget to add live plants to the breeding tank. The female will use them to get away from the male, and the fry will use them to hide and rest on. I hope this all helps. Good Luck on your soon to be spawning. I am sure you will enjoyment as much as I do.