Betta Aquarium and Breeding Tips

Question
I have a Mini Bow Aquarium set-up. I believe it is a 3 gallon tank. It has a undergravel filtration system and a plug in pump. I bought this setup for my kids to, "watch the pretty fish". My questions are: how far down does the tubing need to be for the bubbles to come out? I have the top of the tube set at water level. How far down does the bubble diffuser need to be? I have mine at the bottom of the tank (inside the tubing). I would like to try breeding my Bettas. They are both a few months old. Will the current from the bubbles ruin the chance for the male to create a bubble nest? What tips or tricks could you offer for a first time breeder of Betta fish? Any help will be greatly appreciated! :)

Answer
Hi Robert;

I like to keep the diffuser just at gravel level. It pulls water up better that way and you can see it to be sure it's bubbling as much as you want.

Betta breeding is quite an undertaking. The main tank with the male needs to have very slow moving water and should be at least 10 gallons, but the water level lowered halfway with a well-sealed lid to prevent drafts. You won't have room to introduce a ripe female in a hurricane lamp or jar otherwise. The two fish cannot live together all the time. They each must be fully conditioned with high protein foods like worms and shrimp for a couple of weeks. Once the female is full with eggs, they can see each other for a few days, but can't have contact until the nest is finished and they are both ready. The newly hatched babies will die if their first breath of air is cold so the top must be secure. A submersible heater needs to be used for the water so it's about 80 degrees. The babies need live freshly hatched brine shrimp because they are so tiny. This done in a separate tank of a gallon or two. You will need several tanks and jars to separate the babies as they grow and then must separate the males from each other as they mature. There can be as many as 400 of them, but most broods are smaller, especially the first few of an inexperienced pair. Here are some web pages with details to help you decide;

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Betta,%20Breeding%20basics.htm
http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/Spawning/lesson1.php
http://members.fortunecity.com/markang/breeding.htm
http://mermaiden.net/Betta/breeding_tips.php
http://www.timsalphabettas.com/breeding.html
http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/spawncell.htm
http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/thingsihateaboutspawning.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins