Siamese fighting fish(Betta Splenden)

Question
Hi, I have two male and two female Siamese fighting fish (Betta Splenden), which I keep separate from one another.I want to breed them, and have read a number of books on the subject, but I don't know if the females are ready to breed. I bought them from a petshop two weeks ago, they couldn't tell me how old they are. They look quite small to me, about half the males size. I just wanted to know, how old, or what size must they be before I can breed them. Or are there any signs I can look for to help me tell if I can breed them yet.

Thanks, hope to hear from you soon.


Answer
Hi Jenny;

There are some signs to look for. They probably do need to mature some more. Feed them good quality foods to get them conditioned. Their bellies should be rounded with eggs and they should show "barring" on the sides of their bodies. Here is a web site with pictures to help you;

http://www.timsalphabettas.com/breeding.html

Have Fun and Good Luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins