I guarantee these are the best things to consider when it comes to breeding your betta fish. One thing to consider is temperature. Remember, the betta fish are from Thailand where it is hot and humid. The goal temperature for betta breeding is 84 degrees. Unless you have a spare room to keep heated for them, 84 is hard to maintain. Let's think about insulation. Plastic is best at retaining heat as opposed to glass. Glass lets the temperature easily slip to near room temperature where plastic 5 gallon buckets will insulate the heat. Keep the water about six to eight inches deep so the fry (baby bettas) and the male don't have to work so hard to get to the nest when it comes to eggs laying on the bottom.
Another bonus of the 5 gallon bucket is that it's circular. While the male and female are in the tank together, know that they will nip at each other back and forth. Once nipped, the fish will dart away as fast as possible. Being that the 5 gallon bucket is circular, the fish (in most cases the female) will not have anything to dart and crash into since she will just keep swimming in a circle.
When it comes to introducing the pair, I find the easiest way for them to meet and be around each other without danger is to put the female inside a glass vase inside the 5 gallon bucket so they can see each other without being able to nip at one another. This allows them to see each other and stay safe. The males attention will always be on the female because all he can do is swim around her. There is no where else to go and no glass to look through.
As for preparing your bettas to breed, the best way to get them in shape for it is to start feeding them live foods such as brine shrimp. Nine times out of ten, this activates the male into nest building mode and if your female is showing vertical stripes then you are in good shape for breeding as long as the nest is built.
Time is a huge factor when you are letting your fish swim together. If your male's nest is built and she is showing vertical stripes, do not allow any more than 20 minutes together. If they are not side by side underneath the nest without nipping each other within exactly 20 minutes then separate them immediately, their time for the day is over. You may try once a day and if it does not work then wait. Do not kill your female due to impatience. Male bettas sometimes may not fully understand how to mate at first. Give it time. 20 minutes at a time. This is a strict policy!If your bettas do mate, they will wrap around each other and the female will seem paralyzed for a few moments, she is not dead, she is in a trance much like a turtle laying eggs. About 8-20 eggs will fall at a time and I guarantee you will be shouting with joy! You have done it. The male will casually pick the eggs up off of the floor and take them to his nest. When the mating is over, and they are not friendly anymore, separate them just like you would normally. Take the male out and put him in aged water so as not to experience shock due to water change, and also acclimate him in a plastic bag. Every where else on the internet says to let the male stay with the eggs until they hatch. This is false! He will eat many of the eggs as food instead of what you feed him. It is not absolutely imperative that the eggs are in the nest. As long as you have maintained the correct temperature, the eggs (unless dud) will hatch perfectly and they will swim up to the nest since it will be right above them.
Feed your fry live food! Live brine shrimp are prime when it comes to your baby bettas eating. Everything else will be uninteresting. You may have to raise them yourself. If you have a high end local fish store, they will definitely be there to take home and raise on your own. You could always order them on-line as well. After that, keep your water clean and raise your brand new set of betta fish!
