Adelaide Betta

On the 18th of July, I created this post: Breeding Goals. A whole 81 days later, the target has moved. Well not so much moved as become smaller. Let me explain:

My original goals were

• I want to create a true emerald green line.
• I want to breed Half-Sun Betta Splenden
• I want to breed King Crowns

These were conceived while my interest lay solely with the big-finned Betta Splenden. Now my interest has moved to the Plakat.

This is the short finned version of the Betta Splenden.

 

 

The reasons are two-fold...

1. Living in Adelaide, the water is extremely hard. Adding Reverse Osmosis water only helps so much. CT's, particularly big-finned CT's, are very susceptible to water conditions leading to fin rot, and general unruliness of their rays. Plakats, on the other hand, are extremely hardy little fish, rarely succumbing to the same maladies as their big-finned counterparts.
2. The Plakat, I think, is capable of being bred to met at least my emerald goal - so that remains. I'm also still keen to create a half-sun, but with a Plakat, it's called a 'small sun' - so that remains. I don't think Plakats have enough ray length to work with to create a King Crown, so that may have to be shelved for the moment. So most of my goals remain, they've just been miniaturized. 

And I have some new goals to replace the King Crown...including the Crowntail Plakat (CTPK).

So my goals are now:

1. To create two lines of emerald green plakats (HM and CT)
2. To create a small sun plakat (in yellow), which naturally includes...
3. To create my own line of CTPK from scratch
4. To create two lines of butterfly plakat (HM and CT)
5. To create a line of Giant HMPK, and possibly a matching Giant CTPK (maybe in time)

Number 5 is a peripheral goal at this point. I've purchased a breeding pair of giants, and so, they will get their chance in the spawn tank, but giants, and HM is not where my main interests lie.

I believe I currently have the resources I need in my Fishroom to begin most of these projects, but not the tank space, so the immediate aims are to begin the following projects:

1. A line of CTPK (fry in the tank)
2. A line of Butterfly CTPK (pair being conditioned)

These will hopefully be well under way before the end of the year (prospective breeders for next generation (F2) of project to be jarred).