When spawning, Lights On or Off?

[Chris Yew]

<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Ha, finally remember to ask this question to all breeders. When you are spawning your pair, do you usually on the aquarium light or off it (if your breeding tank has the aquarium light)? If On - Why? If Off - Why?

Chris Yew
http://bettasonli.netfirms.com

[Samuel Phan]

Hi Chris,

I have the lights off. Reason because my pairs always spawn during the day in the afternoon when the sun is bright.

I always release the pair during the night and allow the pair to be in the same tank under a dark condition. That will let them spend a night together and do a bit of getting use to each other before they proceed to do their rituals the next morning/afternoon.

It is only after the spawning that I leave the lights on so that the male can see the eggs when it drop off the nest in the middle of the night.

With Best Regards,
Samuel Phan

quote:
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Ha, finally remember to ask this question to all breeders. When you are spawning your pair, do you usually on the aquarium light or off it (if your breeding tank has the aquarium light)? If On - Why? If Off - Why?

Chris Yew
http://bettasonli.netfirms.com



Samuel Phan **** Chiat
(Creator Of Sam's Betta Colour Rendezvous)

[Foo Hong]

As my fishes are outdoors, they receive normal day light hours. For males tending to spawn at 2 to 3 days old, I do sometimes leave a dim light to help male to see where the fries have wondered to although I also found that without that they still do fine. Strong light is not advisable as in my experience it over stresses the male. They seem to get some sort of 'jet lag' as continuous lighting 24 hrs upset their clock.

[Samuel Phan]

Yep ... sometimes I rely on the street lamps to provide the dim lightings for the spawning tanks. =)

Strong lights seems to chase the males away from the nest sometimes.

quote:
As my fishes are outdoors, they receive normal day light hours. For males tending to spawn at 2 to 3 days old, I do sometimes leave a dim light to help male to see where the fries have wondered to although I also found that without that they still do fine. Strong light is not advisable as in my experience it over stresses the male. They seem to get some sort of 'jet lag' as continuous lighting 24 hrs upset their clock.




Samuel Phan **** Chiat
(Creator Of Sam's Betta Colour Rendezvous)

[Chris Yew]

Hi members,

I've posted this question in a number of forums site and it draws a lot of varied answers. As there is no right or wrong answers to this questions, the answers really deserved a greater depth of understanding as to why are we doing it this way. In fact this applied more to those who do their spawning inside the house rather than those that spawn outside the house.

Personally, I've tried both lights on and off without knowing the true reason behind it as I'm juz doing what ppl said. But I think it all depends on the bettas mood themselves and not us.

Here's an article from Page site on the spawning method used by them. Few points that I wish to highlight below;

1. Pre-condition the breeders with different food and intense lighting on a 12 hour cycle. Dark cycle must be very dark and light cycle should be intense light.

2. Contrary to popular belief, the breeders don't need any introductions. When they see each other in the honeymoon suite they will know what to do.

3. Use fluorescent lighting because we want high intensity and low heat. The reason for the intensity is to stimulate the pineal gland. Leave the light on 24hrs until the fry are two weeks old.

For details of the method, here's the link;
http://betta.org/splendens/spawnprotocol.html

Well, what so special about that method you may ask? The point I wish to highlight is the term Pineal Gland! It states that the reason to use light is to stimulate the Pineal Gland, and what the hell is this Gland?

How does a fish know it is time to spawn? Studies of various types of fishes indicate that the timing of spawning is determined by the change in photoperiod, or the daily amount of light, which synchronizes an internal biological clock.
We can artificially controlled the biological clock to tell the fish that it's time to spawn. When the fish is exposed only to artificial light on a light-dark schedule that either expanded or compressed the natural seasonal cycle of daylight into periods greater than or less than 12 months, the spawning time was delayed or advanced, respectively.

Photoperiod is perceived by the eyes and relayed via a complex neural pathway to the brain's pineal gland. The pineal gland then transmits this information into a daily rhythm of melatonin secretion that controls the timing of reproduction. Fish have a similar daily melatonin rhythm that is changed by photoperiod.

So that's how the artificial light comes into play if you know how. But if not sure, don't play play huh! A bit confused, never mind, me too, lol!

Chris Yew

http://bettasonli.netfirms.com

[Foo Hong]

Credit must be given where due and I must certainly give you credit for this thesis

[Chris Yew]

Thank you. I think Page site has shown that they are using this method for their spawning of bettas.

Yes, the breeding pair must be healthy and ready for spawning in the first case. Though I don't have much spawning experience to match yours, this is what I've experienced and most frustrating;
The pair that I like best juz refused to spawn.
The pair the I don't like can juz spawn within 10 mins within introduction into the spawning tank without a single fin nibbed.
So I feel that when we tried to "match-make" them (best male to best female), they sometimes preferred to have "freedom of love" juz like us human, and refused to spawn.

Chris Yew
http://bettasonli.netfirms.com

[Samuel Phan]

Just an update ...

Nowadays ... due to the number of concurrent spawns ... I usually dun have the lights on any longer. I am relying solely on the dim light from the street lamps to provide some visibility to the male to take care of the eggs.

So far they seems to fair quite ok.

I am not sure whether pple can adopt this same method when they are keeping the fishes in-door. But for those that have their tanks out-door ... I think without any additional light source to illuminate the tank should still be ok.

quote:
Hi Chris,

I have the lights off. Reason because my pairs always spawn during the day in the afternoon when the sun is bright.

I always release the pair during the night and allow the pair to be in the same tank under a dark condition. That will let them spend a night together and do a bit of getting use to each other before they proceed to do their rituals the next morning/afternoon.

It is only after the spawning that I leave the lights on so that the male can see the eggs when it drop off the nest in the middle of the night.

With Best Regards,
Samuel Phan

quote:
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Ha, finally remember to ask this question to all breeders. When you are spawning your pair, do you usually on the aquarium light or off it (if your breeding tank has the aquarium light)? If On - Why? If Off - Why?

Chris Yew
http://bettasonli.netfirms.com



Samuel Phan **** Chiat
(Creator Of Sam's Betta Colour Rendezvous)

[Samuel Phan]

Just an update ...

Nowadays ... due to the number of concurrent spawns ... I usually dun have the lights on any longer. I am relying solely on the dim light from the street lamps to provide some visibility to the male to take care of the eggs.

So far they seems to fair quite ok.

I am not sure whether pple can adopt this same method when they are keeping the fishes in-door. But for those that have their tanks out-door ... I think without any additional light source to illuminate the tank should still be ok.

quote:
Hi Chris,

I have the lights off. Reason because my pairs always spawn during the day in the afternoon when the sun is bright.

I always release the pair during the night and allow the pair to be in the same tank under a dark condition. That will let them spend a night together and do a bit of getting use to each other before they proceed to do their rituals the next morning/afternoon.

It is only after the spawning that I leave the lights on so that the male can see the eggs when it drop off the nest in the middle of the night.

With Best Regards,
Samuel Phan

quote:
<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Ha, finally remember to ask this question to all breeders. When you are spawning your pair, do you usually on the aquarium light or off it (if your breeding tank has the aquarium light)? If On - Why? If Off - Why?

Chris Yew
http://bettasonli.netfirms.com



Samuel Phan **** Chiat
(Creator Of Sam's Betta Colour Rendezvous)

[Foo Hong]

Because the electric bill is going up these days, i off the lights at night...he!

Daddy betta also need to sleep after a hectic day of baby sitting, so do philippino maids!

[Foo Hong]

Because the electric bill is going up these days, i off the lights at night...he!

Daddy betta also need to sleep after a hectic day of baby sitting, so do philippino maids!

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by josephyip

hello,

do i need to install a light over the breeding tank??

thx

joseph
Joseph

Trust this thread answers your queries.

[Myron Tay]

Originally posted by Lyon Goh
I believe its not a need. I use sunlight. Some of my breeding tanks are situated with very little light and no problem

[Lynn Tan]

Definitely LIGHTS OFF. More natural and more romantic.
With the lights on, wouldn't it be like the National Stadium?