Okay, I'm planning my first betta spawn. And I've been doing some research on the dreaded topic of culling. I see a lot of stuff that says culling fry is a MUST if you breed fish or else you won't have space/will propagate undesirable colors/what have you. Now I have no problem will culling and then giving the culls away as pets. In fact my mother works at an elementary school, and I'd be surprised if I failed to find a home there for some culls. But is it really necessary to euthanize culls????
Is culling really necessary?
- Thread starter G F Bettas
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From a breeders standpoint, if you get a batch of fry with bent spines or other deformaties, you better be ready to kill some or all of them.
Tragic, yes, but necessary none the less. Forcing a fish that would have died in the wild to exist in deformed pain is more cruel in my eyes.
Now an otherwise healthy betta, with non-perfect colors or not the fanciest tail formation, big deal. Sure, you should not breed them, but no need to kill them either. Give them away if you cannot sell them, but again, sooner or later, they may end-up needing more space that you can provide, so you might have some more tough choices.
I am attempting my first spawn myself, and before I did, I found a local breeder and visited her first to make sure I had a better idea of what might happen and what decisions I might have to make.
I suggest a 3 month thinking period before you go ahead and spend the $300 in supplies and attempt your first spawn.
Tragic, yes, but necessary none the less. Forcing a fish that would have died in the wild to exist in deformed pain is more cruel in my eyes.
Now an otherwise healthy betta, with non-perfect colors or not the fanciest tail formation, big deal. Sure, you should not breed them, but no need to kill them either. Give them away if you cannot sell them, but again, sooner or later, they may end-up needing more space that you can provide, so you might have some more tough choices.
I am attempting my first spawn myself, and before I did, I found a local breeder and visited her first to make sure I had a better idea of what might happen and what decisions I might have to make.
I suggest a 3 month thinking period before you go ahead and spend the $300 in supplies and attempt your first spawn.
I agree with Iggy. While tragic, culling would be a necessity when undesirable congenital defects that affect physiology would be passed on, such as bent spines, or other unhealthy defects.
Culling on basis of aestetic is something I probably wouldn't be able to do. While they may not be breeder quality, they are healthy.
But I would be cautious about giving away your culls at an elementary school. Children are very impuslive about fish, and many parents see a betta as the way of "teaching" their child responsibility. More often than not, these parents have no interest in caring for a fish once their children's attention span has waned, and instead of a nice 4-5 year lifespan, your free cull lives 3-4 months in a "betta bowl."
What is the lesser of two evils?
Most betta societies will have cull outlets that you might be able to use. If you wish, a local HIGH SCHOOL science class might make use of a few in learning how reproduction works, or you could volunteer to run an after-school betta program for older students who would have a better sense of responsiblity and honest enthusasm.
~~Colesea
Culling on basis of aestetic is something I probably wouldn't be able to do. While they may not be breeder quality, they are healthy.
But I would be cautious about giving away your culls at an elementary school. Children are very impuslive about fish, and many parents see a betta as the way of "teaching" their child responsibility. More often than not, these parents have no interest in caring for a fish once their children's attention span has waned, and instead of a nice 4-5 year lifespan, your free cull lives 3-4 months in a "betta bowl."
What is the lesser of two evils?
Most betta societies will have cull outlets that you might be able to use. If you wish, a local HIGH SCHOOL science class might make use of a few in learning how reproduction works, or you could volunteer to run an after-school betta program for older students who would have a better sense of responsiblity and honest enthusasm.
~~Colesea
Good point. However, I didn't mean give them out to students to take home. Sometimes teachers there have "class pets" that they keep right in their rooms. And I wouldn't send any there without making sure I had interested teachers nor would I send them there without tips on proper care. In 4th grade, there was a fish in my class and to my knowledge none of the students harmed him. We even took turns feeding him. So I'm talking about a very controlled environment, not the home of an 8-year old. lol
And on the topic of bent spines or something, I wouldn't have too much problem euthanizing the culls. Would I want to? No. But as mentioned, it would be better then suffering any pain that may go on. I was talking about culling for color.
Basically as my first spawn is fast approaching (I've already thought a few months, have most of the supplies, set up the tank, and am conditioning the pair..lol) I've been trying to come up with a somewhat heartless mindset in case I have to cull, but when it comes down to it I don't know if I really will be able to be so heartless. lol When I see a living creature, I melt like butter. lol
And on the topic of bent spines or something, I wouldn't have too much problem euthanizing the culls. Would I want to? No. But as mentioned, it would be better then suffering any pain that may go on. I was talking about culling for color.
Basically as my first spawn is fast approaching (I've already thought a few months, have most of the supplies, set up the tank, and am conditioning the pair..lol) I've been trying to come up with a somewhat heartless mindset in case I have to cull, but when it comes down to it I don't know if I really will be able to be so heartless. lol When I see a living creature, I melt like butter. lol
