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Im looking at getting a tank built from a guy i know but due to space and price i only want it to be small. How much space do they like? More length than depth? Im going to have dividers so some males may end up by themselves...is this best or can i have a male and female together?

Most importantly what is the best set up for breeding? How many dividers should i use per breeding pair

Is this a display tank or a holding tank?

For a holding tank for breeding fish, you want opaque dividers. Ordinarily clear dividers are fine but if you want to match certain fish for certain outcomes or to keep show fish in good nick you need to preserve the mystery a bit so they still get a bit excited at seeing another fish. If it is just for display, you can have half clear or full clear dividers, they'll quickly get used to one another and stop carrying on so much (get clear dividers and a good length of plastic aquarium backing and just pop it over the top to black out the appropriate dividers)

Minimum space depends on what you are doing and what you want, and who you talk to. Personally, my minimum is a gallon. If you have a barracks setup however, and are recirculating a good volume of water in order to house a lot of fish, then you need enough space to develop good tail and good body muscle. Most breeders can achieve that while jarring in beanie boxes which I think are about 2.5L, but they are designed for short term raising and housing. I wouldn't want to use a beanie baby box as a permanent home.

In general though, the bigger the better. The more space they have, the better the body muscle and the better they can hold their tails up. Length is better than depth, providing it is deep enough for them to fully stretch their tails without dragging on the gravel (at least 6" high).

Breeding setups vary from person to person. Some thai breeders use a bare 3' tank for spawning and just top it up for raising. Some use smaller bare tanks and raise the fry in concrete tubs. Some hobby breeders use small tanks choc full of plants, and control the teasing and release of the female while others just use a fairly bare tank and let the female jump out of a holding area when she's ready to breed. I have friends who never change water, only top up, and some that breed unfiltered, and others that have everything immaculate. Everyone has their own setup and they are all pretty effective once you know the quirks

Myself, I use a 6 gallon tank full of plastic plants with a very shallow sand substrate. If it hand lighting I'd use real plants. Never had a problem spawning in it, and it is a nice size for raising young fry because they don't have to swim too far to catch live food.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

you dont want to keep male and female bettas together. they should only meet when you have a planned breeding. all males should be separate!!! i would say each male should be kept alone in at least on gallon of water to ensure top health. they do need more length than height... but be sure there is a lid as they are e to leaping... the females can be kept together, but becareful as some females may be mismarked males and some females may also be more aggressive than a male. the female should be kept in a tank of at least one gallon per fish (ie 10 females=10gallon tank). i am trying breeding as we speak and i am using a 4g with decor, filtration, and plants.i am keeping the female in a jar within the tank so the male can see her, but he cant get her and visa versa. i am also using a stryofoam cup (cut in half top to bottom and floated on its side) for the male to build his nest in and he filled the cup with bubbles. they are looking ready to breed soon, but am waiting. if you are breeding for fun then maybe just try puting the female in at first and see the reaction. but check out the links and other threads on breeding to get a better idea.

hope i helped!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

When I bread mine, I used a 4 gallon tank half full, used the same set up as brandeeno, the half styrofoam cup for the nest and live plants, also used a small corner filter with very controlled bubble flow, like 2 bubbles a second to keep water clean, lots of activated carbon in it. It worked perfectlly, the female was introduced to the tank in a jar and when she got her stripes I realeased her with the male. Things worked great, it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever watched, the courtship, matting and specially the devotion of the male betta in keeping and taking care of the nest and fry.

As soon as the fry became free swimmers the male went back to his original tank and they grew in the 4 gallon just with mild WC every other day.

Well, i would suggest a 5 gallon tank with a clear divider, if, as Callatya mentioned, you are going to have a show tank. 5 gallons is good to have 2 males with a divider in, because it leaves enough room to swim in, and 2.5 gallons per fish, making it a more stable tank. Personally, this is the very least you should have them in, because any less is a bit too cramped. My betta is in the 10 gallon tank, and it has marvelous swimming speed!

The Male betta will harass the female betta to death, especially if it is a small tank. It even harasses the female during breeding sometimes. If you want to breed them, follow Brandeeno and Falstafs setups. That will be efficent, and will allow plenty of room for the fry to grow in. Are you breeding for retail or for fun?

Anyways, good luck and i hope you can get a good batch of fry!

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The minimum for 1 Betta in my opinion is 2.5 gallons. If you are tight on money, I would not recommend breeding. Even though I have never done it, it is very expensive.

Tanks:
10 Gallon-2 Platies