betta fry update and grow out plans

hey guys so i have about 10 fry that have survived and are growing really well, they still in the 1ft and still being fed on liquifry. when can i start weaning them onto flake food? i have this plan in mind now for when i go away in december, i will be away for 3 weeks and i was worried that the fry would grow and become a little bit cramped during that time in the 1ft so i concluded my only option is to wait another 3wks or so until they abit bigger and then move them into the 3ft i have standing in the garage, it'll have to stay there though. so my thoughts follow as such i could fill the tank in the next week and also use it to propagate plants, there will be plenty of natural light but no direct sunlight so im hoping algae will be minimal. i have some gravel from the orininal owners but its a chunky grey and white mix which i dont think would be good for propagating anyway? so i was thinking pool filter sand would work as a substrate and would be better for the cory cats i want to breed in the future. the plants will have a chance to grow abit before the fry get added so there should be lots of cover. secondly if possible i would try seperate the males and females, the females joining their mom in the community and their dad returning to the 1ft the males would then be in the 3ft. i havnt the foggiest how many of each there will be but im hoping for more females than males. so do you think it would work? according to a site i found i should begin to see colours in about 3wks...

 

Why do you want to seperate them?

Solec69 has a spawn of Betta's once, and left them together. They created a pecking order amongst themselves, but I believe he successfully keeps quite a few males together in one single tank.

Looks stunning when you see it though, because you never think of more than one male per tank!

 

well i will be keeping the females anyway as a start to my sorority but will have to find homes for the males. its more the size of the 1ft i was worried about, limited space might lead to fighting so thats why i decided to move them to the 3ft but the males will be together. i think i'll fill the tank tomorrow and have another look at that gravel, im not fond of chunky gravel but hey if i got it.... i will have to look at another filter and heater unless i leave the 2 bettas in the community and use the filter and heater in the 1ft for the 3ft. i got quite a few extra plants though im not sure they ok, they been in a bucket for about a month but i have plenty of java moss which i'll attach to some wood and leave free floating. might go grab a few more strands of hornwort before i go as well

 

All this sounds so exciting. I bet you can't wait to see the fry when their colours start showing. Please post pics when you get a chance so we can see the progress.