Bettas repro.  6/5/06
Hello WWM crew,
My name is Elizabeth and I have a few questions to ask you. I have a male and female Betta. The male, Kiddo, seems highly interested in the female, Arabess, but every time I put them together Kiddo will practically tear off all  of Arabess' fins.
<Not atypical>
I've tried everything from putting her in a bowl beside his tank to putting her in a drinking glass inside his tank so that he can see her  
but can't get to her. He builds bubble nests (not very good ones though), <Is the male's system covered? These nests are easily disrupted with differing surface/air temperature>
but she  won't show any signs off readiness aside from vertical yellow lines on her belly  and the white "button".
<This and "fullness" in appearance are about it...>
She's very energetic and loves to flutter around him  when she's NOT directly in the same tank as him. I've read that just to be safe  you should always have two females available.
<Mmm, one technique... not that used by commercial breeders by and large>
Yesterday I just purchased my  second female, Momma. I've tried feeding her three times now and she won't eat. I  tried putting her with Arabess, my other female, and they whip each other with  their back fins.
<Unusual... the new female may be an immature male...>
I'm not sure if this is aggression or playfulness but I  thought that females don't fight. Also I know that some fish will "kiss"  each other (like the kissing Gourami) as a battle of the fittest,
<Rare>
so to say, to  see what fish will break away first. My two females have been doing that but I  wasn't sure if it was safe or not so I took the one out. My new female shows no  interest in Kiddo and I'm afraid she's rather stressed or something (though she  shows only vertical lines). I'm thinking about returning her to the store for a  less aggressive male for Arabess. Should I get another male?
<If you'd like>
Or would a  different female be a better idea? A new male for Arabess or a new female for  Kiddo?
<Up to you. A key element to breeding Bettas is warm, stable water... are your systems heated? Bob Fenner>

Betta Breeding Beginnings - 05/15/2006
Hi WWM Crew!  
I'm a new owner of Bettas and need some help.  I've had a male Betta for 3 or 4 weeks in a 1 gal+ bowl and he seems to be happy and healthy.  I use distilled bottled water, and change it once a week.
<Uhh, not completely, I hope?  On this size container, I'd try to do two partial changes a week if possible, but water tests will tell you if you must.>
I just bought a female Betta and wanted to breed them.  I can't tell if they are ready to breed.  They are in separate bowls and see each other.  The male shows interest in the female and displays.  The female seems to show some interest in the male.  The male is about 2 inches long counting the fins.  She is about an inch long.  
<She is too small for this male right now; perhaps even too small/immature to breed at all.>
I do not see any sign of the white button on the female.  
<Probably too young/small to have eggs right now.  She'll need to be quite a bit bigger - close to the size of the male.>
The male makes quite a large area of bubbles on the surface (a bubble nest?)  
<A good sign.>
But when I change the water he has to start all over.  
<Less water more often may do the trick, here.  Use an air hose to siphon some of the water for a water change, rather than pouring from the bowl....  lots of tricks here.>
I have no filter, aerator, light or thermometer for them.  So I am starting from scratch.  
<For the nesting father and fry, you'll need a larger space (even a half-filled ten gallon tank will suffice at first), a constant temperature (this means heater and thermometer), preferably some live plants to help Dad with nesting (Riccia fluitans, floating, would be of great help here).>
I don't want to spend a fortune.  
<It won't take a fortune, but it will be at least some expense, to set them up to properly and successfully breed.  For now, though, you'll be waiting a while for the girlie to grow up a bit.  You can perhaps even acquire your system(s) piecemeal from garage sales, classified ads in the newspaper, maybe even eBay if you find something local, who knows.>
Will I need to get an entire aquarium system to breed them?  
<To successfully raise the fry, yeah, I would really recommend at least a ten gallon tank for Dad and his nest.>
Can you recommend an economical but good quality system to buy?  
<Again, you can probably find used things for cheap.  Even ask your family and friends - maybe someone has an old tank or some gear up in the attic that's been gathering some dust.  While you're waiting for that great deal to come around, read up on the 'net regarding Betta breeding; there are tons of sites that will give you step-by-step instructions to help you along your way.>
Currently I have them near an east window, partially sunny on the kitchen counter.  They both seem quite content and healthy.  
<Sounds good.>
Thanks for the help.
<Glad to be of service.>
DGL
<-Sabrina>

Fe/Male Betta beh.  - 05/10/2006
Hi, I need some help. I have a cute female Betta. She has been thriving since I got her. About two weeks ago I purchased a male Betta. I let them both see one another but never introduced them. They were in two separate tanks at all times. I've since given the male away. However now the female will not stop laying eggs and making bubble nests. She will not eat because she is preoccupied
with protecting her nest.
<Mmm, females rarely build bubble nests, nor do they guard them. I suspect you have a less than mature appearing male>
I feel so bad for her. I don't know what I should do. I'm even worried about changing her water because I will have to discard her eggs. Although I know I must change her water soon. I know she needs the presence of a male to fertilize her eggs, but is there anything I can place in her tank to stop her from laying eggs. She has had three separate episodes of egg laying. A few days will go by where she will eat like crazy. Then she stops and lays her eggs. Do you have any advise for this hopelessly romantic female Betta?
<... I would change the water... Bob Fenner>

Some Betta Repro./beh. advice needed!    4/20/06
Hello there,
I saw your information about Siamese fighting fish on the wet web media website while I was looking for some advice and I thought I would email and
ask you as it seems you have lots of experience with these amazing fish!
I have a male and a female and they have been spawning and lots of eggs have been released; the trouble is that the male has not created a nest anywhere
(at least that I can see) and it seems that when the eggs are released both male and female (after she has recovered) have been eating the eggs.
<Happens>
The eggs that have survived the adults seem to just float away among the tank. I am worried that the eggs will not survive with the male being so flippant
about them.. have you seen anything like this before?
<Yes... lack of preparation... need to be raised apart, introduced such that the male is stimulated, makes a bubble nest>
I am pretty new to keeping the fighting fish and am desperate for some advice on the matter as it would be very sad to see the eggs go to waste.
Thank you very much,
Micaela Burr.
<Do a bit more reading re spawning Betta splendens... Plenty on the Net, books re this. Bob Fenner>

Bettas (not) mating for life   3/10/06
Hey guys and girls
  my dad and I were at a pet store and like any pet store that has FW fish they had Bettas. My dad was saying how it was terrible to keep any fish in such a small "tank" (more like a cup). then he asked me if Bettas mated for life I said since they were aggressive fish probably not. What is true? Also what your opinion on keeping Bettas in a "cup"
<Is unnecessarily cruel and backward. See what is posted on WWM. Bob Fenner>
Veronica

Betta With No Bubble Nest 3/5/2006
Hi
<<Good Evening.>>
I am trying to breed Bettas. Both the male and female seem to be ready and the male is trying to build a bubble nest, but try as he does he cannot seem to get a nest made.
There is no filter system and the temperature is at 80F. Am I doing something wrong?
<<If the water parameters are all in check, and the tank is properly cycled, just give your male more time, he will get it eventually.  I recommend a very low flow filter, as the media is were most nitrifying bacteria grow.  Lisa.>>

Aggression in breeding Bettas  - 2/21/2006
Dear WWM crew (and a special hello to whoever answers this!), To start off, I love this site. If I've ever had a fish question, I've found
the answer to it here, but I'm at a loss about this and concerned about my fish. I've had Betta fish before, but this is the first time I've tried to
breed them. Everything I've done was instructions from what I've found online, but they don't specifically cover this in depth, and I want to make
sure I'm not doing something wrong.
I have a royal blue male Betta for about 3 months now, and about 3 weeks ago I bought a blue/red female as well. They were both well fed on live brine
shrimp, freeze-dried bloodworms, and a mixed flake/pellet food just for Bettas. I fed them 3 times a day, varying what I fed each time. The male,
Vader, was in a one gallon bowl and the female, Padme, in a half gallon bowl.
<I hope GeorgeL doesn't find out re this naming...>
Both were active and happy, and I changed about half their water weekly.  When they were placed next to each other, they would display and
show a lot of interest. Padme's color would intensify, and she'd turn very red in the fins and the cheeks, almost as if she was blushing.  
<Mmm, need to be in heat-controlled settings...>
I have a 5.5 gallon tank for their breeding tank, heated to 80 degrees F, half a Styrofoam cup, a bunch of floating plastic plants, and a sponge
filter. I let Vader loose in the tank and put Padme in a jar, and released her when she started to bar, and had the white "button" sticking out from
her belly. Vader has a bubble nest about 4 or 5 times the size of his body, and they were constantly displaying at each other.
<Sounds good>
I let Padme out, and they were displaying for each other. Then Vader started to chase her and nip at her fins, which I expected. He chased her constantly
for about an hour, then returned to his nest. She stayed in the corner of the tank, eying him. Every 15 minutes or so, he would take of, display and
wiggle in front of her again, and she'd take off and he'd chase her, nipping.  I expected all of this, but she wouldn't go to him and present
herself, even though she had the bars still, and the white "button". After about 36 hours together,
<... a day is about the limit...>
I have taken her out because she was really torn up, and I was concerned because she was just floating on top of the
water or resting on the bottom with her fins clamped. Vader would chase her every so often, and she'd take off, but other than that she wouldn't move.
She is now in a container next to the breeding tank, as I wanted to give her a chance to rest. I read that they would look very beat up and ragged, but I
don't know if his negative attention is a bit excessive. She looked very pitiful and tired when I took her out of the breeding tank, but now they are
both swimming at the glass and flaring at each other again, and she seems much improved, other than her frayed fins. Her stomach is also swollen, I
can only assume with eggs. I'm planning on putting her back in a day or so, but I wonder, should I have taken her out at all?
<Yes... or else this fish would very likely be dead/killed>
She has only been out of the tank for about an hour, but she already looks better, and keeps swimming in front of Vader.
Any advice would be appreciated! And thank you in advance!
~Kylie
<The breeders should be housed in heated systems (though not as warm as the breeding tank)... and only allowed together for an interval of several hours... will breed or not during this time. Afterwards, some time, care must be exercised. I encourage you to acquire a few more females. Bob Fenner>

Betta breeding relating  2/14/06
Hi,
I hope you can help us. My 13 year old son decided to keep fish about 6 months ago. He bought a +-30lt tank (+- 6 and a half gallon) with a pump etc etc and a red Betta male, two X ray Tetras and a White cloud something or another.
<Tanichthys... a "standard" in the hobby>
He had been in a tank at the pet shop together with these fish and the pet shop owner told us they would be compatible.
<Usually...>
He
<The Betta I take it>
ate the White cloud sometime during day 2 so we moved him into his own tank which is around 1.5 gallons in size. This tank is parked right next to the large tank. From day one he started blowing bubble nests and seems very happy. We increased the population of the larger tank with various fish including a small Betta female and she gets on well in this communal tank. We have had the Betta female around 2 to three months and she has grown big and pretty and around 3 weeks ago we detected that she is gravid and the little white button is sticking out of her fore tummy.
<Ah, yes>
The male's interest (he can see her through the tank walls) has increased enormously and he displays and flares for her like mad. She in turn comes to his side of the tank and displays for him. I have been reading every web site and FAQ site I can find on these beautiful creatures so thought I knew what to do. We fed them both on blood worm to get them in good condition. We created a large bowl tank (+-10lt) with the water all treated etc and with some plants for her to hide in. He went in first and immediately started creating his nest. A day or two later she went into a plastic peanut butter jar which we placed in the bowl tank. She freaked! She panicked and went nuts. We took the jar out and placed it next to the bowl tank. She calmed down and he continued to display to her and to build his nest. Later that day we put her into the water with him. He flared, his beard swelled up and he attacked her. She swam around and around the tank in panic and every few moments he bit her. He demolished the fin below her white button and took a few chunks out of her tail. There was no sign of courtship,
<Actually... this is it>
just aggression from him and terror from her so we removed them and put them both back in their own tanks. For the first few hours she was a bit offish and chased the odd fish which came too close. The following morning she was back in her normal good mood and back to displaying for him and he keeps flaring every time he sees her and hasn't stopped trying to build a nest.
What have we done wrong or does it appear that he is psycho and will attack any female?
<"Practice"... makes perfect, or hopefully at least acceptable>
If she is constantly gravid will this harm her?
<Will re-sorb the egg material...>
If we leave them to constantly court through the glass will this do them any harm?
<Likely not... as long as can "get away", should be fine>
Regards,
Rob from South Africa
<Thank you for sharing your Betta breeding experience. Bob Fenner>

Some Thing Fishy is Going on.... Betta repro.   2/10/06
Hi,
<Howdy>
I have been breeding Betta's for the last 5 yrs or so and I am pretty good at solving my own breeding problems.  But this problem baffles me to no end.  I have two females having the same problem at the same time.  Both females have been bred before without incident.  But now I am having a problem.  It has been about two months since their last breeding with their mates.  They are now back with the males and this will be a third spawning for both pairs.  The water temp is between 82-84 F all are fed on live/frozen foods, receive UV lighting and almond leaves are used in the breeding tanks.  Both males have their nests built and the females where released mind you two different tanks for the two pairs.  After about an hour of courting the females where enticed under the nest.  They where embraced by the males but no eggs came forth.  Both the male and female went down towards bottom looking for eggs.  And no there was no eggs eaten. I watched closely at the embrace for any appearance of eggs being released and there was none. This happened repeatedly for over a few hours before I returned both females back into their teasing cups.  What could possibly be causing this?
<Mmm, likely a seasonal period of non-egg-production,.... or "old" females>
Is there anything I can do to encourage the females to actually release?
<Yes... food/conditioning out of the sight of the males>
Or should I just let them go at it?  
<? Mmm, will be killed>
The males seem to get agitated after a while with no eggs being released and start attacking the female aggressively.
Please help ASAP!
Thanks
Nikki
<I'd get, use more females... introduce/use only when you can see a "white dot" at their vent... along with roundish/ready appearance. Bob Fenner>

New to the Betta Breeding   1/10/06
Hello,
I just started into this Betta breeding business and I have a few questions  
I need answered for me. First of all, I was just wondering how long it takes
for  the female to make her eggs?
<In good health, about every six weeks... better to "condition" with meaty foods, frequent water changes... wait for "button" to "pop out"...>
Second, I have a tank that has a separator
and I  have the female in one and the male in the other (it is kind of small but
I have  some plastic plants in there for them), will this do?  
<Mmm, no. You should have the sexes entirely separated... chemically and visually...>
Third, I  have
one female and two males, I'm not planning on making a living out  of
breeding Betta, does that seem like a good number to start out with? I hope  to hear
back soon. Thanks for your time.
~Christa
<Better to have a few more females... as you will find... get beat up, killed... With more you can more readily spawn when you'd like to try. Bob Fenner>

Betta fish mis-mixed male and female 1/8/06
I have a male Betta, about 2 mo.s ago we purchased a female and added her to
the same tank as our male.
<Not a good idea to permanently house together>
We recently noticed that our male has lost all of
his fins and we are not sure what has happened I read on your website
something about fin rot but I'm not sure this is what that is or how mush
Epsom salt to add to a 1gal tank or anything else for that matter can you
help me?
<Separate these two, observe if there are other fishes nipping at your male. Bob Fenner>                                                                  Thank You                                                                              
     Leslie

Betta Breeding im Deutschland - 10/09/2005
Hallo...
<Guten tag, mein freund! Sabrina hier.>
Both of my male betas are living under the same condition (the aquarium is divided but they can not see each other). One of them is building a nest and is very "in love" with his "girl" :)
<Sehr gut / very good!>
The other one has also contact with his female... she gets eggs but then the male eats them, cause he doesn't build nests and don't know where to put the eggs. Is it possible, that he is not able to build a bubble-nest? Very strange...
<Mm, possible, yes; though, he may still be immature - or even just not ready to breed. Feeding foods of very high quality will help with this.>
Sorry, I know my English is worse...I'm German...
<Nein, deine Englisch ist sehr gut.... Meine Deutsch ist slescht! You are just fine.... Your sentences are clear; errors are minor. In all honesty, we have native English speakers that send us far, far worse grammar and spelling than this.>
Greetings
MO
<Danke schoen for writing in. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Breeding Bettas, poor English 10/6/05
Hi. im <No such word.  Please capitalize.>  I'm 16 years old and I have bred Bettas before.  They got to a stage when they were swimming just around the nest and then after 2 days of that my  
female ate them all up.  <All the eggs?>  Is it a good idea to move my female out after they have reproduced and let the male take care of them?  <Yes, the male will generally kill the female.  The female does not participate in care of the offspring.>
Thanks, Tom  <Sure, Catherine.  In the future, please use correct grammar when asking questions.  They get posted for everyone to read.  We have to correct grammar mistakes; a process that is quite time consuming.>

Breeding Bettas  9/28/05
Hi,   My husband and I just recently got  involved in
fish and now we have a male and a female Betta.  They were  doing rather
well, I went to feed them about two weeks ago and noticed that  Princess (the
female)  was enlarged. As I watch through out the day I  was given the privilege of
watching them embrace.  As the day went on Bah  (the male) stopped embracing.
I looked on the internet and learned that he  needed to make a bubble nest.
I got the stuff needed to help him do  that,  Bah started making the nest,
but my son popped it.  My  questions are first how do I get him to make a new
bubble nest, and the second  is will Princess ever let go of her egg?  It's
been about a week and a half  since   Bah has embraced her.  Thanks for your
input.  I need  help.  Is Princess in pain?
< Lots of floating plants or an upside down Styro cup will help entice your male Betta to build another nest. He will not do anything if your son still has access to the aquarium and continues to disturb them. Once the nest is built the female should spawn within a few days at 80 F. She should then be removed.-Chuck>

Betta fish and breeding  9/25/05
I have a female that has been enlarged for 2 weeks.  At first they  spawned
and flared at each other.  The male did have a bubblenest, my son  popped the nest
on Friday.   My question is what do I need to do to  help get these fish to
were they will finish breeding.   
Thanks for your help,
Lynda in Kansas city
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm
scroll down to the articles, FAQs on Bettas... Reproduction... Bob Fenner>

Betta fries? Help... yummy  9/25/05
hi,
I just bred some betta fries and had follow instruction on making infusoria for them. I use lettuce and put it in some tank water and let it sit in the
sun for about 2 weeks now. The water has some milky fluid on the top of the water. How can i tell what is infusoria or not and what part (the milky
fluid or the clear fluid) should i suck up to feed the fries?
<Mmm, I'd look into liquid fry foods (e.g. "Liquifry") in this case instead... infusoria cultures should show small animal movement when strong light is shown through them. I would not skim off, feed the milky fluid at the top. Bob Fenner>
Please answer ASAP.
Thank You,
John

Water Changes on Nursery Tank  9/25/05
My tank is dirty and I need to clean out the water but don’t know how because there are baby free swimming Bettas and I don’t want to kill them.
<Use a small siphon hose or even airline tubing to remove water and any leftover food, dead fry, etc. from the bottom of the tank.  Siphon the water into a bucket, when you are done check the bucket to make sure you did not suck up any babies.  You are going to want to condition your water in a separate container, dechlorinate it, add salt, aerate, etc., and heat to match the temperature of your tank.  Once the water is ready water it in gently so you do not create too much turbulence.  As long as you match the new water to the water in the tank you should be fine.  Small frequent water changes will be less of a shock than large ones.  I like to change out 2 gallons a day on my 10gallon tank (full of Guppy Fry). Best of Luck, Gage>

Almond Tree Leaves for Breeding Bettas
Hello. I'm a 13 year old trying to breed Bettas. I heard that when the bay Bettas are free swimming then you should put some almond tree leaves in the water because it helps to " medicate" the water. Do you know where I can purchase these almond tree leaves and if so who should I buy it from?
Thanks for your help.
>> You can mail Mike, he should have some for sale. Good Luck, Oliver

Breeding Bettas
Hi Bob,
It's near mid winter here, None of my breeding pair want to blow any bubbles,
Is it the cold. I have the temp. set at 29C what else can be causing it?
Really weird. I can't stop them in summer.
Regards
Charles
<Sorry for the delay, have been out to Bonaire. Could "just" be the temperature, but know also that light plays an important role here, and with many organisms in mediating, triggering behavior like reproduction. Many Betta breeders extend photoperiods, or leave lights on permanently in their "breeding rooms." Bob Fenner>

Bettas spawning but no eggs
Hello, I've read a lot of  Q&A's on this subject but none of them seem to have the same questions as me. So here it goes. I have a small 2 1/2 gal. tank that I'm trying un successfully to bread my Bettas in,. I've  had a clear divider separating them , some small  floating plants as well and a small heater keeping the water at a steady 81 to 82 deg. I let my male get a nest  a little larger than his body going then I removed the divider. She looks fat and has a very small white thing sticking out her belly. He chased her for a while and showed off quite a bit then went back to building his nest while she watched. His nest is
now very large a bout 5 or six times his body size, and she is hanging out with him like two love birds, no aggression at all. the problem is that they have been like this for 14 hrs. I have seen him squeeze her at least 20 times while watching and she doesn't even struggle at all then they just float apart like they are dead and drift for a few seconds still in the same positions as when he was squeezing her, then they swim  around a bit under the nest and do it again. This has  been happening all night but he never seems to squeeze any eggs out? can you tell me what I should do? I've watched  them do it many times very closely and do not see any eggs at all? please help, this I s my first
time trying to breed  Bettas and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right?
>> It is normal for Bettas to have some fry runs without eggs, or eat the eggs the first time, or drop them on the ground. I would be patient, I am sure they will eventually figure it out. You may want to make sure your temperature is nice and high, maybe around 86 F. Good Luck, Oliver

Spawning Bettas
Hi, I just wanted to give an update. Today the Bettas finally spawned. When they first started, every time the eggs dropped the female got them and ate them. Finally, the male started getting the eggs and putting them in the nest,
then the female actually helped him put eggs in the nest. Wish me luck on getting lots of fry and keeping them all alive. An update on the Molly fry, they are all still alive, growing and doing great.
Thanks for your wonderful website and all the info on it.
Angie
<Great news! Congratulations and good luck! Don>

Female Betta in Heat: Does this explain the mood swings?
Hello.  My name is Marie and I have recently bought a female beta.  
<Hello, Mike G with you tonight.>
We have her in a tank with several other fish and seems to be fine, other than a little shy.
<To be expected.>
We caught her having problems with only one fish, which she chased around and, we think, nibbled on her tail. The fish that she was chasing around died and she seems to be fine with the others, even ones of the same breed that, we believe, she might have killed.  
<I don't quite follow you. She seems fine with the others, including the ones of the same breed that she killed (or might have)? In any case, she sounds like a rowdy one. I'd separate her if it were up to me.>
Is that normal?  
<Bettas are unpredictable fish in terms of temperament. Yes, it is normal, but only in certain individual fish.>
Also, do female Bettas secrete a cloudy discharge when in heat?  
<No.>
It is all over the bottom of the tank and I have no idea what it is.
<Could be one of many things.>
I'm an amateur when it comes to fish and it would help a lot if you could tell me.  Thank you very much.  
<I am glad I could assist. Best of luck, Mike G.>
Marie.

Raining (Reigning?) Females
Hi Guys,
Just wondering why I had 95% of females in my first 3 spawns. (fighting fish, age approx 18 months old) During the spawn, temp. set at 28C and PH at 6.8. Please advise.
Regards
Charles
<There are often more females than males in such spawns, but your numbers may well be affected by either/both your temperature and/or pH. Bob Fenner>  

Re: Raining Females, breeding Bettas
Hi Bob,
Thanks for getting back to me.  I know the next step is to up the temp to say 29/30 but how should I go with the pH. up or down and by how much? 
Regards
Charles
<To just a bit alkaline... the low 7's. Bob Fenner> 

Betta fry, temperature
Hi Bob,
Hope you can help me with this one. At what age can fry live comfortable at
20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit)
I know at 3 months they are quite very comfortable at 68 will they be OK at
2 months?
Regards
Charles
<Likely so... as you're likely very aware, sudden drops in temperature, particularly cold air-drafts can be deadly to Betta fry... better to keep their tanks covered, in the mid seventies to eighties F. Bob Fenner>

Gotta get the Bettas to Spawn
Hi,
I am trying to spawn Bettas with no luck. I have conditioned them and the female just would not cooperate. I finally separated them and cleaned the tank out. After a day a looked at the female is she was about to bust with eggs. I put another 1/2 cup (Styrofoam) in the tank. I put the female in and was about to put the hurricane glass over her when she swam under the cup (no bubblenest yet) and released 10 eggs, she swam to the male and tried to get him to follow. Well, he would not. I put the glass over her she he could start his nest. She dropped another 10 eggs. I released her after he had a very little nest and she dropped about 20 eggs. She will not have anything do with the male now. He keeps chasing her and her bars are going from vertical to horizontal, like she's stressed. Should I take her out, will she just keep losing eggs before spawning, or should I change males? Is it normal for the female to lose eggs before the spawn?
Thanks,
Angie 
<<Yes, females can loose some eggs this way, if they are really full.
You should keep your pair separated but so that they can see each other. Then wait until the male has built a bubble nest at the surface that has a good size, at least twice the size of his body. You can have some floating plants or small slivers of Styrofoam at the surface to help him anchor the nest. When he has a decent nest and the female is full you can put them together and it should be less than a day or two. If your male does not construct a good nest I would change him. Some males just do not know how to do this...
After spawning you should remove the female as many males will chase and kill the female after spawning.
There is a good Betta spawning article on this Betta site:
http://www.cbsbettas.org/doc/articles/Tips_on_Spawning_Bettas.htm.  Good Luck, Oliver>>

Gotta Get the Betta to Spawn - II
Thank you so much for your help. I thought all the hard work I have done getting them ready was completely ruined. He can build awesome nests. Before I separated the 2 yesterday his nest was about an inch thick and covered the entire bottom of the 1/2 Styrofoam cup I had in there. He now has a good size bubblenest going so I have released the female, hoping for a spawn. She still looks full of eggs.
Thank you,
Angie 
<<No problem, good luck,
Oliver>>

Gotta Get the Bettas to Spawn - More Follow-up
Hi,
I am relieved to know that is was OK for her to lose some eggs. Although I have another problem.
I am not sure what happened here but I took her out of the spawning tank yesterday because she does not look like she has eggs anymore. There are no eggs in the tank though. I do not know if they spawned when I was not home and they were eaten or what.
When will she get enough eggs to try spawning again? Is it possible she just dropped all of her eggs and they ate them or do you think she may still have her eggs? Can Bettas have eggs without it being noticeable to us? The Male still has a great bubblenest. I am keeping her where they can see each other so he will not mess up his nest, just in case she looks full of eggs again.
Thank you so much for your help.
Angie
>>Are you sure there are no eggs in the nest (they would not be anywhere else)? They are very small. You can see if the male spends a lot more time around the nest. To answer your questions: Female Bettas usually show that they are ready to spawn when the white genital papilla protrudes from their belly, but they can still have eggs if not. It will take here from 7-14 days to be ready to spawn again, depending on how well fed she is. Good Luck, Oliver<<

More Betta Spawn Stuff
I am sure they are not in the nest. He was still chasing her like he was wanting her and not staying under the nest accept to make more bubbles. I also watched to be sure he was not picking anything up and bringing it to the nest and he was not. She is very well fed with frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms, and frozen mosquito larvae. Whichever I feel like giving. I feed once in the morning and once at night. 
I have her in a jar in the spawning tank and she keeps showing her bars to the male and her tube is showing but she just does not look like she has any eggs. I have another female but she is opaque. He wants nothing to do with her. I put her in the tank and she swims right next to him and he acts like she is not even there. I do not know if she is ready to spawn, because of her color, I can not see any bars. She does not look she has any eggs though.
I am just going to try to be patient and wait for her to look full of eggs again I guess. By the way you guys and your web site are great. I am not only asking questions but reading a lot of things on here. My newly bought Molly had babies 5 days ago and I learned a lot off your site about the care of them. She had 16 (at least that's how many I found when I got home) and they are all doing great. They are starting to swim now instead of just stay at the bottom. They are in their own 10 gallon tank which I started with only being half full of water and I add a gallon every other day.
>> Thank you. It is best to wait another 7 days and then put them together again and see if they will spawn, when Bettas are young it sometimes takes a few attempts to figure them out.
Good Luck, Oliver<<

Breeding Bettas II
Thanks Oliver. I guess I was a little hasty with my question, because as soon as I sent the e-mail I went out to find that the eggs were dropping and he was doing his job gathering them up and placing them in the nest. I do appreciate your response and have a couple more questions for you. Now they are no longer just eggs they have eyes and a tail but still seem to have the egg too. They have been this way for almost 36 hrs. I tested my water and found my ammonia was a little high (1.5 or so) , so I did a partial water change keeping the new water just a little warmer, conditioning it with stress coat and using a air line to remove and replace the water. A half an hour every body looked fine 8-)  , but I tested the ammonia levels again and they didn't change 8-(  ( I did about a 25 to 30 % change.) Should I do anything else?
< The ammonia levels may be coming from uneaten food or fish waste. Try and remove the source.>
Also the male is acting a little strange he is just laying on the bottom or on a piece of a water plant, he is never this lazy. Hopefully the water change will perk him up. Is it the right time to move him out now or should I wait?
< Move him out when the fry become free swimming.>
Now my last question is when should I begin feeding the babies, I bought Wardley Premium Small Fry (liquid food for all baby fish livebearers and egg layers) so it says, from PetSmart. I wasn't really sure they knew exactly what I needed and wasn't sure their advice was correct. With the ammonia up like it is I'm afraid to feed them anything? If you can help I'd appreciate it a lot.
Thanks again, Allen.
< This stuff may or may not work. Look online at the Betta websites to see what serious Betta breeders are using these days. Most of them use live food cultures because the fry are so small.-Chuck>

Betta Sex/Tankmates
Hello. I have recently checked out your website and found it very informative. I do have a couple of questions. How can I tell if my Betta is male or female? Can my Betta be put in an aquarium with 2 mollies, 1 dwarf Gourami, and 2 tetras? Thank you for your help.
Erin D
<Male Bettas have much longer fins and brighter colors. Some Bettas are too aggressive to be kept with smaller fish. And some small fish will nip your Betta's fins. You can give it a try, but be prepared to remove him if problems develop. Don>

Betta Babies
Dear Sir, I have loads of fries of Siamese fighters in my aquarium. I would like to know when can I transfer them to the main aquarium (with their parents); after 2 months or 3??? They are already of an average of 1.5/2.0 cm in
length. Kindly do respond ASAP, Regards, Shay
< There are two things going on here. One, the fry must be big enough not to be eaten by the parents. Usually this means about half the body size of the adult. The second is the sex of the fish . Small males will still fight amo9ngst themselves and the big male will kill them. So small males must be separated into their own bowls. Females do not need to be separated but the adult male will still harass the female fry and try and get them to breed. I would only put the females back into the main tank without the adult male to manage the aquarium space better.-Chuck> 

No Betta bubbles! And poor writing
I have been reading a lot of the FAQs on betas and they like all talk about their betas making bubble nests. What? I have had my beta for 2 or 3 months and I have never seen this happen.
<Perhaps not mature enough, maybe just not "frisky">
I keep him in a little vase (probably 3 or 4 cups) (there's nothing in the bottom) and I use distilled water which I change
half of every 3 to 4 days.
<Distilled water is not a good idea>
he lays on the bottom or just slowly swims around all day. he loves to eat and we feed him 4 pellets in the morning and 4 more at night.
<Just pellets as food is a poor diet>
we keep him in the kitchen and he doesn't have a heater or a filter or a plant or anything. is he miserable?
<Likely so> 
does he need more room or a plant or something? the people at the pet store said he'd be fine and I don't know if
he's supposed to do anything , so please help me make his quality of life better. ; ) kylie
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm.  Scroll down to the area on Bettas... read re their Systems, Feeding, Behavior... Please don't send such illiterate messages to us... "i's" are capitalized... as is your name... Bob Fenner> 

Betta Eggs
My boyfriend had a female Betta fish who laid eggs. The male she was in the tank with didn't blow a nest and she ended up eating them all. About a week or 2 later I took his female, in hopes that my male would be able to breed with her. He has a nice full nest and seems ready. She seems to be getting slightly fatter, although not as big as the last time she was pregnant. My question is how long does it take for her to produce eggs, from the last time she laid eggs. I wouldn't put her in the tank until I know she is ready. Thanks for your help.
<I would give her at least a month. Feed her lots of bloodworms and other meaty foods. Then put the two tanks next to each other if possible. They will both display when ready. Don>

Want Fries With That? Why did my crown tail's fries die?
Hi, why did my crown tail's fries die?? Hi, I am Jason, I spawned my crown tail and the fries hatched successfully. But a few weeks later the fries started dying and the next day, all the fries are dead. Is it because I helped them changed their water and they got too stressed? Help me.
<Juvenile Bettas are very susceptible to damage, death due to small environmental changes... cold air, water quality changes... It is very important to keep their world stable for the first few months... to match new water with old, keep their tanks covered... and change the water very slowly... with a drip type system of small tubing... like that used for airline. Bob Fenner> 

Betta Gender Mystery - 03/31/2005
Hi! I have had 3 Bettas for almost a year now and I thought that I had 2 males ( Known already) and 1 female, but the female has long fins. The day I went to the Mililani pet store I headed to the fish section and noticed Bettas with long fins. I was looking for a female Betta so I didn't bother with the long fined Betta. The pet store owner is my neighbor so he had told me that the long fined Betta were new to his store and known as a "SHOW" Betta. I asked him "Where are the female show Bettas?" He said they are right in front of you! So all this time I have thought I had a female Betta, but I noticed that I can't see her egg spot! This is because her fin is in the way. 
<You should still be able to see this, despite finnage....>
Can you help me with this problem. Also she is a blue show Betta and I see a dark blue, black line going across her body. So can you help me to figure is my Betta a girl?
<Without a photograph, there is no definitive answer we can give you. There are a lot of "long" finned females offered on Aquabid lately, so you might take a look there, and compare with your own. If you can get a good photograph to email to us, we can likely help make a determination as to gender, but without, it's just not possible. The "long" finned females that I have seen, in person and on Aquabid, are still not comparable to good, long-finned males; colorful, for sure, but the finnage is still obviously not that of a male. The body shape of a female is different, too, once you get used to seeing them. Get to as many stores you can to look at their females and compare to your own. Wishing you and your beautiful Bettas well, -Sabrina> 

Betta Breeding
Dear Bob, I found your website while looking for help with some problems I've having with my male and female Bettas and, since you're the "fish-man," I hope you won't mind answering a few questions.
I've had two different male Bettas in a Minibow 2.5 (with divider) with the same female. I bought the female Betta because the first male kept building bubble nests. When he chased the female, I separated them. Within a few days, the first male died.
<Sorry to hear>
I've had the second male for only a week and now he, too, is not looking well. He seems listless and may have some kind of mold growing on his fins. I also had him in a separate tank overnight yesterday, and this morning his water looks really foul. Could be secreting some kind of stress hormone? And if so, should I keep the male and female in totally separate tanks in separate rooms?
<Are you doing water changes? I change 50% of my water every week>
If not, could some of the plant material in the tank be fouling the water and making the male Betta sick? What do you think of the small tanks with filter and divider? Are they a good idea, or is it better to keep males and females separate? If so, how do you know when it's time to put them together for mating?
<Any dead organic matter will decay and foul the water. That's why it's important to do water changes using a gravel vac. I always kept Betta pairs apart in side by side tanks with something between them to block their view. Then I would start to feed her good meaty foods. Bloodworms and Mysis shrimp work well. When she plumps up remove the blinder so they can see one another. You'll know when they are ready. Both will display through the glass. Word of caution when breeding Bettas. The young males will start to fight at a very early age. You will need to be able to separate them. Be ready!>
Many thanks for your help,
Alan <Don> 

Breeding Bettas
Hey WWM crew!??
<Hey, Mike G here>
Long time no chat! I have a question, lately I got a few more Bettas and one of them is a male delta marble Betta. (darker royal blue color - name: BUDDIE) and he's quite calm usually.
<Bachelor Bettas typically are calm fishes.>
Today I bought home a 'female' crown Betta (MINNIE) which is smaller in size. (purplish blue) When I placed her beside the veil tale - she didn't flare or do much, but when I placed her beside the delta tail one, she instantly started flaring and got all excited (so did my delta tail one) They would stay flared, go around in circles and pose to the side to show off their sides. Does that mean they're really interested and wants to spawn?
<It could mean any number of things, though it is good that they are taking an interest in one another.>
This is my first time having a female and I'm not sure if they do behave the same. Would they get depressed if I do let them see each other, because I don't want to over work them (flaring too long) or lose interest if I don't let them mate.  I don't know how to breed them. So what should I do now??
<Check out the following site. It is chock full of Betta information, and should help you get well on your way to becoming a Betta breeder. http://www.bettatalk.com/ > 

You want fries with your Betta?
Hi guys, sorry to bother you guys...again. I've got a lot of Betta fry, around..1 week and 3 days old. I'm not sure when I should separate them. Around what time of age should I separate them into jars for male? How would I be able to tell when to separate them? Thanks again
<Practice is the only way to identify males from females... and close observation... the larger, more feisty individuals are males... Bob Fenner>

Betta reproduction
Sorry about that again, My fries are Betta's. Siamese fighters, they are around 1 week old fry. So I'm wondering if I could move them into a little square box and it'll cool down. And I'll get the time to clean my water and then heat it up again, so would I be able to move them into a cold tank just for a while for now?  Thank you again
<Ahh, good question. Actually, this is a very critical time for moving small Bettas... as when they're developing their labyrinth (breathing) organs, a gulp of cold air can be deadly... better to move the male (am sure the female is already out) and try to raise the young till they're a quarter inch or so in length... making water changes slowly... with a length of small (like airline) tubing to remove waste, add new water... IF you have to move all, DO move all the water, and MAKE SURE the new water in the new tank is about the same temperature (or a little warmer) and chemistry. Bob Fenner> 

Bubble Nests
I have a six month old Betta. He eats well and is active. When will he blow bubbles? Thank you. Marge
<When he feels like conditions are suitable for breeding. Temperature about 80, water fresh, good food supply. And having a female within sight, but not in the same tank, always helps. Don>

Betta Fry Feeding
Hi guys, sorry to bother you but I've got some more questions to ask,
<Hey, Mike G here>
My Betta's have already bred, just wondering people in a lot of "Betta breeding" way, say they use "infusoria" just what is infusoria? Some food?
<Infusoria are microorganisms of the class Protozoa, and include a large number of species found in infusions of decaying organic material. They are commonly used as food for Betta fry. A simple, concise write-up on Betta foods can be found here:
http://www.bettatalk.com/what_fry_eat.htm  A general Betta Breeding FAQ: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betreprofaqs.htm >
My fry are all around...72 hours old? And they have all spread out, I've also taken the male out. They can't really swim well, they basically stay at the top of the water, do I start to feed them at this time? Cause I've tried to drop some of my liquid feed that I bought, but they don't seem to have any reaction, but instead, it's making my tank dirty...so how would I know if they are actually eating?
<Betta fry will begin eating once their yolk sac is fully digested>
The other question that I was wondering about was when do I start to separate my males out of the tank into jars?
<When they begin to show aggression towards one another, somewhere around 1 month of age.>
Thanks again
<Glad I could be of assistance. Good luck rearing your fry, it is a wonderful experience.>

Betta breeding
Hi crew,
I've got a few questions about Betta breeding. My male and female have
already bred, the male is looking after the eggs at the moment, when do I
remove the male?
<When the young have hatched out and are free-swimming>
Is it when they can swim horizontally?
<Yes>
I'm also a bit
confused about feeding the fry. When they hatch, and start to be able to
swim horizontally, do I start to feed them?
<Yes>
I bought the liquid for them, and
some frozen brine shrimps. How much do I feed a day with the liquid?
<Very little... a drop or so... twice a day or so>
and how
do I feed them with the frozen brine shrimps?
<Not for a few weeks... they won't be large enough for a while>
do I just crack a little bit of
the frozen brine shrimps off and just put it in the water?
<Better to defrost it outside in a bit of water first>
When do I start
to feed them the brine shrimp?
Thank you
<You can practice offering some in a few weeks... and should see if their mouths are large enough to accept this food. In the meanwhile, be careful of drafts (cold air) by keeping the tank covered... and diminished water quality... by frequent small water changes. Bob Fenner>

Male Betta NO BUBBLE NEST 
Hi, my name is Kimberly Bedell. I have a problem. I have taken care of male Bettas in the past but never a female. With the passing away of my 4 yr old male I went and bought a male and a female Betta. I learned how to mate them or so I thought. I put the female and male together, the male was lethargic and the female did a lot to try to get his attention. Eventually they did mate but right after she attacked him till he had a split tail and was bleeding so I removed him from the tank. I later found out that was part of spawning. The female is now pregnant and has no nest to lay her eggs. I was told that she must want to keep them if she hasn't dropped them yet. I have now put the male back in her tank but he only harasses her, and NO BUBBLE NEST. Is there a way to get the male to make a bubble nest?
<A few things are usually done... keeping the sexes separated, raising temperature of the water to the low to mid-eighties F., supplying a bit of floating plant material or Styrofoam to anchor the nest, conditioning the spawners with meaty foods...>
Can I get a new male to make a bubble nest for her?
<Yes... professional breeders use numerous pairs... some work sometimes, some not>
I am confused at this point as to what I can do to help.  Basically I need to know what to do if the male is not producing a bubble nest. Thank you for your time.
Kimi
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betreprofaqs.htm 
Bob Fenner> 

Betta Bubble Nest
Hi guys, I have 1 female and 1 male Betta, they are in separate tanks where they can see each other. A few days ago the male made a bubble nest, so I thought he was ready and moved him into the tank where I want to spawn them. The female was still in her old tank, they're tanks are still facing each other. I can see that the male is really excited, because he keeps facing where the female is. I've been waiting for the male to make his bubble nest. On the first day that he went into the spawning tank, he started to make it bubble nest, but then a few hours after he stopped making it. The bubble nest wasn't big in the first place, so it disappeared. How come he doesn't make his bubble nest anymore? Is something wrong with the water? Or he just doesn't feel like making a bubble nest?
Thank you guys
<I think the move to the new tank upset him a bit. Give him some time. Make sure you do water changes until he starts to build again. If this is a new tank ammonia will build up quickly. Feed the female a rich meaty diet while he settles in. Don>

Betta Breeding
Hi, my name's Daniel and I was wondering how long you have to wait till the Siamese fish eggs spawn and then how long can you keep the male in there for after the eggs have hatched? If you could get back to me I would appreciate it very much.
<Hi Dan, Don here. If you mean how often do Bettas breed, it depends on many factors. Quality of food, temp, age all make a difference. After the adults have spawned you can expect them to hatch in 3 to 5 days. Hatch time depends on temperature. I like to remove the male as soon as they start to hatch. Just be careful not to destroy the nest chasing him. He will eat them when they become free swimming>  

Betta Eating Eggs
Just yesterday, my female has released her eggs with the male under the bubble nest. While the eggs were dropping down, the male went to pick it up with his mouth, he doesn't go up and put it in the bubble nest. After around 1 hour, I came back and took a look, the female was still releasing the eggs, and the male still was catching the eggs, but the males stomach was getting bigger and bigger, is he eating the eggs? If it is, is it because that it's his first time breeding? Would I need to try breeding some more time so he'll know what to do? Or, is there another way to do to, if so, then please tell me.
Thank you
<Feed him well, keep the water fresh and warm and all should go well. If he does not think the conditions in the tank are good enough for the fry to thrive he may eat the eggs rather than wasting the energy needed to raise them. That's the way nature works. He may be too young also. Give it time, keep them in pristine water. Don>  

Feeding Betta Fry
I've just got a few question about Betta breeding. In my tank, I've got a female that is pregnant, and a male. The male has made a bubble, nest, but I'm not too sure if it's big enough, like it's a very small one, should I get another leaf or something for my male Betta to make a bigger bubble nest? After the female has released her eggs, and the male has put the eggs on the bubble nest, around how long does the eggs hatch after being laid? I read on the net after around 3 days the eggs would need to start to eat, right? Well, when they have been hatched, would I need to lower the water down to 2 inches high? So they can survive by themselves? If I need to do that, the heater wouldn't be useful will it? So that means they won't need a heat? I'm not too sure about these stuff, so can you help me with these questions?
Thank you
<I would worry too much about the size of the nest. He'll make it bigger if and when he needs to. Adding another leaf would not hurt though. The temperature is a big factor in hatching time, but around 3 to 4 days at average. Do not feed until they are free swimming and the yolk is gone. I never bothered lowering the water. Using a 2.5 to 5 gallon tank made feeding pretty simple. I used a liquid food for Betta fry. Mix it about 50-50 with tank water, then draw some into a long piece of airline tubing. Put the end near the fry and release a little. This works with baby brine shrimp also. As soon as they are actively swimming the entire tank you can switch to a fine flake food. Don>  

Betta Breeding Blues
Hi, Thank you for your wonderful resource - I have gotten much of the initial information on breeding Bettas from your site. However, I seem to have come up against a wall in my breeding efforts.
I have three male Betta splendens and three females. The females are currently kept together and the males all have their own tanks. I live in Australia so our tropical climate seems to really agree with them - they all seem happy, healthy and active. They have plants in their tanks and are fed freeze-dried worms, alternated with something called 'Betta mix'. The males often build bubble nests but I have seen no evidence that any of the females have eggs.
The thing is I can (and often do) put the females in with the males and they have no problem living together and show little to no interest in each other. The males will flare up a tiny bit at first when we put the female in but then they just tend to keep out of each others way. I have been putting three females (also tried with just one female) in with one male when he's built a sizable bubble nest and crossing my fingers....but so far no luck at all.
Is there anything else I could do to help the process along? I have been trying for several months.
Any advice you can give will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Chantay
<Best advice I can give is to overfeed the females a rich, meaty diet. Continue what your feeding but try to add frozen, or better yet live, food. Bloodworms, Mysid shrimp (not Brine), even tiny fruit flies. Do this until the females plump up before adding them to the males tank. Keep them out of sight of one another while conditioning. Then put then next to one another. He should go nuts making a new nest. She will display back and spend most of the time on that side of the tank when she's ready. Make sure you do more water changes when conditioning females this way. Temp should be steady and around 80 when breeding/conditioning, so a heater is vital. Don>  
Chantay Logan

Betta Breeding Basics
Hello, Thank you for your suggestion before, but now I want to breed my Bettas. I've been reading heaps and heaps of information on breeding Bettas, I understand a lot just not the like whether they need a leaf or something for the male to make a bubble nest. Some of them say the male Betta makes the bubble nest on the leaf and some say they make it on the corner of the tank, so I'm not too sure. <It's up to the Betta. You can supply a small leaf. He'll either use it or not>
So, would I need 2 female Betta's and 1 male Betta so the male can choose which female it likes, or should I just leave 1 female with it? And after they the has hatched, I would need to take out the female Betta right?
And also, can you tell me more about breeding etc feeding fry. Thanks a lot
<First, you can not put a female in the males tank until she is ready to breed. If she is not ready he will kill her. So you're going to need at least two tanks. Put them right next to one another and put a piece of paper between them. Feed the female rich, meaty foods like bloodworms until she appears to have a small marble in her stomach. Remove the paper so the fish can see each other. When she's ready, you'll know. She will stay by that side of her tank and display to the male. He'll be going nuts, and start a bubblenest. Give them a day or so like this before adding her to the males tank. Step back and watch. If there is any aggression you may have to get her out. If they are going to breed the male will wrap himself around her. If that doesn't happen within an hour or so, remove her and try again in a few days. Some say to leave the female overnight, adding her after lights out. But I wouldn't risk it. The hard part is removing the female without destroying the nest, but she needs to come out right after they spawn. Remove the male when the fry hatch. Feed the fry live baby brine shrimp. You can also get fry food for egg layers in most pet stores. Good luck. Don>     

Betta Mating
When is it a right time for the Bettas to mate?
<<Bettas will mate when they are ready. They must be fed the proper foods (preferably alive) to get them into condition. They should be kept in separate tanks, but side by side so they can see each other. You need to do daily water changes. Her body will become ripe with eggs, which is when she should be put into the tank with the male. IF she accepts the male, she will lay the eggs, and he will fertilize them, then he will chase her away. The female MUST be removed from the tank once he begins to chase her, or he may kill her. The male will take the newly fertilized eggs and place them into the bubble nest he has built. He will care for the fry. You need to feed the newly-hatched fry with baby brine shrimp, so set up a hatchery in advance, to be sure you have enough foods for the new fry. I recommend you do some reading about this on the Net, do a search for Betta breeding so you can read up on the details.
-Gwen>>

Male Betta makes bubbles on top container
Hi,
Thanks for your feedback, the information has been
valuable.
My male Betta, has made a bubble nest that covers the
top of the container. If you look from above you can
barely see him.
What can I do to isolate the nest to just one part of
the top of the container (i.e. put a small cup).
< You can try and skim the nest to one part of the container but he will just make more bubbles wherever he feels like it.>
Will he only make the nest in the cup.
< You can try it but the bottom line is he will build his nest where ever and when ever he feels like it. Not all Bettas are the same. What works for one may not work for another.>
Is it OK to remove the bubbles that are currently
there.
< He will just make more in a short period of time if he is ready.>
When I makes this nest is it safe to release the
female into the same container as the male, for
breeding. How do I know the female is ready.
< The male should have a pretty good nest and be flaring at the female. The female should be very heavy with eggs and flaring back at the male.>
Is it true when the male makes the nest he is ready.
< The bubble nest is usually a indication that the male is ready to spawn.-Chuck>
Thanks,
Mario D

Female Betta
     Hey, my name is Shy and I had some questions about a female Betta  I
bought from Wal-Mart (Yes Wal-Mart).
< Wal-Mart is probably the largest retail fish distributor in the U.S. so you are not alone.>
I bought a lively male at the same time and am
hoping to breed them ... one day.  I used to raise and breed guppies and
thought it might be time for a change. I've read practically every "step-by-step
breeding" pages and none seem to answer my questions. Is my female becoming
egg-swollen or not? She's a creamy white-with lavender fins, but her tummy is
almost pure white, and it looks a bit bulgy. Mind you, I only know about guppies,
could she be fat in one spot? If she didn't have such a large dorsal fin (if
that's what you call it) and fin under her body she'd look like a pregnant
guppy. Please help. I've read some horrible things on this page.. like fishy
tumors and fish constipation. I need to know. Thanks so much.
< Some Betta breeders put the female Betta in a large jar and set the jar in the tank with the male Betta. The male Betta would build a bubble nest in some floating plants or in a quiet area of the tank. The female should be responding to his advances but flaring her fins and gill plates. If she is acting aggressive and she is swollen then she probably has eggs. If she is already in with the male then he may have intimidated her and has harassed her to the point that she is not interested in breeding any longer. If she does not eat at all and her belly is swollen and the scales have become wide and pronounced then she probably gas dropsy and she needs to be treated with Metronidazole.-Chuck>

Betta bubbles
My daughter got a Betta, we are noticing clusters of bubbles on the surface of the bowl. Are we doing something wrong?  H Reile
< Your Betta is a happy camper and has set up a bubble nest waiting for a female Betta to come by and spawn with him. He will give up after a while and the bubble nest will dissolve back into the water.-Chuck>

Re: Betta bubbles
should I go out and get a female?
<No not needed. Read up on Bettas before you get a female and try to breed them. While it may be a very rewarding experience to observe it does require some work and extra tanks and things to be successful.-Chuck>

Betta, not for breeding
            Hey, crew how is it going. Besides that I have a few questions to ask you. First, I have one female and one male Betta a Pleco and one snail. Now, the male seems to flare up a lot and chase the female around is that good for ether one of the Betta's ?
< The additional stress of the male continually chasing the female around to spawn may eventually wear her down to the point to where she may become weak or diseased.>
Also, my female changes colors do the different colors symbol a mood (like a mood ring :) or is it just because of the time of day?
< Probably the change in lifting but some of it may be to display the mood she is in.> Finally, is it possible for my Betta's to sense each others territory range (including the Pleco)? Because the male stays away from the ornament cave (that the female seems to "own") and the female stay's away from the fake tree roots that has a hole in it that acts like a den to the male.
< I think your female is making a last stand and letting the male and all the other fish know that this is her territory and she is willing to defend it.-Chuck>
    P.S. the Betta's are not for breeding