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Maddy

Bubble Nests & Bettas

Q: SS wrote,

I’m afraid my betta is sick. He never blows bubbles and I read that only healthy bettas blow bubble nests. Is there something I can do to get him to blow bubbles?

A: While it’s true that healthy male bettas tend to blow bubble nests more then unhealthy bettas it isn’t a given that your healthy male will makes nests. First, not all males create nests at the same rate. Some may blow bubbles almost daily while others will only create a few nests per year. Another major factor is your tank set up. The slightest current tends to upset most bubble nests making them impossible to hold. If you have your betta in a tank with a power filter his nests may not stand up to the current. I decided long ago to forgo the nests in favor a more stable aquarium environment. I decided to cycle all my tanks and while the current is minor, I virtually never see any nests. This doesn’t mean the bettas aren’t healthy. On the contrary I have created a much healthier and stable environment.

Conditioning your betta may prompt him to create more nests but it isn’t a sure thing.

Conditioning is something breeders often to do get a fish ready to spawn. It usually includes a few weeks of keeping your fish in water similar to its natural environment (slightly acidic in this case) and feeding live or frozen foods. Bringing a female into view may also perk up his interest in creating a nest. There’s nothing like the right girl to get a male thinking about a family. 😉

Just remember that bubble nests are made by healthy males but not all healthy males make nests.


Categories: Betta splendens
Maddy: Christie F is a Betta splendens hobbyist that enjoys spending time caring for her fish and helping new betta keepers learn the ropes.

View Comments (46)

  • what happens if the female is fat and the male dont want to make a bubblenest..would any thing happen to the female

  • Hey whats up people. I have a male Betta Fish and his name is Balloons. I had to male Bettas and there was a divider in the tank so they wont kill each other! But just recently Bubbles my other fish died.:( I got over it and got a new fish. This time it a girl Betta and her name is Beauty. She is too small at the moment so i have to keep her in a different tank for her own good. My one question is….. how do i clean the tank if the eggs are in there. I have a tank with no filter or heater. Bad i know but im saveing my money to by a big tank with all the high tech stuff. So can any one answer my question???—-FISH LOVER:)

    • Betta fishes don’t need a hight tech fish tank all they need is a 2 gallons fish tank to breed with some hiding places in it, you just need to introduce the female to the male keeping them apart from each other for a few minutes once they have seen each other for a while ,u don’t need a divider or keep them apart a male would tolerate a female no matter what. That would never happen with a male

  • Just to let every one know….The one that was put up at 1:58 the one about the balloon fish was by me

  • I NEED HELP FAST SOMEONE HELP ME!!!
    MY FISH IS BLOWING BUBBLES!!!!!!
    HELP ME HELP ME

    • Woah man, don’t freak out, Betta’s are supposed to blow bubbles especially if they’re happy, but since you have a female in there, the male will make the bubble nest more frequently considering it uses them to help hatch baby bettas. So don’t worry about it. it’s normal my betta does it all the time. ^_^

    • It happens that when u put a male and a female Betta fishes does not mean they are compatible with each other eather one must be replaced

  • My fish was blowing bubbles big deal but the prob is ….they are not clean lookin bubbles what should i do?

    • Of course not..if those those are fertilized eggs would neverver be clear see through bubbles

  • I read in something that the male fish is going to bte and hurt the female fish. What happens if he hurts her so bad that she wont have the abilaty to live and she cant give out eggs?

    • Not true a male will always welcome a girls into his life at least tolerate her if they introduce each properly

  • I have female betta that is making bubble nests. The male doesn’t and the female does. Is this normal?

  • No, that’s not normal. In fact the opposite is normal. Is it possible you have a short-finned male that is blowing the nests?

  • oh thank you so much for this info.
    my daughter has Shimmer who used to blow bubble nests all the time! i didn’t notice he stopped but we then noticed he was sick. we treated him and we’ve been wondering how to know he’s feeling better, but he seems much stronger again.
    a couple of days ago, after at least 3 weeks… he started blowing nursery bubbles again! i feel so relieved to know he’s now feeling better.
    Novice betta lover

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