Q: MB wrote,
I have a strange problem; my female Betta is making bubble nests (unless I have a male with VERY short fins).
I had a male and female in an aquarium together for almost 10 months…not a nipped fin or hint of a problem. She tore the male up about three months ago. I found him floating on top, on his side, all his fins well ripped up. He survived and with some meds and extra heat. He is doing fine. Anyway, the male has stopped making nests. I am keeping them in separate gallon jars next to each other. They seem to interact but he hides from her. She has made a couple of nests; the bubbles seem to be smaller than in the nests the male made. What do you make of this?
What is your feeling on luck bamboo? I have kept fish in 2 gallon jars with “bamboo” for years with no apparent problems. I do pull ALL of it out and wash it every week. I have put it in aquariums for years when I don’t have it filled to the top.
Another possibility is that the bubbles you are finding are not the result of your fish trying to create a bubble nest and are rather the byproduct of your fish breathing from the surface. All Betta splendens are labyrinth fish and get the majority of their oxygen from breathing air from the surface. Bubbles will frequently escape from the fish’s mouth, unintentionally rising to the surface and collecting. These bubbles can begin to pile up and look somewhat like a small nest, especially if your aquarium water is very still. It is possible that the collections of bubbles you are observing are just the result of escaped air and are not an intentional nest for the purpose of breeding.
As for your question regarding bamboo, I am not opposed to bamboo in the aquarium as long as it is kept healthy. Bamboo is technically a terrestrial plant but can survive for a long time partially submerged in water. If not maintained, however, the roots and stalks can begin to rot, leaching poisonous toxins into the aquarium. Continue to look it over during your weekly water changes and remove any bamboo that appears to be decaying and your Betta should be fine.
View Comments (37)
Uh, I think that's a plakat male… Yes, I'm pretty sure…
Uh, between the two long ventral fins on its belly… Next time you look for a female betta, look between there, there should be a white thing there where she lays her eggs.
HELP! My female crowntail suddenly developed a white patch on her eye. I was searching the web, bout couldn’t find answers. I checked on her to find that the patch has become a ring in the middle of her cornea. She doesn’t seem sick and is very healthy and none of the other fish in the tank seem to be affected. Any help?
she could be old
definetly a plakat male nice copper by the way
yes thats a male i bought one at petsmart they said it wass female.. it wasnt.. but i have a female she wont mate w my male. the first time he messed her up bad. she is now makin bubble nests too though.. so im confused..
oh yeah that kind of betta is used for arena fighting theyre fast and ruthless.
ok I have a female betta and a male betta in smalle tanks next to eachother, regardless of how many times I've tried to keep the females water clean a strange oily film keeps appearing at the top, while the male in the tank next to her, is making yellowish bubbles similar to the bubble nests you were referring to. My quesetion is, is the oily film on the top, and his yellowish bubbles a sign that they are in heat? if not what could be the explanation someone please e-mail me with the answer if you can my address is celticmisery@yahoo.com
I have the same thing happening in my tanks. I collect bettas I have 10 in seperate 2gal. tanks I thought I had 4 females but 3 turned out to be males (gatta love pet store labels) so I know have 1. I’ve bred them once and was successful but I’d really like to find out the answer to your question too. what did you find out if anything? if you dont mind sharing
My female Betta is also making bubble nests and i just saw her flare up at the male, but i looked between her fins and she has a white dot. i am kinda worried to try to breed them. My male also looks like he is a little scared.. of like everything in his tank haha so i am confused… Is it possible my "female" is male and female(just kidding) but what is up with this?
I have a Crown tail female and a Crown tail male. And I have them in their tanks next to each other. The female is full of eggs, but the male isn’t making a bubble nest and he keeps flaring at her. Can you help me?
I have had a few females that made very small nests. It is not a common behavior. One female would even build a small nest and then she would drop her eggs (without a male) and place them in her “nest”. I have also had pairs breed where both male and female would pick up the eggs and put them in the nest…also not common but it can happen.
I have a female betta fish and whenever I feed her she wont eat the flakes. She will only eat the things that I give her. She has also been putting bubbles all over the tank. Is it possible that she could have been overfed where she came from? I checked and she does have a little white dot. Could she be one of the fish at the store that was perganent when I bought her? How would I know if she was preganent?
it means that your female wants to mate
Betta Fish do not get pregnant. They lay eggs, also idk if im right but im pretty sure most betta eat pellets? Not flakes. I feed mine pellets and she is all good..