My female betta is actually hurting my male betta!?

Question

I've had this male crowntail betta for about four months and within the past week he has made a bubble nest. This nest takes up pretty much the entire surface of his one gallon container so I figured he was ready to mate.

I went to the pet store and I bought a female betta (I KNOW she is a female, she has the short fins and is a dull blue) and put her in the tank in a jar so he could see her. He flared up and started dancing for her and she swam around excitedly so I let her in. They seemed to dance around one another but I don't think there was any actual mating.

I went to bed for the night and when I checked on them this morning, his fins are almost all chewed off and he's bleeding! I immediately removed her from his tank (he was there first after all) but I'm still afraid he'll die. I never actually saw them fight, but I know she hurt him.

What happened and how can I stop this from happening in the future? Any suggestions for helping my poor male betta live? I love him.

Okay, before everyone thinks that I'm a total fish-abusing-noob, I would like to explain that I did condition them before putting her in, there just wasn't room to describe the entire process in a 1000 word limit... and the tank I have him in was specifically sold as a breeder tank, so I didn't think the size was an issue... She is swollen with eggs and has the white spot near the base of her tail... All signs pointed to them being ready to mate.... he had the nest, she had the eggs, they appeared to be compatible... i've just never heard of a female hurting a male betta....

Okay, before everyone thinks that I'm a total fish-abusing-noob, I would like to explain that I did condition them before putting her in, there just wasn't room to describe the entire process in a 1000 word limit... and the tank I have him in was specifically sold as a breeder tank, so I didn't think the size was an issue... She is swollen with eggs and has the white spot near the base of her fins... All signs pointed to them being ready to mate.... he had the nest, she had the eggs, they appeared to be compatible... i've just never heard of a female hurting a male betta....

I was so worried about my male betta that I didn't even think to check the bubble nest... It has almost completely dissapated and I don't see any eggs in the tank... that, plus the fact that she's still hugely fat says to me that there was no breeding... but why would he build a bubble nest if he wasn't ready or willing to mate?

Answer 1

It's possible that the new betta was a male - not all males have long fins, and sometimes even breeders have a hard time telling them apart. Did the new fish (the "female" show spawning coloration and have a developed ovipositor? (see photos: http://www.flippersandfins.net/faq.htm#malefemale

It's normal for one or both fish to have torn fins after mating, but if the male wasn't ready or willing to spawn, and if the "female" was, she would have shown her displeasure with the male by attacking him. You shouldn't have them in the tank for an extended period without keeping an eye on them, especially if you're new to breeding bettas.

Right now, you want to be sure he's got good water quality, and add a little non-iodized salt to his water to help prevent an infection (about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water). You may also want to check to see if the second betta was a female and if she did lay eggs - this is what they would look like: http://www.ausfishforum.com/forum/files/bettaspawn2.jpg

NOTE: I wouldn't try to breed them in anything smaller than a 10 gallon tank

Answer 2

What happened:

Firstly, just because a male betta blows a bubblenest doesn't mean he wants to mate. It could also mean he's marking out his territory, or he might just feel like blowing one. The desire to mate is a possible cause, but not the only one.

Secondly, you should have conditioned your bettas for at least a couple of weeks. One time is not enough. If you put a breeding pair together and they are aggressive toward one another, it means they are not ready to mate.

Thirdly, bettas need a tank of at least 10 gallons to spawn. The water level should be down to about 6 inches, and the male should already have blown the nest before they are put together. One gallon is barely enough for one betta to survive in, let alone two. Plus, did you really expect hundreds of fry to live in there once the eggs were laid??

Fourthly, you should never leave your breeding pair in the same tank for long periods of time unattended. Next time, if you don't see any mating and want to go to bed, remove the female and try again in the morning. Even conditioned pairs will fight after a period of time.

For now, you need to keep your betta in a clean and warm environment to help him heal. He should have a heater if he doesn't have one already. The important thing is to keep his stress levels down so he can fight off infections. You can add some Melafix to help speed up the growth of his fins, but remember to halve the dosage.

Are you sure you want to breed your betta? Like I said, just because your male is blowing a nest doesn't mean he SHOULD be bred. If you are, you'll need to have planned out space for keeping the hundreds of bettas that will result (most breeders have a "betta room"). You'll also need to start your infusoria culture soon for taking care of the fry.

Answer 3

well in the future you should probably supervise the mating process. she was probably defending herself. try getting maybe a 3 gallon 3.5 tank for them to breed in then when they are done put the female back and leave the male in there, if it comes with a filter, dont use it. and maybe the female isnt ready to breed... when she is ready she will have a white tube which looks more like a dot, where her poop comes out, plus she will be pretty fat. you can speed this up by doing something that is called conditioning. you feed your female and male protien enriched foods like bloodworms, frozen freeze dried or live. brine shrimp, same. and other good things. and you could feed them probably one frozen pea each. but thaw it and take the shell off

Answer 4

First you need to watch the mating to make sure they are compatible.. second you need a 5 gal tank for breeding.. you need to do more research.. you brought this upon yourself.

Answer 5

http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=7501&hl=betta+care+sheet