I have a male and female betta would like to know some more about breeding?

Question

I have a male and female betta I have conditioned them both for 2 weeks. The male has built his bubble nest. The female has eggs and vertical lines on her body. I have them in the same tank now. The male chases her and flares at her and she just swims away or hides in the plants or sits on the bottom of the tank. He has nipped at her but she has no damage and is pretty quick so he has trouble getting near her, so I am not worried about her being hurt yet. I just want to know if she would be acting like this if she is ready or if I should take her out and wait longer. This is my first time breeding bettas and I have researched it, I just want to make sure I do everything right? What do u guys think

what do u mean they can't recognize sex. and what makes u say that?

thank you for your answer. I have looked at the website you have at the bottom of your post. I do have food ready to go. I am keeping a good eye on the fish. I just wanted to know if it was normal for the female to seem like she is not interested

Ok first of all thank you everybody for your answers it is very helpful. I have put my male in a separate tank, just overnight I have heard you shouldn't leave them alone and I don't want any damage to them. I noticed the female is exploring the tank now so I am hoping she will begin to feel more comfortable. Everyone says how you need to research bredding bettas heaps before u even try and I just worry I don't know enough and will do it all wrong. Is it wrong to take the male out and then put himback in the next day?

Answer 1

I wouldn't give up on them just yet. I've had some pairs that were conditioned and introduced properly, but it still took four days for the actual spawning to take place.

As long as you have them in a 10 gallon set-up (the water level should only be a few inches deep, though, not filled to the top), and you have some plants (real or fake) so she has a place where she can retreat, and he's not abusing her, you should be okay to leave them together for a while.

Hopefully, you've prepared well enough to have food onhand for when the fry are ready to begin eating - these almost require small, live food (baby brine shrimp are too small, so you should have infusoria, or a culture of microworms or vinegar eels for their first week). Since yours will probably be mating for the first time, you may not have as many eggs as you'll get in later matings, but be prepeared to raise (and house) 100 or more babies.


ADDITION: I would try a tank divider, or putting the hurricane glass (if you used one) around the female before taking one of the fish out again. Being moved in and out of the tank may be stressful, plus she may drop the eggs when the male is out of the tank. That's not a guarantee that she won't drop them on the opposite side of a divider as well, but if the male isn't present to fertilize the eggs and place them in the bubble nest when she drops them, the eggs won't be fertile (and the female may eat them). And yes, the female can drop eggs without the male present to "squeeze" .

Answer 2

Sometimes a female, although she appears fat with eggs, just isn't ready to breed--especially if she's never been bred before (the first time can be scary, especially if the male is gets too aggressive). And if the male is inexperienced it can take even longer because too eager and won't wait patiently until she's ready. What I always did was put the female in a clear container (Beanie box if you've got one; otherwise a glass or acrylic tube 3" to 4" in diameter) inside the breeding tank where the male has been living and let them get used to seeing each other without hurting each other (female can't hide too far) for a couple of days, and watch her to see how she's reacting. If she isn't showing any interest in the male after a few days, take her out and recondition her, then try her again. After a day or two seeing the male but not being attacked by him, some females will find their hormones surging and they'll start trying to get out and over to the male (and you just release her and they'll probably be spawning fairly soon). And of course, sometimes you'll get a female who just doesn't want to breed. Be patient--that's the key to breeding bettas. If they don't seem to be ready, separate them and recondition, letting them peak at each other but then separating them completely (don't let either fish see any other fish either--distance makes the heart grow fonder).

Answer 3

The fish are well conditioned as far as I can see from ur description. Did you put them in at the same time? Try removing the male and introducing him to the female a few days later. This will cause the male to court the female in her territory rather than the other way round. Ideally, you can seperate them using a divider, until the female starts to show interest. Feeding with live food is a good trigger. Also, from experience, they will usually spawn in the early morning when the first ray of morning light starts shining in. Good luck.

Answer 4

definite it particularly is rather probable they are going to breed, yet in addition of challenge that he will kill her. particularly some situations adult males are so territorial they could even activate a woman. in case you desire different fish, seek for short fin community fish. Bettas can stay peacefully with guy diverse species.

Answer 5

You can't breed! My suggestion would be take out the male or female one now! They don't recognize sex! They will kill each other!

Answer 6

I think you are on the right track. Goodluck!