# Wild betta that both mouth broods and builds a bubble nest



## Timmy7 (Apr 26, 2017)

A long time ago before I got interested in wild bettas, I read somewhere that there are some betta species that both mouthbroods and builds a bubble nest depending on the environment. I know that Betta Bronorum and Betta Rutilans have been reported doing so. Are there any other species?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Only Betta sp. cf. rutilans green mouthbrood. I've never seen the the red form mouthbrood. At this point Betta sp. cf. rutilans green is an undescribed species, so it may not even be Betta rutilans, let alone belong in the coccina complex. Very few Betta brownorum mouthbrood. Some hobbyists think it's fish from a certain locality. I did have one mouthbrooding male, but all others have been bubblenesters. 

The only other species that I've read of using mouthbrooding instead of bubblenesting, is Betta coccina. However, I've never witnessed this in my fish, and it seems to be a very uncommon occurrence. 

What I find interesting is that the coccina complex wilds have a much shorter brooding time than the 'true' mouthbrooders. Whereas, a Betta unimaculata may mouthbrood for 14 or more days, the coccina complex wilds only seem to hold their eggs for as long as it would take them to hatch if they were bubblenesters.


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## Hassled (Sep 30, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Only Betta sp. cf. rutilans green mouthbrood. I've never seen the the red form mouthbrood. At this point Betta sp. cf. rutilans green is an undescribed species, so it may not even be Betta rutilans, let alone belong in the coccina complex. Very few Betta brownorum mouthbrood. Some hobbyists think it's fish from a certain locality. I did have one mouthbrooding male, but all others have been bubblenesters.
> 
> The only other species that I've read of using mouthbrooding instead of bubblenesting, is Betta coccina. However, I've never witnessed this in my fish, and it seems to be a very uncommon occurrence.
> 
> What I find interesting is that the coccina complex wilds have a much shorter brooding time than the 'true' mouthbrooders. Whereas, a Betta unimaculata may mouthbrood for 14 or more days, the coccina complex wilds only seem to hold their eggs for as long as it would take them to hatch if they were bubblenesters.


I am new to learning about bettas, can you please tell me what a mouthbrooder is?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Some betta species are paternal mouthbrooders. The male (it's only in very rare cases that a female will do so) will collect the eggs after fertilisation, and hold them in his mouth until they have hatched. They generally do no eat during this time, and it can take between 14-21 days before the fry are released. 

Unlike some mouthbrooding fish, bettas do not continue to care for their fry once they are released. 

I hope that helps.


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## Hassled (Sep 30, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Some betta species are paternal mouthbrooders. The male (it's only in very rare cases that a female will do so) will collect the eggs after fertilisation, and hold them in his mouth until they have hatched. They generally do no eat during this time, and it can take between 14-21 days before the fry are released.
> 
> Unlike some mouthbrooding fish, bettas do not continue to care for their fry once they are released.
> 
> I hope that helps.


Thanks for the interesting info. Is there any way to tell if your betta is of this type? My last betta ferociously made bubble nests that covered almost half of his tank. Now, my new betta makes them like one line of bubbles thick. Would that be a sign that my betta is a mouthbrooder?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

No, Betta splendens do not mouthbrood. 

There are around 70 species of betta that are divided up into closely related groups known as 'complexes'. Some complexes are mouthbrooders, and some complexes are bubblenesters. Betta splendens are part of the splendens complex and these fish are bubblenesters. 

The only species where typically bubblenesting species are known to mouthbrood, are those mentioned in my post above.


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## Hassled (Sep 30, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> No, Betta splendens do not mouthbrood.
> 
> There are around 70 species of betta that are divided up into closely related groups known as 'complexes'. Some complexes are mouthbrooders, and some complexes are bubblenesters. Betta splendens are part of the splendens complex and these fish are bubblenesters.
> 
> The only species where typically bubblenesting species are known to mouthbrood, are those mentioned in my post above.


Thanks for the response. Is it a bad sign that my new betta isn't bubble nesting as much as my old one? Are bettas sometimes more prone to make elaborate bubble nests compared others?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

That's perfectly normal. Some males are very dedicated bubblenesters, and some males are not. I had a male that never built a single bubblenest the entire time I owned him. He was a healthy, active fish. Just seemed to lack the drive/instinct to build a nest. 

Some males will even wait until the last possible moment when spawning, to build a nest.


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## Hassled (Sep 30, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> That's perfectly normal. Some males are very dedicated bubblenesters, and some males are not. I had a male that never built a single bubblenest the entire time I owned him. He was a healthy, active fish. Just seemed to lack the drive/instinct to build a nest.
> 
> Some males will even wait until the last possible moment when spawning, to build a nest.


Good to know, I have read that he is kind of a mutant (double tailed). So I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't have some of the instincts of other bettas.


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