# female betta flares at a male bettas



## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

i am trying to breed my vts but the female keeps on flaring at the male,the male flares back at her too.what does it mean?the male keeps on attacking her too

she is in her container in the breeding tank now


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## Marlboroack (Jan 30, 2012)

You sure it's a female? I have some males that look like females but they are 100% male.. Put her with a larger female for a few days then condition them.. You may have to be rough with her.. Might sound mean taking her out of water for 40 seconds 1x a day for 5 days. But it works 80% of the time..

If the attaching is severe you may need to find another brood pair.. I have had that flaw many many times in my breeding with not only fish but exotic mammals also. Male attacking the female and chasing her around is common. So is fin nipping and fighting.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

i am sure she is a female because i breed her with my plakat before and she did lay eggs,she also have an egg spot


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

how about the male he looks fierce and i only have one female left,another died a month ago


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## Marlboroack (Jan 30, 2012)

Just don't give up. Use your ideas to create life.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Females will flare at males. The thing is - how is she flaring? If she is constantly trying to break through head on, she is in fighting mode. But if she is swimming all over her tank and returns to flare, she is most probably in breeding mode (males must do this as well).

Give her time as you condition her further. Flare her to a mirror (since you don't have another female). place the mirror at the bottom part of the tank or cover the top part of the mirror. Give her only an inch of sight. Let her flare for 30 min or so. Then rest her in total isolation until the following day and try re-introducing them. See how they act/swim.

Good luck.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

Now I change the male vt with a male pk nad she keeps swimming but not flaring,maybe at first.
How do you tell if the female is interested in him because i used the same male a few months ago and now i want to use the same pair again.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Both male and female must ... what I call.... flirt swim. That is; swim all over the tank in an "S" kind of way. This indicates that they are in breeding mode. If you flare uninterested couples for too long, they might stress (specially the female). When this happens, you have to isolate both for a few days to let them regain confidence/self esteem. After that exercise them regularly with another betta (of the same sex)/mirror.

While waiting for them to get into breeding mode, you can condition them with high protein food. When they start to flirt swim (even against the same sex) then you'll know they are ready to be introduced - put them in the breeding tank just before dark. She is a veteran breeder so she should spawn the following morning or so)


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

I just place the male in there for only 3 hours and he already built a large bubble nest.The female has vertical stripes already and they are swiming like an "s" already.Should i release the female now or should i wait.

Thanks for all of you


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

From what you say, she sounds like she is ready, and they are flirt swimming. Let her out IMO.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

> From what you say, she sounds like she is ready, and they are flirt swimming. Let her out IMO.


What does it look like when they are flirting?


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Flirting is Swimming in an "S" kind of way. But that doesn't mean he won't tear the female to sheds (the aggressive males). Only few males are docile enough to not leave scars on the female.

If your female is a first time breeder, I'd let her float in the breeding tank for 2 days or so. You see they (most of them) need a longer time before they're ready to embrace - which means a longer time to get beaten up by the male. 

Release the female in the late afternoon, before dark. Don't use lights so they will become inactive but can still sense each other. Hopefully they will embrace the following morning/afternoon.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

Is it ok if the female hides from the male because she hides in a cave i place in for her.And the male keep searching for her.Last spawn when i place in the female they spawn i a few minutes later.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

As long as her color remain vibrant, she will eventually come out and approach the male then hide again when she gets bitten. But in time, they will eventually spawn. Just make sure the female has hideouts so she doesn't get too badly beaten.

Like every male shows different behavior on each spawn, females too are different. Some are ready to spawn almost immediately while others can take up to a week. On average it takes 3 days for a first time breeder to spawn.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

I released the female on the second of febuary and the male attacks the female repeatedly but they spawn yesterday.the eggs will hatch about today.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Good luck, I hope for some pics when they do.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

*the fry pictures*
















sorry a bit blur


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cool pics!!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

So many fry!!!


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I've been scanning the posts and even though this one is a bit old thanks for the info! My female is a first time and I've had her in a breeding cage for a day. She's white so I can't see breeding stripes but I've seen the "s" swim from her along with the flirty flaring. I was planning on letting them flare through the breeder for two days, its nice to see it was the right thing to do


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