# Betta not making bubbles. Female betta chasing male...



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

My female is chasing my male, I'm not sure if I should move her to a breeding trap. The male isn't making bubbles, please help. 
This is very frustrating for me, I don't know what to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvfKZv1Xs9o
Thats a video of them.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Neither fish looks like they have an interest in spawning. To me, your female is being more aggressive than flirtatious, and your male doesn't seem very eager. 

Any reason you are attempting to spawn them in this set-up? Is that some sort of pseudomugil species of fish I see towards the end of the video? You shouldn't be attempting to spawn your pair if there are other fish present as they are either going to stress out your male or predate any fry that hatch out. 

Have you conditioned your pair prior to introduction? Do you understand the undertaking that spawning your bettas involves in regards to grow-outs, jarring, live foods, water changes etc. ?


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Neither fish looks like they have an interest in spawning. To me, your female is being more aggressive than flirtatious, and your male doesn't seem very eager.
> 
> Any reason you are attempting to spawn them in this set-up? Is that some sort of pseudomugil species of fish I see towards the end of the video? You shouldn't be attempting to spawn your pair if there are other fish present as they are either going to stress out your male or predate any fry that hatch out.
> 
> Have you conditioned your pair prior to introduction? Do you understand the undertaking that spawning your bettas involves in regards to grow-outs, jarring, live foods, water changes etc. ?


I'm taking the rainbow fish out now, I was planing on doing that sooner or later. They are conditioned and I know about the jarring, live foods and water changes.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

Yesterday, the male was flaring at her and trying to impress her. Today shes become aggressive  Yeah I was planing to spawn them in this setup.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

Should I place her back in the breeder net?


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

No. They are not willing to breed at this point.

Why use substrate? Cleaning will be difficult.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

indjo said:


> No. They are not willing to breed at this point.
> 
> Why use substrate? Cleaning will be difficult.


To hold plants down, I put her in the breeding net. Got any ideas on what I should do?


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

1. watch youtube videos - a. betta fighting b. betta breeding
Compare how they swim in each mode. Understand their body language.

2. Totally isolate both male and female for about 3 days. Then let them see each other. Make sure both flare, other wise isolate further and flare the aggressor to a mirror. Keep doing this for about 2 weeks - at the same time mass feed both with highly nutritious foods. . . . . they should flirt swim sometime within that period.

3. While conditioning the pair, set up your tank. Don't use substrates because that will make cleaning difficult (left over food). Anchor your plants with pieces of tiles, small rock, or fishing sinker. Let the whole set up age a bit and give infusoria time to grow (for first day fry food).

4. Aft6er the conditioning period or after they go into breeding mode, put the male in the breeding tank. Float the female in a breeding box or jar. If they still flirting, let them be for a day or two. If still flirting, release the female and let them do their stuff.

Each pair are different. It may take some up to 1 week. So be patient and try not to disturb them too much. As long as they are still in breeding mode, they will eventually spawn.

Good luck


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I'm fine with cleaning with sand. Wheat I this flirt swimming?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I already conditioned them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

when breeding betta fish it's important to separate the female in a container that is still visible to the male this is a safety precaution if the male doesn't blow his bubble nest add a male floating in a clear cup this may inspire the male to mate with the female


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

When a betta wants to fight, it flares and hold its position. When it is in breeding mode it will flare and swim all over the tank in an "S" fashion. Some call this "dancing", I call it flirting - flirt swim. Both male and female must flirt swim. Male doesn't need a nest, though one would be nice. And not all females show breeding bars. BUT they all flirt swim.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I'll post a video of the tanks later, the male is in the spawning tank with some Java moss, Indian Almond Leaves. It's is a 20 gallon but not filled to the top. The female is in a ten gallon tank, I'll condition them for a week or two. Then put her in a breeding net and place her in the spawning tank. When he blows a bubble nest I'll release her into the tank. Does this seem okay? How can I make him blow a bubble nest? He hasn't blown a bubble nest yet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

My male is doing this flirt swimming when I placed her in his tank for awhile. She doesn't seem to do this flirt swimming. Does this mean she isn't ready to breed?


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-oKWpO0xyg


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Can the female see the male? If not, she isn't going to 'flirt swim' because there isn't a male in view.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

Well, I put them in the same tank shes swimming and sees the male. The male follows her, then she swims up to his face and he swims away. How long should it take for his bubble nest to be built?


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

All I see are both in separate tanks. None are flaring so I can't say if they are in breeding mode or not.

A 20g is quite big. You can fill it up to 1/3 - 1/2 and with lots of plants as hideouts, you can release the female immediately. BUT they have to be in breeding mode.

1. The male looks kind of thin. Fatten him up a bit more.
2. Flare him to a mirror 10-15 minutes daily. Preferably after morning feeding.
3. Do the same to female
4. Assuming both were isolated from each other for the whole conditioning period, plus ONE of them is "flirt swimming", float the female in with the male. If both are responsive, let them be for a day or two. If not remove and repeat everything.

Almost forgot - The male is white. IME whites often have low mentality and will only readily breed to light colors. I suggest you introduce dark colors (all sorts) before attempting to breed him.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

indjo said:


> All I see are both in separate tanks. None are flaring so I can't say if they are in breeding mode or not.
> 
> A 20g is quite big. You can fill it up to 1/3 - 1/2 and with lots of plants as hideouts, you can release the female immediately. BUT they have to be in breeding mode.
> 
> ...


Thin? Hes way fatter than the female. The female is kinda white as well. I kinda already released the female... Should I place her back in the breeding net?


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

Ugh the female is so aggressive. I had to place her back in her tank. She swam up to the male and he swam away as fast as he could. That's how scared he was. I think this is because she isn't really ready to breed. So she's being aggressive.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Like I said you can't rush him. If you keep showing him/releasing her, he will never gain enough confidence to breed with her. If you're in such a hurry, buy another dark colored male. This time give that betta plenty of time to settle then slowly flare him a few minutes a day and gradually adding flare time. 

Your white male will NOT breed any time soon.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

Why won't he breed? He's been conditioned. After a week or two wont he forget about her. Then cant I try again?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I'm sorry I like things in a rush. I'll follow your instructions. I just want to breed these two together 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Not sure why, but light colored bettas (specially white) tend to have low mentalities. I mean they stress easily and are hard to regain aggressiveness. Some tend to be afraid of dark colored bettas. 

Betta breeding isn't only about physically healthy bettas. You have to build up its mentality as well. They are highly territorial and will have to "defend" their territories as well as their nest/fry.
Therefore you must first build your guy's mentality - he must be willing to flare for some time. Do not use the female as a sparring partner. It's better to use a mirror. If he is willing to actively flare against a mirror for 15 minutes, then start showing him the female. Start with a very short time (less than a minute) and add his flare time slowly each day. All this may take up to 2-4 weeks. And during this time your male mustn't have any health issues. Otherwise you'll be back at the start.

To get them into breeding mode (if they haven't changed) - flare both to a mirror for a much longer time, say 30 minutes or more. "Fighting" should eventually change their moods, given they are in top health. You can also flare to mirror and to each other the next day (but not too long). When you see them flirt, ONLY then can you think about breeding them.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I think I'm gonna buy a new mate for her, and see how that's goes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

you are too impatient. You CANNOT force a fish to do what it doesnt want to do. Firstly, keeping substrate in the tank, what if you vacuum up fry? You cant net them because you'll ruin their slime coat. Bare bottoms are not recommended because they're convenient to YOU, its recommended so that firstly, the male can find eggs when they drop and get them, secondly so that when cleaning, you dont suck up fry, thirdly so that bacteria doesnt build up in the tank. Now tell me this, how are a pair supposed to spawn if you keep interferring? After conditioning, and after releasing the female, LEAVE THEM ALONE  only check up on them every few hours. Just because the female will swim up to him doesnt mean she's being aggressive..obviously, as was mentioned, BODY LANGUAGE is important. If she's flaring back and trying to rip off his fins, THEN you know she's being aggressive. That shouldnt happen if she's been given time to get to know the male.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

If you looked at the video, the spawning tank is a bare bottom... 
She did swim up to him flare then chased him.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Though female's mentality is also important (your female has no problem), but male's is vital. If he doesn't flare against the female, he will get beaten . . . it should be the other way around. If you get a new male, make sure he is aggressive. If another white, make sure he is willing to fight it out (actively flare for 10-15 minutes) against the female. You can't rush any betta. Often each must be handled differently. Patience is the key to success.

Keep us posted on what ever you choose to do. We're here to help you.


----------



## xXLeafeonXx (Sep 2, 2013)

I bought a blueish halfmoon male. Hes young, the female is with him in the breeding net. Hes blowing a few bubbles. I still have to condition him for a week. I can't put her in a different tank because its being used by the white male right now.


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Do you have a jar - any unused jar (big enough to temporarily house a betta). Or perhaps a used 2ltr plastic bottle (cut off the top). You need to temporarily house the female until you can get her a proper home. If you leave her in the breeding net, she may release unfertilized eggs and you'll have to recondition her.

A younger male shouldn't be a problem as long as he is not too small to properly embrace the female.

Good luck. Hope all goes well.


----------

