Betta suddenly too busy building bubble nest to have an appetite

Hi

My 1 year old male copper black crowntail Voldemort has been with me for half a year.
I taught him how to eat pellets and has a good appetite

However lately, I noticed a huge huge decline in appetite. He eats but very little. Maybe just 20% of his portion.
This has been going on for 1.5 weeks. No other symptoms. He swims fine, he goes around fine, he likes to jump through the sponge filter the same.

It started when I bought 3 new bettas in separate tanks. 2 of them are female but they all cannot see each other because they are in separate tanks with physical barriers between all of them.

I however noticed that 2 days ago, he has built a bubble nest and has been guarding it. Its not the most impressive nest but I see him repeatedly gulping air, then placing each gulp of bubble under his betta hammock. And there is a small collection of bubbles there.

And that is why I feel he hasn't been eating. He is too preoccupied with that bubble nest. Its curious to me that he started this behavior when the new fish arrived. And I dont know how he knows or senses the 2 females because they are so far from him, plus the tank sides are frosted and also with opaque dividers in between. He even flares at me when I approach the side with the nest.

I removed the nest yesterday and lowered the hammock so its not skimming the surface to "hard reset" him and hopefully get his appetite back.
But NO... HE was building again today.

So Im worried. Is there a way to fix this? I dont mind nest building if he still wants to eat. But he doesnt. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

Wish I could help out more, but I just did my first betta breeding. They have already mated and the male is very preoccupied on the nest and doesn't want to eat. All I can really think of is that he is really focused on wanting to mate. Maybe it is possible he can sense them. That being said. I have a divided tank of 4 male bettas next to a tank of 15 females and none of them have refused food, so it is a bit strange to me.

Kaleidoscope said:

Wish I could help out more, but I just did my first betta breeding. They have already mated and the male is very preoccupied on the nest and doesn't want to eat. All I can really think of is that he is really focused on wanting to mate. Maybe it is possible he can sense them. That being said. I have a divided tank of 4 male bettas next to a tank of 15 females and none of them have refused food, so it is a bit strange to me.

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I completely removed the leaf he makes bubbles under and guards. Hopefully that makes him... move on with his wanting to be a parent.
He eats at night like... at 11pm coz he gets hungry enough to want to eat a few pellets. But before that... meh.

jayveechun said:

I completely removed the leaf he makes bubbles under and guards. Hopefully that makes him... move on with his wanting to be a parent.
He eats at night like... at 11pm coz he gets hungry enough to want to eat a few pellets. But before that... meh.

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Let him mate and do his thing, fish only have one purpose in life and that is to reproduce, at least let him do that if he wants to.

itiwhetu said:

Let him mate and do his thing, fish only have one purpose in life and that is to reproduce, at least let him do that if he wants to.

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Unfortunately Im not a breeder and I dont intend to mate them. Plus reproduction can shorten their lifespan a bit, especially the female. And I dont think I can find homes as concerned for them as me for the offspring. Many don't even understand the nitrogen cycle.

jayveechun said:

Unfortunately Im not a breeder and I dont intend to mate them. Plus reproduction can shorten their lifespan a bit, especially the female. And I dont think I can find homes as concerned for them as me for the offspring. Many don't even understand the nitrogen cycle.

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How does reproduction reduce the life span of a female fish?

First, wrecking his nest is kind of torturing him. He senses the presence of females, probably chemically. Betta splendens has poor eyesight, and can still find mates in murky water.
When he guards the nest of babies, which he is preparing to do, he doesn't eat. He is busy using his mouth to catch any young that fall out of the nest, and he isn't going to risk hunting.
Looking at the guy, he is extremely far from a natural Betta, but I'd assume his parental instincts are really good in spite of all the messing with his genes people have done. My breeders when I used to breed wild splendens also avoided food once they got busy.

He's a fish, not an ornament, and he'll do fish things. Relax and feel the wonder. What he does is cool. You don't have to breed your Bettas, and if you move the females away, in time he'll calm down. Right now, he's too happy to eat. As well, he is descended from insectivores, and they don't catch insects every day. He hovers under the surface hoping, even if all he ever eats is flakes or pellets. But his body can handle a couple of weeks unfed.

nice to see Voldemort doesn't have copper! and he is just showcasing his glory, so let him be. and for the feeding, I wouldn't stress it at all when I vaycay i don't feed the bettas

The fact he has built a bubblenest means he is in good condition and is a happy healthy normal fish. Let him keep his bubblenest and let him breed. If you don't want babies, then don't feed the babies anything special. If a few survive, then you can have a few more fish or sell them to a pet shop. He just wants a family like you, me and everyone else.