Bubble Nest Is Falling Apart And Dad Isn't Repairing It!

[JoLtNbolt]

Hey all,

I've got a nest with 1 day old fry and the bubble nest is falling apart but the dad isn't doing anything to fix it. I got worried and transplanted a bubble nest built by one of my other males into the spawning tank. The dad seems to be using the transplanted bubble nest as if it were his own. Is this ok? Is there anything I can do to induce him to continue building his own bubble nest?

 

[fawnmodel]

Yes its fine to use the transplanted nest, sometimes they get tired and lazy. Did you mean the fry are swimming for a day, hatched? Or did you mean eggs. If swimming, you can remove male. I have had a nest totally disintigrate and the eggs fall on the bottom on day two, and the father was still able to care for them they all hatched.

Good Luck!

 

[JoLtNbolt]

They've been hatched for a day, so the fry are still hanging on to the nest like so:
oooooooo
ï ï ï ï

 

[soba3d]

Hi,

Congratulations on the successful spawning!

Transplanting bubbles will normally encourage most males to build/maintain the bubblenest. Is there anything supporting the nest (floating plant/styrofaom cup/etc.)?

 

[JoLtNbolt]

Is there anything supporting the nest (floating plant/styrofaom cup/etc.)?

There's a plastic container that is suppored by an aquarium decoration and hooked onto the thermometer. The container is at an angle and the bubble nest is half in the container and half outside of the container. When some of the fry fall, they drop to the inside of the plastic container rather than all the way down to the bottom of the tank. It's easier for dad to see the fry against the white plastic container.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

Ack!!! The bubble nest is almost completely gone!

The fry are still up at the surface of the water though.

 

[liz2]

I would love to breed babies. Got too many tanks in different places at the moment, and there doesnt seem to be many female fighters round where I live.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Ack!!! The bubble nest is almost completely gone!

The fry are still up at the surface of the water though.

There's nothing you can do, you can't exactly get in there and blow bubbles yourself
It should be okay. Dad's saliva will make them sticky so hopefully they'll cling here and there for the next 24 hours- then they should be freeswimming. Be glad that his make-shift nest lasted an extra day, that was smart thinking. Overall they're stronger today than they were yesterday, and they'll be stronger tomorrow than they are today

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

^Agreed. BB always lets the nests fall apart after the eggs are in there. He's not lost a fry yet. Mind you he's a gourami, not a betta and their eggs float. )
Hugs,
P.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

y'all were right... the fry survived... that is until the dad decided he was pac man and started gobbling them all up

 

[Joby]

A bubblenest isn't always necessary, most of my males are lazy tykes and just let the nest disintegrate after the fry have hatched. you find they stick to the cup, leaf, sides of the tank or whatever.

You sure the male is eating them? I recently watched my male "call" all his fry to him from all over the tank, take them into his mouth and then swim around with them for 5 mins before slowly releasing them 2 at a time. Almost had heart failure thinking he ate them all but nope, he was just being a good daddy and protecting his fry from peeking humans

Good luck, hope there are still some fry in there