Hey Ppl,
I'm new to this forum and just wanted some advice plz, Today i have got a new male fighter and 2 females (shop advised)
How do i know when?.....
1) They have matched with each other?
2) When they are mating?
3) How do they mate?
4) Where will the male make the bubble nest and how long do they stay b4 hatching?
Basicly im new to the betta world and would like some more info from some pro's like u guys plz
Cheers H-Fish
Firstly - the shop was wrong. Many people who don't know much about bettas (AKA siamese fighting fish) say they are OK with females because many fish like to pair up and be kept in breeding groups. However, siamese fighters are not one of them! A lot of the time the males and females will end up fighting (and often at night, when you can't see it) and if they don't fight, they'll certainy stress each other out and stressed fish get sick really easily! I've even know amature breeders who think keeping them together is a good idea - until one of the fish ends up dying, that is.
So, you want to seperate them ASAP. If you want to keep the females get at least two more and try them in your community tank. The male will need his own 20+ litre tank (so about 5 gallons) and both the males and females need lots (and lots) of soft plants to hide in. The females especially can get really stressed if their environment isn't right but the boys need lots of TLC too.
1) They have matched with each other?
They won't spawn until both are in excellent condition, the male has built a bubble nest and the female is full of eggs. This is highly unlikely to happen in a community tank and should NOT be encouraged.
If you see them "hugging" (correctly known as "wrapping") under a bubble nest.
The male builds a bubble nest and they embrace, which causes the eggs to get squeezed out of the female.
4) Where will the male make the bubble nest and how long do they stay b4 hatching?
He'll make a bubble nest if he wants to mate, but it will probably be too stressful in a community tank. Either way, he shouldn't be kept with females.
Hay, Thanks for the advice i dont want to breed them just want as much info as poss as im unsure, my tank is a 17 gallon community tank and the LFS said it was a good idea to get 2 females for the male?!?!?!
He is clearly showing off to them but there not that interested...lol can u tell me how long does it take for them to pair up if they like each other and after that when will he start building the nest and will it be ok if there are other fish in the tank, meaning will they distroy it???
I dont want to breed at all at the moment i just want to know alot more about them and its easier for me if i ask u guys who actually know than read up on some stuff thats all different on the net!
Cheers, Look forward to ur replys
They don't form pairs, as such. They certainly don't bond. If there are two fish in good condition then they'll either breed or try to fight. They might even breed and then fight afterwards.
As I said, a good few "old school" fish keepers who don't do much research and just go on "instinct" and "what works" keep males and females together. However, it is not a good idea and doesn't do anything for the fish. It's usually because the fishkeeper in question wants to keep them together (against all better advice) and will continue to do so until one of the fish gets killed. Unfortunately, these ways get passed on to other people and so you can end up getting reckless advice. That's not to say that all older fishkeepers are stupid - far from it! However, just because a shop/friend/family member suggest something doesn't mean you should do it. Just today I had someone at work say "oh, my dad is a real expert, he has loads of tanks" only to find that he keeps goldfish in 3 gallon bowls. EEEK!
Thanks for ur advice i might just do that, the male at the moment is going bk and forth to the same spot at the top of the tank cud he be building a nest? and with toher fish in there will he attack them or will they break the nest up?
If you see bubbles, he's building. However, he could be patroling or trying to defend some terriatory. He could attack the other fish - siamese fighting fish were given their name for a reason.
