Lazy Male!!

[greeneyed]

Halfmoon betta....
Everything is setup and he is showing off for the girl. She is fat and barred and tube is showing.
He still won't build that stupid nest!

Any ideas?

[alta678]

Use one of those tiny drink straws/coffee stirrer sticks and make it for him?!?

[sablebeauty]

Sometimes males will not build a nest until the female is released into the tank with him and he is actually ready to spawn. They will chase/nip and squabble... and eventually he'll build a nest and he'll stop chasing her away and then they'll spawn. :)

sablebeauty added 0 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...

Oh also, please tell us more about your setup.

[greeneyed]

10g with ~ 5" of water.
Sponge filter in the middle of back.
Fake and real plants in the back left corner.
1/2 Styrofoam cup taper to front right.
She is in the globe of a hurricane lamp.

They have been on a diet of frozen/freeze dried blood worms and frozen BS.

Anything else I need?

Oh, and made a tea of last years oak leaves.

[sablebeauty]

if you have the sponge filter on and the top of the water is moving it could keep him from making a bubble nest. i also like to keep a glass lid on top so it stays pretty humid.

what about a heater to keep the temp stable?

[greeneyed]

Yes, a heater set at 80.
The sponge filter is angled and turned WAY down.
And I have glass tops as well.

[sablebeauty]

I dont turn on the sponge filter until after the fry are free swimming, otherwise it destroys the males bubble nest.

[greeneyed]

Ok, guess I could give it a try. Thanks

[greeneyed]

OK, I give up.
He is ghey. lol
I released her. He hid in the plants...
Any other ideas?

[TxBabyCat]

Just give them a day or so and see how they act with her in the tank with him. Hopefully he will come around. I have had some male bettas that wont make a nest at all. I left a male and female together for 2 weeks cause they werent real aggressive towards each other and he never built a nest. I gave up on those 2. Good luck with them together, maybe it will happen.

[greeneyed]

Yeah, they have been together since the original posting.
No aggression at all.
In fact she has run of tank, and he hides in the plants...

[TxBabyCat]

Hmmm well just give them some more time and see if they cooperate. If not, you may need to get a different male.

[Padronis]

maybe its not a male, but a cross dressing female.
Posted via Mobile Device

[sablebeauty]

maybe its not a male, but a cross dressing female.
Posted via Mobile Device


could be.

do you have pictures of the pair?

[greeneyed]

It's a male.
All that was needed is a little competition.
Bought another male and placed the cup next to the tank....
And original male started motorboatin'.
So hopefully he won't get usurped.

[bra8ndy8]

LOL hope it works out for ya!

[greeneyed]

He's a fag....
Built the nest, but that is it.
She is about to pop. Barred up. And raring to go.
She keeps trying to get him to come to the nest.
He hides in the plants...
She rubs up on him....nada...

[sablebeauty]

You should probably separate them. Eventually she'll get frustrated and if she gets frustrated enough she can kill him because he's not spawning with her, so you might loose the male. I'd swap out the male for another one if you have another one.

[ayla]

I bred bettas a few times and had excellent luck with putting a jug of the tank water in the fridge overnight, then pouring it back in slowly the next day. I picked up the tip from a keeper at the now defunct Ft Worth Zoo aquarium back when I used to do volunteer work. Apparently the slight temp drop simulates melting ice, which in turn puts the bettas in the mood.

[alta678]

Thanks for this great tip! Nice! :D

[TxBabyCat]

Wow, I never heard that one.. interesting.

[ayla]

I bred bettas a few times and had excellent luck with putting a jug of the tank water in the fridge overnight, then pouring it back in slowly the next day. I picked up the tip from a keeper at the now defunct Ft Worth Zoo aquarium back when I used to do volunteer work. Apparently the slight temp drop simulates melting ice, which in turn puts the bettas in the mood.


I don't like to spread misinformation, so I wanted to correct something. It isn't melting ice that the cool water simulates, it's the spring rain. Adding water that is softer than the tank water can also have the same effect.