Betta Bubble Nest: Why Are They Made & What Do They Mean?

betta fish bubble nest
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Last Updated: November 17, 2023 by Flora Gibbins

Have you ever seen clusters of bubbles on the water’s surface in your betta fish tank?

These are called bubble nests and they are a completely natural behavior of a betta fish – in fact, bubble nests are a good sign that your fish is both healthy and happy.

Male betta fish, Betta splendens, or Siamese Fighting Fish have a reputation for being aggressive and prone to fighting. In reality, they prefer to make love, not war.

When you see a betta bubble nest, it’s a clear sign your male betta has love, or at a minimum, raising baby bettas on his mind.

While you may not think much about disruptions to betta fish bubble nest building, it can cause serious psychological damage if male bettas can’t build them in peace.

Betta Bubble Nests - JapaneseFightingFish.org

Overview 

Male betta fish, are moody, evocative creatures. They will just as easily shimmy to your favorite music or lay around on their couch begging for food.

Once you recognize their behaviors are well thought out, you may be puzzled about the answer to the question “why are there bubbles in my betta fish tank?”

Betta Fish Bubble Nests - JapaneseFightingFish.org

Regardless of whether they are bachelors or not, male betta fish will begin building bubble nests once they reach reproductive maturity.

At this point, you may need to pay a bit of extra attention to the filter output and upper water surface conditions.

Why Male Bettas Make Bubble Nests

Many people ask “Why do bettas make bubbles?”It is all to do with the breeding process. In the wild, male bettas cluster small bubbles on the water surface, or underneath floating debris and leaves to build their nests.

The male betta will guard its nest and will wait for (or find) a female to spawn with. Soon after spawning the female betta fish releases eggs. It is the male betta fish’s job to swiftly capture the eggs in its mouth and place the eggs securely into the bubble nest.

Betta Fish Blowing Bubbles

In the wild, male bettas cluster small bubbles on the water surface, or underneath floating debris and leaves to build their nests.

Initially, betta fish bubble activity signals that a young male betta is fertile and ready to take on the role of parenting.

This will draw a fertile female betta fish that is also ready to spawn.

During the spawning process, a male betta will wrap himself around the female and squeeze until the eggs are released. 

Usually, this causes lethal internal damage to the female betta fish. 

At that point, it is up to the male to take care of the fertilized eggs and ensure they hatch.

To achieve this goal, the male will pick up the fertilized eggs and place each one into its own betta fish bubble.

Over the next few days, the male will continue to maintain the betta fish bubble nest until the fry emerges from the eggs.

At that point, the male will have completed his parental obligations to the fry. Depending on the species variation and other conditions, the male may eat some or all of the fry.

Why Are The Eggs Kept In A Bubble Nest?

Out there in the open, betta fish habitats are often quite dirty, shallow, puddles without much oxygen. Securing eggs inside bubbles means that they are kept moist and are surrounded by oxygen-rich air – and this is why betta fish build bubble nests.

Aside from releasing the eggs, the female betta fish do not play any role in raising or protecting the young. It is the male’s job to fight off any potential threats and to guard the nest (and especially the eggs). If any eggs fall from the nest they pick them up and secure them back into place. The eggs will hatch after a few days, but the fry continues to stay under the bubble nest’s protection until they can survive on their own.

Water Changes And Bubble Nest Building

Regardless of whether or not a female is in the tank, male bettas take bubble nest building very seriously. 

Any disruption to the bubbles in the betta tank or the water surface can cause male bettas to get very upset. 

Depending on the fish’s overall temperament, this can manifest as depression or aggression. 

Never underestimate what these fish know about you and what you do to their water. 

Some may sit on their couch and refuse to eat food you put in the fish tank. Yet, they will take food from someone that didn’t disrupt their water.

Others will become aggressive and flare their gills at you. 

Over the years, I have been, more than once, amazed at the acuity of what they can see and hear from outside the boundaries of their tanks!

This is just one of many reasons why I recommend keeping water changes to a minimum, especially when you are dealing with male bettas. 

Moreover, frequent or large water changes can further stress your Betta, which would hinder the ongoing nest building.

Remember, these are intelligent creatures with deep emotional sentiments. 

They can and will find numerous ways to let you know how they feel about interruptions to their bubble-based romantic inclinations.

Floating Plants And The Betta Fish Bubble Nest

Aside from not disrupting the water with changes, there are some things you can do to help bettas feel better about their nest building.

This will lead to a much happier betta that will give you a bit more attention during the day.

 I recommend using floating plants so that the betta has something to anchor his bubble nest onto. 

Similarly, experts like Shir Weiss (Recently reviewed Best Aluminum Dog Crates) also highlight the importance of the right environment for pet wellbeing.

As you can see in this video, bubble nest building isn’t especially complicated, however, the nests are still quite fragile.

Once he’s assembled enough bubbles for the day, he will be more than happy to swim about and take up other occupations. 

Overall bettas are fairly easy to train when it comes to swimming through hoops, dancing to music, or batting small objects around. 

When bettas are less frantic about maintaining their nest, they also tend to be healthier, happier, and more colorful.

How Often Do Betta Fish Build Nests?

Well, you have learned the reason why betta fish build bubble nests is that it forms part of the breeding process. However, bubble nest building comes instinctively to the male betta fish even without the presence of a female.

Betta Twitter

Almost all males will blow bubble nests from time to time, with no other reason than it having a natural urge to do so. If you do see a nest in the tank it is a very good sign that your betta fish is happy and healthy. However, there isn’t a ‘normal’ time frame or a ‘normal’ size for a betta bubble nest. Each individual betta fish has a different pattern.

Sometimes a betta fish will build bubble nests weekly or monthly (or daily) and sometimes these nests will be nothing but a few bubbles whereas other times they may be up to an inch thick and span a full corner. Don’t worry too much if your fish doesn’t build bubble nests, it doesn’t have to mean your betta fish is lonely or unhealthy. There are many factors at hand, health, water parameters, age and the individual fish at hand.

Why-does-my-Betta-not-make-Bubble-Nests

Betta Tip: A reason your betta fish may not blow a bubble nest is that the filter of your tank is causing too strong a current at the top of the tank

A Comparison Of Filter Types For Mature Male Bettas

Bubble-Up Filters

As long as you don’t put an airstone in the filter that generates smaller bubbles, this type of filter can work in a betta tank. 

When combined with adequate plant cover at the surface of the fish tank, these filters offer good filtration without excess disruption to betta bubble nests.

Hobs And Canister Filters

Even though these filters don’t produce bubbles, they can still produce water currents that break up bubble nests.

If you can diffuse the output without generating bubbles, these filters may work well enough in a male betta’s tank.

Sponge Filter

If you want to keep your male betta from going flat-out insane, never put a sponge filter in the fish tank. 

Understanding why betta fish make bubbles can help you see why this filter type may be a problem. 

These filters tend to make bubbles that are about the same size as what a male makes to form a nest. Male bettas will interpret the filter as another male betta. 

They can easily become aggressive and attack the filter, or extremely depressed. Some may try to compete by trying to build bigger nests. 

Once the male realizes he can’t keep up with the filter, it will be an emotional downward spiral.

Small World Cartridge Bubble Filters

Since I normally keep male bettas in small tanks, I tend to like filters with a small footprint. In this case, I always recommend the Penn-Plax Small World Aquarium Filters

These cartridges have good quality foam in them as well as plenty of activated carbon and zeolites. 

If you are very careful, you can also cut the cartridge open and refill it with other media as opposed to buying new cartridges. 

You can easily control the output from these filters by placing a valve on the incoming airflow line. 

As with bubble-up filters, this one also makes bigger bubbles that pose little or no threat to a male betta’s ego.

He will get curious and may poke at the bubbles. Eventually, though, he is more likely to nap on top of the filter casing, or on the suction cups behind it.

Betta Tip: A reason your betta fish may not blow a bubble nest is that the filter of your tank is causing too strong a current at the top of the tank

How To Encourage Bubble Nest Building

A few factors that will create the best environment to promote your betta fish to build a bubble nest:

  • Ensure your filter is set to a gentle flow – especially if it causes a current at the water’s surface
  • Floating ‘debris’ – such as Amazon sword plant leaves or even the lids of plastic cups will often end up with a bubble nest underneath
  • A very warm temperature – ensure your tank is heated to 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Clean water – betta fish in need of a water change will often lose interest in building bubble nests
  • The presence of a female (or a strange male) betta fish will also increase the urge for a betta to build a nest

Impressive-Betta-Fish-Bubble-Nest

In the end, betta bubble nests are interesting to observe, a good sign of health and happiness but not necessary unless you are breeding.

What To Do If Your Male Betta Is Not Making Bubble Nest

When males bettas stop making bubble nests, it isn’t a good sign. Here are the steps you should take to find out what’s wrong and fix it.

Assess The Water Quality

Make sure the water temperature is between 72 and 76 degrees F. General water hardness should be from soft to mid-level, and pH between 6.5 and 7.5. 

You should also check for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia.

If any of these water parameters are outside the optimal ranges, make the necessary adjustments. 

Usually, male bettas will resume nest-building within 1 – 2 days if it is a water chemistry problem.

Look For Signs Of Illness Or Injury

This includes clamped fins as well as signs of fungal or bacterial infection.

If you see bruises, white tufts, or clamped fins, an antibiotic may be of some help. Unless you can identify the actual disease, use a broad range antibiotics such as Erythromycin or Furan – 2. 

Depending on the severity of the disease, it may be as much as a week or two before the betta starts nest-building again. 

As long as he’s eating and hasn’t stopped for 3 days, there is a chance he will make a full recovery.

Observe Water Flow And Disruptions At The Surface Level 

If you see currents strong enough to break bubbles, it is probably too much for the bubble nest. Add leaves or other objects to the water surface.

Once the betta knows there is an adequate cover, he will start building a new bubble nest almost immediately. 

Consider The Age Of The Betta 

If none of what I’ve mentioned above works, consider the betta’s age. Their normal lifespan is about 2 years. 

Since males are already a year old when you buy them, old age may be a factor. 

While I’ve had male bettas making vigorous nests well into their third year of life, others can stop in as little as 8 months. 

If old age is a factor, all you can do is enjoy what time you have left with your aquatic pet. Usually, male bettas will pass on within a few weeks to months after they stop building bubble nests.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do female bettas make bubble nests?

No. a female betta fish does not make bubble nests. This is only something that males do to tend fertilized eggs.

2. Will my male betta get depressed if I never add a female to his tank?

Over the years, people have asked “Why do betta fish make bubbles, even if there is no chance of them reproducing?

Male fish spend a lot of time preparing for a female to come along. They never lose hope even if they live in tiny tanks.

3. Why are the eggs kept in a bubble nest?

In the wild betta fish often live in dirty, shallow puddles without much oxygen. 

Securing eggs inside bubbles keeps them moist and surrounded by oxygen-rich air.

Perhaps it can be said evolutionary usefulness is the most important answer to the question “Why do bettas make bubbles?”

4. How long does it take a male to make a bubble nest?

Males can make a fairly good-sized nest in just a few hours.  Depending on the time of year, however, he may spend several days adding to a single location.

5. How often do bettas make bubble nests?

Once males reach reproductive maturity, they will make bubble nests all year round. The only difference is the nest itself will be bigger or smaller depending on seasonal changes.

Conclusion  

In the wild, male bettas are nurturing creatures that spend much of their lives taking care of baby bettas. 

While we think of male bettas as aggressive creatures, these fish blowing bubbles at top of the tank point to a very different betta bubble nest meaning than we projected onto them.

If you see a male betta building a nest, he’s doing so as part of what is normal, healthy, and enjoyable for his species.

 Hope this article helps! Did you find it interesting? So will your friends, hit share, and let them know this information about bubble nests. 🙂

Why do Betta Fish Build Bubble Nests - JapaneseFightingFish.org

All the images on this post were submitted by the followers of our Twitter account!

Thank you to @hprincessw @Ingridvpty @_KaylaJoy_ @KatieBeltrame and sorry if you submitted a pic and it wasn’t used! Maybe next time! 🙂

245 thoughts on “Betta Bubble Nest: Why Are They Made & What Do They Mean?”

  1. I think it’s kind of cool that they make these little nests. Do you think that the betta fish does this while it eats though? I swear my betta fish do this while they are feeding.. but maybe they are just stirring up bubbles sort of say. What do you think?

    1. I only have 3 large siamese fighters black,red and yellow and only two have create nests but I have a problem breeding them as time passes I have 28 siamese fighters in all

  2. My betta had built up a great bubble nest over the last three weeks. It took up a quarter of the tank! But yesterday morning I came in and it was completely gone! Is there something wrong with my betta?

  3. I had just got my betta 3days ago. Everything was fine. Then this morning i realized that my fish had bubbles at the top of the tank? Im prettt sure its a male. Is this normal? What should i do or should i do nothing?

    1. Completely normal. It is a good sign that your male betta fish is happy and healthy! So it is good news.

      Loads of information literally on this page – look no further!! haha 😉

  4. So I have 2 females and a male all swimming in my tank, they seem to get along fine. I’ve had them for about 3montbs and there is no damage to them! I’ve noticed one of them getting fatter (pouch on underside) which has seemed to reduced this morning and there is a bubble nest. I was wondering if eggs have been laid? I thought he’d build a bubble nest long before they are laid?! If there are eggs what do I do now?? How do i care for them? Separate the f/m fish? How do I clean the tank? How long until I can notice the fry? Can I sell them? At what age?
    Cheers!

  5. My male and female mated last night and he put all the eggs into his nest. However this morning all the bubbles had popped and the eggs where on the floor. He was tending to it all night so I’m not sire how this happened. He was so proud of himself.
    There isnt a current amd the filter is off…..why would this of happened? He keeps trying to put his fry back up and the bubbles eventually pop again. Will we end up with babies or not? Do they need to be on the surface at all times to survive?

    1. Hi, The eggs can hatch without being in the bubble nest. But sometimes the male will eat the eggs or they wont be cared for as much.

      Sorry its been a few days since you wrote your comment and me answering, can you confirm if you saw any betta fish fry / babies?

      Hope so 🙂

  6. I have a male paradise gourami and he was recently added to a bowl on his own. Which he loves as he’s started making a bubble nest!It’s nothing major but I was just wondering what happens if I don’t get a female? Will he keep building it or will it affect him in any way?

    1. Nope nothing will happen! Its just a natural behavior betta fish have! They love blowing bubble nests. It’s a great sign that you betta fish is happy and healthy!! Thanks Niamh 🙂

  7. I got a male betta fish 2 months ago and I was wondering if he’s making all those bubbles that I should buy a female one so they could mate what do you think? The bowl is only 1 gallon though.

      1. Yes, when you get a female, introduce her slowly to him, wether with a tank divider or a clear glass. If they are compatible they will flirt, he will dance with her and try to impress her by pushing forward his front gills (which with another male is a sign of aggression), he will build a bubble nest and if she is dark in colour on her body, you will see clearly vertical stripes, but barely visible for white females. When first introducing them together keep an eye on there behaviour, if its overly aggressive take a step back again and separate them where they can still see each other. Before mating its very slightly aggressive, before he wraps her up.. If they are swiftly darting around a lot then that’s too aggressive. Take your time, and not all are compatible. You will see the front of her will be swollen and her egg dot protrudes more then usual, then she is ready

  8. Betta fish related:
    what will happen if the bubble nest breaks after the eggs have been laid. will the egg fall off and die? and if breaks after the eggs have hatched ??

    1. The eggs may or may not die, they do not need to be in the bubble nest to hatch. Some breeders take the eggs away to hatch on their own, in a seperate tank. It may stress the male out though if he is constantly trying to look after the eggs in a bubble nest and they keep falling to the floor.

  9. I actually named my fish bubbles cause thats all he’s done sine I got him about a week ago! I was curious why now I know he’s happy and healthy 🙂 yay

  10. Hi I need your advice. I recently got a male betta ( B-Red) and I thought he needed a neighbor, so I got Blue (in a separate tank). Now B-Red acts all agitated. No longer coming to stare at me when I approach, and not eating like he did before. In stead he backs up slowly, hides, or swims around crazily, and eats after I move away. Now The tanks are separated 4 inches apart with stuff in between so they are not really seeing each other, as I thought he did not like that I got another fish. But he is still acting shady. Can you explain why he is no longer friendly, hides, or acts agitated. Meanwhile, Blue is chillin, like he used to at first. They are both in 1Gal tanks. Please advise.

    1. Sounds like he got stressed when he could see the other male and felt threatened. Sometimes betta fish can be stressed / take a litle time chilled out before coming back to their normal selves. Hope he gets well soon!

  11. Hi there !
    We have a very pretty blue male Betts named Carlos . He is in a 2 gallon tank by himself . His bubble nest is almost the entire surface ! Do bubble nests ever mean they are sick ? Just wondering because his nests have never been so large .

  12. My Male betta fish made bubble nest . I kept two male betta fishes using a divider. The bubble nest kept on increasing for two days. I then did put a female betta there in the tank. But the male started attacking it frequently. I then removed the female and put it in the other tank(Replacing the other male to another tank) so that male can see it. IS there any chance that Male will prepare the nest again and they breed?

    1. Yes they will probably get ready to mate again. First give them sometime to get used to seeing each other. And maybe the female wasn’t fertile. make sure she has stripes.

    1. Well most don’t, the male betta fish pick up the eggs in their mouths and take them to the bubble nest. Sometimes they keep them in their mouths for a little while so it looks like they have eaten the eggs. Every now and them the male betta fish may get confused and eat some eggs but this is rare and there is no real reason for it.

  13. Phew that’s a relief, I though bluey was sick. But will he pine to mate? He’s in a little square tank all alone. I hope he’s happy.

  14. we keep removing are bubbles but are fish keeps making more he has been doing it ever since February 23 2013. so last week we got a female and the female we moved to a different tank from the males after they had a baby but the male is not looking after it.

  15. Hi, we just got our 3 year old daughter her first fish.. a male betta. We have had him since Sunday and I just noticed he created a bubble nest. I know this is completely normal, but my question is.. do I leave it or clean it out? Also, is it common for them to stay by the nest?

    He’s the only one we have and we won’t be mating.

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Jennifer, thanks for leaving a comment and sorry for late reply – I have been away a little while.

      Perfectly normal, I would leave it, it is also a kind of territory mark for him, he wont like it if you break it (though its not the end of the world if you do). And yeah, they quite often stay by the nest, your comment and questions sound completely normal behavior for betta fish and bubble nests.

  16. Ok my male betta fish layed bubble nest and I want to get a girl can I do that get a femal and but it with the male

    1. You can get a female but only put it with the male when breeding. Sometimes the male kills the female or the other way around.

  17. Hi, I’ve had my betta for two months now and he’s been making bubble nests ever since I got him. Every time I clean out the tank, his nests get bigger. I was wondering if I should just leave him as he is, but would it make him happier if I mated him? And do they go through the while egg thing only once in their lives? How long does it take for the whole thing to happen ( mate, lay eggs, eggs hatching, frys being able to swim theirselves, and seperating the female and male frys)?

    1. I wouldn’t recommend mating your betta fish unless you know what you are doing. He is happy enough making nests and protecting them. Mating betta fish can often end up in injuries if not done properly.

      If you still want to find out more on betta fish breeding there are some good videos on Youtube.

  18. Had my betta for a year and wow his amazing. I clean his water every week and he overnight builds a nest and stays until the next cleaning. Current nest is biggest I’ve seen, stretches along the side and back of 15-20L tank all the way around!! Crazy fish he is :)))

  19. Why my fry are nearly all dead after just one night, even when they are more than 01 month old ? When they hatched, I guessed there must have been a thousand of baby bettas. Then after 01 month only less than 01 hundred could survive, and then after 01 night they were all gone. Can you tell what happened to my baby bettas ?

  20. Pingback: more than all the fish in the sea. - leaner by the lake

  21. I got a male and female in the same tank. how do I tell if there are eggs in the bubble nest? when do I take the female out with out stressing out the male. the last time I thought there were eggs I took her out right away and he ripped his nest apart???

    1. Dont do anything. bubbles in your betta fish tank is ok! Its a good sign to see a bubble nest, it means your betta fish is healthy. Your on the right page to find out more information, have a read above 😉

  22. No 🙁 bubblenests don’t mean they’re happy! It’s instictual! Even a betta in a dirty cup will bubblenests. That doesn’t mean he’s happy OR healthy 🙁

    1. Hi Ashley, Thanks for joining the betta conversation! 🙂

      Bubble nests are definitely a naturally occurring instinct of a betta fish. However, this behavior is generally a good sign of health and happiness. Its not a 100% guarantee that the betta fish is healthy and happy but it is a very good sign. 🙂

      1. Betta naturally live in the muddy waters of Thailand, so having a dirty cup does not mean he is unhealthy. It is better to have clean water (of course) but a Betta can live for weeks in murky water. I have bred and enjoyed Betta fish for over 15 years and they are still content in water that is somewhat cloudy. I do not keep them in cloudy water often. I try to clean it at least once every 2 weeks. They are however still fine.

        1. Hey, you say you’ve been breeding for 15 years, I’ve been attempting to get started over the past 4 months and every time I get my fighters together after letting him build up his nest and having introduced them for a few weeks I let the female in with the male and they do the dirty deed but they end up breaking the nest and not getting anything done, I’ve attempted this with multiple females with multiple males, can you tell me what I as the keep am doing wrong?

  23. My Crowntail Betta blows bubble nests often, but they are never as big as the ones from the pictures. That’s okay, right? I just want to make sure..

    Also, a little thing I find amusing, there are parts of a plastic plant I bought him when I first got him, that stick out of the water, and he has a habit of making bubbles all around where the plant sticks out!

    1. Ecerything sounds fine! Yeah if there are plants on the surface of the water that is where the betta fish will tend to create and build its bubble nest! sounds like you are having fun with your betta! 🙂 Thanks for all the comments Gabrielle, I have noticed them across the site.

  24. My female Betta has been making bubble nests lately. Is this unusual behavior for a female? She seems very happy and always greets me with a gill display when I talk to her.

  25. My male crowntail betta blows bubbles, but they pop after a few seconds! Does this mean he is trying to make a bubble nest?

  26. I tried to breed my male and female betta,but the female swam at the top of the tank and destroyed my males bubble nest. I dont know what to do? Help!!!

  27. Hello,
    I have a question regarding the breeding of betta fish.
    Once the female betta gets squeezed and starts releasing eggs, does she have to finish releasing all 70+of them before being taken out? Or can she be taken out after releasing like 5?

    Please let me know!

    -Mikayla

  28. Hi I hope you can help!

    My male betta is not making bubbles but showing interest by flaring at the female which is in a bowl inside the breeding tank. How long does it usually take for him to make these bubble nest? The female looks to be ready and is already fat with vertical stripes…I’m only planning to release her with the male when he has already made the bubble nest…I’m afraid if he takes too long and i dont release her she will lose her moment…is that possible? What should i do?

    Great website btw!!!

    1. Thanks for your comments about the website! 🙂

      If the water is flowing strongly that can put a betta fish off. You could also try floating plants which will act as a nest area.

  29. i have no idea what my betta fish are doing my female is at the bottom and if she comes up the male races around her and she goes back down. This has been happening for two days and i am worried the female will drown and i don’t think she layed her eggs yet.Plus i give them food but the female won’t eat

  30. My betta managed to make a bubble nest within the first day of me purchasing him. I cleaned his tank 6 days after and he was in the process of making a new one.
    Since then he has made a new bubble nest every 2 days and is trying to connect them daily. Is that normal?

  31. I noticed yesterday that my beta tank has big bubbles scattered around the surface. Not anything like a bubble nest. Never saw him do this before. I gave him blood worms for the first time a couple days ago, he doesn’t seem interested, but ya….any ideas?

  32. I got a live plant to put in with a betta and didn’t get all of the fibrous cotton like stuff that’s around the roots off before I put the betta in well he is blowing his nest with little pieces of that stuff in it which he defends like they are eggs. I wanted to share that. Around here it’s just strange that a male will clean.

  33. I just got my betta fish today. Its a male named Detective Buebbles but we call him Buebbles for short (Yes it is spelled right). Anyways he keeps like blowing bubbles around his tank. I hope he is fine and I really like him.

    P.S Say Hiii

  34. My betta has been unwell for about a week now, he’s my first one but had him for almost a year, we have a wonderful relationship. He has a swollen belly and has appeared to experience swim bladder. A few days ago he was losing balance and tipping all the way over and seemed almost disorientated. I’ve had him in a hospital tank, and thought he may be constipated( this is what I’m truly wishing for and not anything more sinister) he has Definately improved over the last 3 days and is now making bubbles again along the top, however his tummy is still swollen but physical appearance is perfect. Good colour, fins and eyes. He as slowly become more active. I have cut his food to less then half for 3 days. He still seems uninterested. I have also added daily treatments of antibacterial therapy to the water as the fish shop thought it could be an ulcer or tumour

  35. Hi, I have a male and a female crown tail beta in the same tank and there was a divider but we took it out and now they are sitting on the bottom of the tank almost looks like they are snuggling. I was wondering what that means, what they are doing, and if something is wrong.

    Thanks

  36. I have two beta fish. Male and female. I have a divider and the two are in the same tank. I have a crucial bubble next but I am afraid that if I let them together he will kill her but I want babies. What to do?

    1. Breeding betta fish can lead to injuries and fights. I would only do this if you have experience. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that take you through the steps, however I wouldn’t recommend it. I hear too many stories where the male has seriously injured the female.

    2. hi, does your female have eggs? you can tell if her belly is big and she has a white dot on the bottom of her belly. just put her with the male, you have to try, the male will be aggressive with her at first, but if it gets too bad then remove her. my male was aggressive with my female, she just ran away and hid, but they finally mated, they latched to each other over and over and it went for over an hour, but she was ready, her belly was full, and she released her eggs. they BOTH put the eggs in the nest, she had hundreds of eggs, but unfortunately, the nest didn’t hold them and they are all lying at the bottom of the tank, I’m sad because I don’t know if they’ll hatch. so you just have to put her with him and watch closely.

  37. Hi. My betta is making a bubble nest and taking the air out from the air and putting it in his bubble nest. Is that normal? (His name is Basweiler) I might have already sent this. I’m not sure…

  38. I have 2 bettas 1 female and 1 male I put them both together and both flared their gills but did not make any threating moves. I seperated both of them and the male calm down in a few minutes but I had to take the female out and put her in another tank before she would calm down. since they did not make any threating moves towards each other do you think they would have gotten along with each other after awhile or would it have stressed them to death?

  39. Pingback: Should my betta be making a bubble nest? | Parenting Answers

  40. Hi I have had my male betta fish Murphy sometime last year and I have had female betta fish Murph for couple months and their in the same tank that they were in when we got them and we do change the water with betta fish water and I know their HAPPY and HEALTHY!!! But Murphy just started making a nest. But how is it possible because they are in different tanks! So I don’t know if Murph is breeding because she has no strips and so can you give me an answer very very very very very SOON PLEASE!!!

  41. bettafishhhhh

    My male betta fiah keeps making bubbles after I clean his tank. I know this means he’s happy ( horny ) and I was thinking I should buy a female betta fish any tips on how to buy a female fish thats ready to mate ?
    Also should I breed them in 1 gallon tank or should I get a bigger one and exactly how big. I’ve done alot of research and can’t wait to make him happy with a female betta!

  42. Hi . my betta male makes bubble nest yesterday but then I transfered him to a bigger tank to prepare him for breeding . then he seems sick when I transfered him . I waited till he recovers then I introduce a female betta beside his tank. He sees it and flares to the female and the female swums crazily upward and downwards . but the problem is the male seems tired of making bubble nest which is essential in breeding . what should I do ?

  43. NEW BETTA OWNER

    (Im sorry i know this has NOTHING to do with this post but…) i just came in from a day of swimming and checked on my Betta (Vail) up by his Bubble nest like always i looked at him AND HE FLARED AT ME he stopped like he noticed it was just me and went on with his swimming i’ve had him for 3 days now he hasnt done this his nest it pretty large so i know he’s healthy and happy please tell me is this normal???? Please get back to me when you can Thanks~

  44. I’m so excited because, I got my Beta fish about 3 or 4 days ago and he made his first bubble nest today 😀

  45. Hi. I got a male betta about a week ago and a day later he started building fa bubble nest, so I decided to go get him a female. I put them together but separated through a transparent plastic. They started flaring at each other and the male started showing a lot more interest In building the bubble nest and the female had vertical stripes (signs of eggs). But before I could clean the tank out, the nest was built around the edges about half an inch the next day. I was wondering if its okay to clean out the tank so it can be clean for breeding?

  46. Dear Betta parents, how do I know when the male is already coaxing the female? When & jow long do I leave the male & female from the tank? I don’t know if the have been coaxed or not. Please help. Thank you.

    1. Well you should know when is coaxing her when you see him flaring his fins and chasing her around the tank.
      – hope this helps

  47. what if you have a bubble nest but your fish isnt a male and its obviously a female because it has the pregnant looking abdomen and the white dot?? im super confused! help

  48. please help have male beta who made nest and has eggs in nest and now that the female is no longer in the tank he is has let all the eggs sink to the bottom and is not fixing them what can I di to try and save the eggs

  49. Hi, I have read this article over and over again it is always saying how males make bubble nests when a female is present, or when theyre happy but I recently bought two betas and they both were supposed to be male, at first they were separated by bowls but now theyre only divided by a small glass. What’s surprising is that one of them has made a pretty big bubble nest. And the other has made some bubbles as well, what does this mean??. Should I get a female?? They’re both supposed to be males.

  50. I got my betta fish yesterday evening, and he has already made a bubble nest!!!!!! Part of it has already started to pop though……. I just wanted to know if that was okay

  51. I got a betta one month a go it has developed a fat belly and it is kept with gold fishes should I keep it different from them?

  52. Hey there ! I just got a female betta and I was wondering if it was a good idea to leave the two different tanks together or not? I want to breed the pair too.

  53. Hi i think my male veil tale betta thinks im a female betta fish because every time i get close to the tank he will swim up to me and press out his gill flaps like he is showing off also thanks for the bubble nest info it was very helpful 🙂

  54. Hi, I got my betta about a week ago and he has eaten like a little piggy every day. This morning when I fed him he didn’t eat. He just sat in a corner. I figured maybe he wasn’t hungry so I went to work. When I got home he still had not eaten but he had blown a bubble nest. I’m very happy that he will make his bubble nest but should I be worried about him not eating?

    Professor Bubblesworth is in a 2.5 gallon tank by himself. I hope he is happy 🙁

  55. I am thinking about getting a betta and putting it with other fish should I take any precations, such as feeding and what if he makes a bubble nest should I be worried

  56. Hi, I have a male betta who occasionally makes bubble nests I didn’t now what they were until now he is fed a little more then he is supposed to 9(only one pellet more) with an occasional treat of blood worms does his diet effect his bubble nests? also does the male betta raise the young?

  57. hi..
    i just got my first male betta (i call him Alpha ^-^ ) two days back and he was making bubble nests the very next day.. i first thought it was vomit and that he was sick, thankfully now i know that its normal n im really glad that he is happy n healthy <3 … its just that he keeps building these nest n protects them really well.. he is not so agressive though … stays still a lot and moves away when i touch the glass.. i feed him daily ( should i increase it to twice a day or something?) … and he seems awfully lonely .. should i get him a female friend? i really want alpha to be happy, he is really majestic n beautiful.. pls give some advice ..

  58. I have had my betta couple for a year now. Christmas eve they had their dance ( he swirled & swirled round & round her ). The female looks like she is gonna explode any minute now & he hasn’t built a bubble nest for her yet ??(January 13th) ?? Should i be concerned & if so what should I be doing for them??

  59. Nicolas Rodriguez

    Hi everyone!!!

    I got my first Betta, he is a dark blueish color. I put him on a 10 gallon tank. But I was wondering if I could purchase other fish and put them with him? the tank looks so huge compared to him.

    Hope any of you can help.

    Thank you.

    1. I’ve never had more than one betta or fish however I do enjoy looking things up. And if you have enough decoration and plants I’ve seen that people can even manage to fit 5 guppies in with a betta in a 10 gallon. It just takes time and patients. They say you should introduce the non aggressive fish to the tank first so they can find all the hiding spots and then use a breeder box to introduce your betta to them. Hope I helped! I’m thinking of introducing my betta to some guppies when I get a 20 gallon tank

  60. Question. I bought 2 female bettas and I put one in a container beside the male I already had. I separate them with a piece of paper so they can’t see each other but when i remove it the male flares at her like he’s supposed to but the ‘female’ is like 3 times as aggressive as he is….even slamming ‘herself’ into the side of the container to attack him. I checked for the typical female betta signs…’she’ has a biggish stomach and short fins but ‘she’ doesn’t have the little white dot thing that the other females have. And on top of that ‘she’ blows more bubbles than the male does. Is it possible that ‘she’ is a ‘he’, or some kind of transgender betta or something crazy like that?

  61. Hi! I got my betta 2 weeks ago tomorrow and he seems very happy. He’s got two tiny bubble nest in 2 corners of the aquarium and a huge one in opposite corner of the current. the thing is, i’ve observed in the first few minutes that the current was a bit too much for the little guy and i’ve tried to improvise a way to fix that, so basically i tied cut off finger of a surgical glove on to that pipe where the water comes out of and put a tiny hole in it.
    My fierce male seems to think that my cheeky improvisation is a female…i’ve observed him trying to mate with it for a few days now (multiple times a day he’s a total wanker)
    My question is is that slimy thing i’ve been observing in this last few days sperm? i know it probably sounds stupid to you but it looks disgusting! btw i changed the water 5 days ago so i guess it’s not poo.
    I’m bot even sure he’s mating to be honest… it’s like he’s hugging the glove…should i change the water more frequently or is it normal for the slimy stuff to be there?

  62. my male is making lots of bubbles but not areal nest at the bottom of his bowl there are little egg like things..not food because i feed him the little pellets and only one at a time so I know that he eats them..can a male lay eggs?what can these things be? not poop because that’s stringy….

  63. I just got my beta fish three days ago it has already started a nest .I know what it means I just want to know if I should buy a female for him to mate. Also if I do what’s the best way to introduce them.

    Help me out here please someone .

  64. I got a new fish yesterday and found him bubbling… At first I was worried as he wasn’t interested in swimming around but stayed behind the plastic plant. But when I had a closer look I found all those little bubbles along the side. So this is a good thing, right? How likely is this to happen the day after you introduced him into his new home? I’m a bit over cautious as my first betta died 3 days after I got him…

  65. Hi All,
    I’m new to being a fish Mommy. I found a beautiful Half Moon Betta (Zuko cause he’s a pretty boy). Which for the first two weeks I had in a large bowl/vase along with a very small pluko and a live plant. The pluko died after only a week and the live plant couldn’t survive the tank changes which were happening every few days due to that messy pluko (I also had to put a mini submersable heater in there which added to the mess) at which point I got a 5.5 gallon tank with a filter and light, added a bunch of fake plants, took out the heater and did a LOT of reading. At first he was hiding out in one corner of the tank and I realized the filter was blowing him all over the place. I did the water bottle fix to the filter and he loves it now. Zuko’s been in his new Aquarium all by himself now for about 5 days and I noticed a huge (about the size of a softball) bubblenest at the top of the tank this morning. He’s also been flirting and playing with me when I sit down at my table (the tank is on my kitchen Island right next to my table so we are eye level then) When I turn all the lights out at night and turn on his tank light he starts to really play and enjoy his tank. And today he was playing with me over breakfast. I love this little guy. So glad to hear it’s a good indication that he’s healthy and happy. Thank you for all you posters out there. I find all the information on the internet so valuable when trying to learn.

  66. Very good article on Bubble nests. Well, this confirms it, my male Betta Fish is happy, healthy, loves the water condition and the live plants in his 10 gallon home… he is already blowing bubble nests, and its only been 5 days since I brought him home, and 4 days since I introduced him to his new home.

    1. You just have to be careful. It is much better for your fish to have clean water than their bubble nest intact. You could try catching it all on a Tupperware lid and then placing it back in or just being extra careful.

  67. Hi!
    My betts is making bubble nest and I am glad! I observed the bubble best kept shifting positions over few days, and today it’s foaming up above water! Like dish soap bubble! Is it normal? Thanks!

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