Bubble Blowing Betta....but is he really happy?

[Something Fishy]

My betta started blowing bubbles the other day, but he didn't seem to know what he was doing. He was just putting them here and there and then staring at them funny. Today I came home from work and he had a big frothy pile of bubbles in one corner of the bowl. Is this a bubble nest or is there more to it? Does he have more practicing to do? Sounds stupid, but I was pretty proud of him!!

He doesn't seem unhappy, but he's much slower and more lethargic than he was in the bigger filtered tank. He was in there for 3 weeks and didn't blow any bubbles. He has been in the new bowl, about a gallon and a half bowl maybe, for a few days and he made a bubble "thing".

Everyone here says bubbles mean he's healthy and happy, so I guess he must be, but he sure seems less active or something now. He has no current to deal with and doesn't flit around as much so maybe he likes moving slower and less often? Like a cow?

 

[possum]

In the wild you wont find bettas in fast moving water. They wouldnt do very well with those tails! LOL And they also dont swim around alot which is why they are perfectly happy in the small bowls and such they get put in.

 

[LonerVamp]

What happens if you have a betta that likes to swim laps in a 2.5 gal? My red betta loves to just wriggle back and forth near the front of the tank like he's exercising. Oddly, he's never been much of a bubbler either yet, but he otherwise seems quite content and has no odd behavior or eating habits otherwise.

 

[LonerVamp]

By the way, there's not much more to the bubble nest. Sometimes they make the nests more in the open, and eventually they float to the side while being made, due to water tension properties.

The best part of bubble nests is watching the little guys make them. They get good at it, and not only is it cute but also beautiful to see how much loving care they put into making them. You can see them eyeballing the nest, checking it out, deftly turning a bit to take some air, turning back and blowing a few bubbles over and over.

One reason bubble nests are considered indicative of a happy betta, is that they're an instinctual behavior. And if a betta is following his instinctive behavior, that generally means he is in good spirits, has good health, and is otherwise not so stressed out by something else going on that he is distracted from his instinctual urges.

 

[Allivymar]

*nods and agrees with LonerVamp*

Bubble nests are a good sign. Means the fish feels the place he is in would be a good place to breed which says a lot about his health and vitality, as well as how safe he feels. While I don't have a betta (yet! picking one up this weekend *grin*) I do have dwarf gouramis who are also bubble nest breeders. I have one who makes a new nest every week (I keep tearing em down; gouramis use plant material in there and I don't want rotting plant in my tank!). His first bubble nest was a teeny collection of about 40-50 bubbles. Now he makes huge masterpieces; you can see one here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1131&password=&sort=7&thecat=500

 

[Something Fishy]

I just put a single dwarf gourami in my 5 gal tank, and there are real plants in there. So....if he feels happy, he's gonna trash the place? I'd be thrilled if he was content enough to make a nest, but from your pic it looks like he makes a big mess!

Mine could be a female for all I know. Is there any way to tell?

 

[Allivymar]

LOL My guy DOES make a mess...every frickin week LOL I don't mind too much tho; means he's happy n healthy

I'm having a REAL hard time figuring out male from female with dwarf gouramis. Most of the ones you find in lfs are male; they tend to be more colorful. Males also have pointier dorsal fins (your's prob has a point at the end cause I'll just about bet yours is a male). Most lfs don't carry females. Females tend to be less colorful and have blunter fins. That all being said, breeding of dwarf gouramis for so many years have bred females with brighter colors and bigger fins....is why I'm having such a hard time figuring out if gouramis I'm seeing are females LOL Cause I'm trying to find one.

 

[Megalofyia]

I moved my beta from a small 2 gallon tank to a ten gallon tank with half the tank having less water movement than the two gallon. I was really happy to see my beta start to make a bubble nest.