Do female betta fish make bubble nests?

[Betta-Be-Good]

I got a betta from Petco, labeled as a Baby Girl. I named her Lady Thiang. She's been enjoying a 3 gallon planted tank for a few weeks, along with her tank mate, Leftie the Snail. She's definitely a bit bigger now than the day I brought her home. Her body appears to be about an inch long now, and her fins are starting to flow a little more.

Starting a few days ago, I noticed a small bubble nest in her tank, and as of this morning, it's really grown! My question is two-fold: Do female bettas make bubble nests, OR did I adopt a male who was mislabeled at the store?

Thanks for any info!

 

[Delapool]

One more for the experts. From memory (and this is really long ago) I noticed some bubbles but nothing major. The male built the nest really.

 

[rlederer]

The betta is a male.

 

[Betta-Be-Good]

Delapool, thank you for your reply.

 

[Betta-Be-Good]

The betta is a male.

Just to be clear, the betta I am inquiring about is NOT the one in my profile pic. The one in question is all one color - solid teal blue, with the tiniest white tips on the two front fins.

Do you still feel strongly I have a male baby? Thanks for your reply!

 

[sarahm]

Could you post a picture of the baby Betta? Females can make bubble nests. I have had one of my females make a small bubble nest. I have also bought a Betta labeled “female” that made a bubble nest and ended up being a male.

 

[Betta-Be-Good]

The betta is a male.

Could you post a picture of the baby Betta? Females can make bubble nests. I have had one of my females make a small bubble nest. I have also bought a Betta labeled “female” that made a bubble nest and ended up being a male.

Sarahm, I am hoping this upload works. I have not been able to successfully upload pictures to this website, for some reason. I have an image selected, but I can't guarantee that it will work.

 

[Betta-Be-Good]

Yea! My upload worked! It wasn't obvious where the attachment icon was. Really teeny... Here's another picture of the betta in question...

 

[earhtmother]

Peraonally think it's male but not a betta person

 

[Andy Sager]

One of the best ways to check gender of Betta splendens is to look at the vent of the fish. Sexually mature females will show a white dot at the vent. That is an egg. Males will not have that.
There are times when a female will assist a male in building or repairing a nest but to date, I have not seen a female alone make a nest that she stays under in hopes of a male coming by. That is a male's procedure. From the picture and your description of the fins becoming more flowing, it looks like you had a juvenile male that is coming into maturity. Check the vent to confirm.

 

[sarahm]

Yes, I do believe you have a gorgeous young male.

Young males can have egg spots. I have a baby male with an egg spot.

 

[rlederer]

One clarification. The white spot/bump you see on the ventral side of a mature female betta is not an egg. It is the egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. Eggs come out of that when spawning occurs.

 

[Andy Sager]

One of the best ways to check gender of Betta splendens is to look at the vent of the fish. Sexually mature females will show a white dot at the vent. That is an egg. Males will not have that.
There are times when a female will assist a male in building or repairing a nest but to date, I have not seen a female alone make a nest that she stays under in hopes of a male coming by. That is a male's procedure. From the picture and your description of the fins becoming more flowing, it looks like you had a juvenile male that is coming into maturity. Check the vent to confirm.

Darn computer just types and erases what it wants. The word was supposed to be "egg spot". Sexually mature males will not have one.

Yes, I do believe you have a gorgeous young male.

Young males can have egg spots. I have a baby male with an egg spot. View attachment 304977View attachment 304978

Yes, immature males may have an "egg spot" but once sexually mature, they usually don't.

One clarification. The white spot/bump you see on the ventral side of a mature female betta is not an egg. It is the egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. Eggs come out of that when spawning occurs.

This is correct. Good catch. My stupid computer erased the word "spot" after egg and I didn't catch it before hitting reply. :^s

 

[Angellove78]

Yea! My upload worked! It wasn't obvious where the attachment icon was. Really teeny... Here's another picture of the betta in question...

Looks like a female everything on her is short. I know it's still a baby but males usually will have long tails and fins by this time. Think you got what you wanted. I don't know about females making bubble beds some probably might.

 

[rlederer]

The white dot between the female's anal fins is not an egg, it is an ovipositor, the organ that deposits eggs during spawning.

 

[Betta-Be-Good]

One of the best ways to check gender of Betta splendens is to look at the vent of the fish. Sexually mature females will show a white dot at the vent. That is an egg. Males will not have that.
There are times when a female will assist a male in building or repairing a nest but to date, I have not seen a female alone make a nest that she stays under in hopes of a male coming by. That is a male's procedure. From the picture and your description of the fins becoming more flowing, it looks like you had a juvenile male that is coming into maturity. Check the vent to confirm.

Even with a magnifying glass, I'm having difficulty getting the correct angle to have a good look. Sometimes I think I see a little spot, but then I can't really tell. But man oh man, there is an enormous bubble nest brewing!

 

[sarahm]

You have a male. The fins are too long to be a baby female and his face isn’t thin and pointed like a female’s.

 

[smallfry53]

Might need to come up with a different name than Lady Thiang.... lol

 

[Andy Sager]

Looks like a female everything on her is short. I know it's still a baby but males usually will have long tails and fins by this time. Think you got what you wanted. I don't know about females making bubble beds some probably might.

There is a variety of Bettas called "Plakat" which may not have longer finnage ( and are more like the original fighting fish.) so finnage alone can no longer sex a fish. You can read about the Plakats here Siamese cyberAquarium, Types of plakatthai

Even with a magnifying glass, I'm having difficulty getting the correct angle to have a good look. Sometimes I think I see a little spot, but then I can't really tell. But man oh man, there is an enormous bubble nest brewing!

Just using behavior and nothing else then, the odds go way up that what you have is a male. Without dissection, introducing a known female and you getting fry will confirm this.

 

[Angellove78]

There is a variety of Bettas called "Plakat" which may not have longer finnage ( and are more like the original fighting fish.) so finnage alone can no longer sex a fish. You can read about the Plakats here Siamese cyberAquarium, Types of plakatthai



Just using behavior and nothing else then, the odds go way up that what you have is a male. Without dissection, introducing a known female and you getting fry will confirm this.

Could be that kind. Time will tell.