Spawning was a bust. Need advice pls,

[QuietBloom]

My betta pair failed to spawn. At first the male built a bubble nest, and danced for her, and she got swollen with eggs. But this morning he was biting his tail, and no bubble nest (she was in a breeding container inside the tank). So I guess I will try again?

My question is, should I leave the male in the spawning tank, or put him back in his regular tank? I'm thinking the stress of getting moved to the spawning tank might have thrown him off, but I don't know if he will get too territorial if I leave him in it indefinitely. Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Andy Sager]

My betta pair failed to spawn. At first the male built a bubble nest, and danced for her, and she got swollen with eggs. But this morning he was biting his tail, and no bubble nest (she was in a breeding container inside the tank). So I guess I will try again?

My question is, should I leave the male in the spawning tank, or put him back in his regular tank? I'm thinking the stress of getting moved to the spawning tank might have thrown him off, but I don't know if he will get too territorial if I leave him in it indefinitely. Thanks ahead of time!

Hope this helps
The following is exactly how I breed my Bettas. You can see pics of some of my fish and setups in my albums in my profile.

I breed Bettas this way:
Condition the potential pair by adding higher protein foods like Bloodworms or Black Worms to their normal diet for approx. 1 week. Female should be nice and round with the first egg showing at her ovipositor.

Tank with new water and no filter-Covered to keep humidity in, water 80-82 degrees, Water height- no more than 6 inches. (I use anything from clear shoe box trays to bowls to glass tanks for spawning tanks. The water height is what's more important.) Some tubes such as PVC fittings or piping or other hiding places for the female along the bottom. I usually have 3 to 4 of these in the tank.

Male loose in tank- Female in glass jar, I use a piece of Romain lettuce leaf roughly 2" square for the male to build his nest. You can substitute a floating live plant for the lettuce. ( As the lettuce starts to deteriorate, infusoria cultures begin to develope.)
Assuming your fish have been conditioned, Males build nest within 24-36 hours, Females show breeding colors almost immediately, If female does not "challenge" the male when he flairs at her, she is most likely not ready for breeding. (My females flair their gill plates right back at the males.)
If all signs point to a compatible pair, I release the female in the morning.
I've had spawns happen as quickly as 45 minutes after introduction to 7 days later. (Note that if the male is highly aggressive, I will put the female back in the jar at night for their protection.) Once spawning is completed, the female is removed. Male cares for the eggs and fry. The male comes out the day before the fry are free swimming.

Rearing fry:
I don't usually start my fry with infusoria other than what was in the tank from the lettuce. I start hatching setup for live brine shrimp the day the fry start free swimming so that they are newly hatched by day 2. (PM me for more instructions on hatching out brine if you need it.)
At about 7-10 days old, I start a sponge filter with very little air (Fry are very sensitive to water movement.) I seed the sponge prior to using it to have a "cycled" filter instantly.

From this point on, it's feeding and careful water changes to get them to grow followed by a change to a larger grow out tank.

Feel free to PM me if you need more help with these fish

 

[Horseaila]

Betas are one of my favorite to breed. How much water do you have in the breeding tank? If there is to much sometimes the betas won't spawn. The female may have overpowered the male. The females will actually kill the males if they are left together for to long. I would say to do a partial water change in the spawning tank, check your Ph levels and all of that, but you can leave him in there. he might get more comfortable and build a better bubble nest and result in a better spawning.

 

[QuietBloom]

Thank you! I did have a piece of lettuce in there, and he built a bubble nest at first, but apparently it wasn't impressive enough for my girl, and she declined his advances. He doesn't appear to be overly aggressive toward her, just a little nipping. But she really started to act frightened of him, zooming crazily away from him after a couple of hours.

I think I will leave the lettuce in there and see what he has done with it by tomorrow night and maybe put her back in. When I first put her in, she flared at him and immediately began to swell with eggs. But then she stopped responding to him.

Thank you so much for your comments and offer of help!! I soooo appreciate it!

 

[QuietBloom]

Betas are one of my favorite to breed. How much water do you have in the breeding tank? If there is to much sometimes the betas won't spawn. The female may have overpowered the male. The females will actually kill the males if they are left together for to long. I would say to do a partial water change in the spawning tank, check your Ph levels and all of that, but you can leave him in there. he might get more comfortable and build a better bubble nest and result in a better spawning.

I have about 4 inches in it. Thanks for the advice, I will do a partial today and add a couple of inches. Should I cover it to increase the humidity? I understand it should be very humid for the eggs and fry, but it might make him feel a little more sexy?

 

[Horseaila]

The air over the water should be the same temp as the water itself. Perfect breeding temp is between 75 and 80 degrees. Do not add the female until the bubble nest is well underway. In the wild the males build the nest then lure the females under them for spawning. I know it is hard to do but be very observant because after spawning the male gets aggressive and if the female is left in to long she will be killed and the male may destroy the nest. One more thing, there should be absolutely nothing on the bottom of the breed tank so that the male can see the eggs better. If he can't find them, he starts all over again. and take out any bubblers if you have them in there. The spawn tank needs to be blank blank blank.