Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish,  Part 6 – The Betta Courtship

So now you have the your Betta breeding tank ready and your two Bettas have been conditioned and now ready for the main event therefore it’s now time to bring them both together.

Firstly though can I just say when I researched this I discovered different breeders have slightly different variations on how to go about this and having now done this twice I can understand the reason why. Both my Betta pairs behaved differently during the courtship and also during spawning. So what I’d like to write about here is how both pairs were different, how I went about bringing them together and what I learnt along the way.

So the first piece of advice I got was to introduce the male Betta to the breeding tank a few days before the female so he could feel at home and establish his territory. You will find that not all breeders will do it this way though and some will add them both at the same time. Therefore the advice I was given seemed feasible enough so I added the male about 3 days prior to the female for both my pairs.

Next up you add the female Betta and what I found is some breeders will add her straight into the breeding tank and others will place her inside a plastic drink container with the top cut off and then place this inside the breeding tank. I followed the second method and I think this is just common sense. The Betta courtship can be very physical and to just throw her in with the male without a proper introduction (so to speak) might be a bit too much to ask.

Therefore you need to understand that not all Betta couples will get on. Sometimes the males will get quite physical with the females and also vice versa so I think it pays to take the introduction slowly. Having said that though, both my couples got on fairly well and I didn’t witness any signs of aggression or any wounds that were inflicted during their time together.

Therefore I placed my female inside a plastic drink bottle and then placed this in the breeding tank with the male. Now the first thing you will observe is the male with come straight to her and start flaring his fins and circling around the bottle. She will develop vertical stripes on her body and this is an indication she is ready to breed and the male will start building his bubble nest.

Now this is where my two males differed right from the start. I paired a 4 month old brother and sister in my first spawn and after I purchased them I took them home and placed them in my 4 berth Betta Tank side by side. She developed the vertical stripes nearly straight away and he started to make a bubble nest in this display tank.

So when I placed them together in the breeding tank he went off nearly straight away and started on his bubble nest. It was obvious, these two were ready to spawn and they had been for a while. When I tried this with my second pair the female did display the vertical stripes in the display tank but the male didn’t build a bubble nest. In fact when I introduced the second pair to their breeding tank the male Betta went and looked at the Styrofoam cup but didn’t start on the bubble nest for about a day and a half.

So at this stage what I’ve discovered is if you place the pair you’d like to breed next to each other prior to placing them in the breeding tank you may get some indication of whether they are likely to breed. Having said this though, if they don’t show any signs it certainly isn’t conclusive that they won’t breed together. All this might to do in give you an indication of the likelihood of success and the likelihood of needing a second pair on standby.

The next decision you will have to make in when to release the female. Now one method I’ve heard is to have the height of the plastic bottle just above the water line in the breeding tank so the female can jump over the top when she is ready. Now I tried this in my first spawn and 5 hours later it was apparent they were ready to be put together (his bubble nest was well under way and she had the vertical stripes) so I just released her into the breeding tank with the male Betta.

During my second spawn though, as I said, the male seemed reluctant to start on the bubble nest so I left the female in the plastic bottle overnight for about 17 hours. I then concluded that maybe the male wasn’t happy where I’d placed the cup as it was at the front of the tank where I could see it easily so I placed a second cup in the tank just around the corner where he could have some more privacy.

Now the other thing to take into account is that some breeders recommend not releasing the female until the male starts on the bubble nest. After 17 hours though, I decided to throw caution to the wind as some breeders don’t even bother with the plastic bottle, and I released the female into the breeding tank.

So now when the male and female are together for the first time and it can get quite interesting as aggression can now become part of the courting process. In both my spawns though I didn’t see any sign of this (not suggesting it doesn’t happen though). They then chase each other fairly frantically around the tank and then stop for a rest for awhile and the male will also take breaks and go off and build his bubble nest.

The male in my first spawn spent most of this time building his bubble nest, then every now and again he’d round up the female and take her to the nest to show it off. It was quite amusing as it was like he’d show it to her and she’d say “not good enough yet Dear” and then swim off leaving him looking dejected. He’d then get back to work again and then eventually he’d built quite a bubble nest that covered all the area of the cup.

During my second spawn though it was much more “matter of fact”. He’d chase her for a while and then they’d rest at opposite ends of the tank and it wasn’t until about 12 hours after she was let out of her plastic bottle that he even started on his bubble nest. Therefore the following day, about 26 hours after her release, with a bubble nest that covered only about 30% of the area of the cup they caught me off guard and started to spawn. Based on what happened with my first spawn and the slow progress the second male was making with his bubble nest I just assumed that spawning was going to be at least another day away if not more.

So as you can see these fish are all individuals and I’m sure most experienced breeders can tell you how much things can vary from Betta pair to Betta pair. Both my pairs got on well enough to spawn but if you do have a pair that are incompatible you can then replace the reluctant male or female with the appropriate standby Betta and then try them together. It may pay to give them a few days before you start swapping them around though. Don’t rush in. As I said, my second male seemed to be coasting, building his bubble nest and then next thing they were spawning.

Therefore I’m sure experienced breeders know the many signs as to the likelihood of success but if you’re new I think it pays to give them some time to get to know each other. Having said that though, if you feel the aggression is getting too much and one Betta is inflicting too much damage to the other then it would be best to intervene, remove the culprit and consult with the breeder you bought your Bettas from for advice.

The First Betta Pair I breed from were both Halfmoons, the male was a Marble and the female was copper colored. Notice the vertical strips on the female and the male showing off. This male spent quite a bit of time working on his bubble nest.

The second pair I bred from were also Halfmoons and the male was a dark blue butterfly. When I bought him he had a beautiful Halfmoon tail but because of my inexperience I placed him in a tank with plastic plants that had sharp edges. As a consequence the edges of his fins got damaged. It was a hard lesson to learn but luckily not fatal.

Therefore next up is spawning and I’ll write about how once again both my spawns were different and how my inexperience nearly cost me my first batch of fry.

Breeding Bettas, Siamese Fighting Fish,  Part 7 – Betta Spawning

Possibly Related Posts:

• Cleaning the Betta Fry Tank
• Breeding Crowntail Bettas
• Do Bettas Take Breaks While Spawning
• Breeding Bettas During the Cold Weather
• Microworms