# My Female Built a bubble nest...Why is that?



## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

I'm a little confused here, my female betta has begun to build a bubble nest. She also has many solitary bubbles just floating at the surface. I never knew females built bubble nests, I thought it was only the males...and do any of you know what this could mean? Is she pregnant and ready to spawn, does she want to spawn? Is she just happy? Or did she just build one for no apparent reason? I know you guys can't really tell me the for-sure answer, but I was just wondering what your guys' oppinions were...thanks for any and all replies! :smile:


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## Lara (Sep 4, 2005)

How long have you had your female? I bought a female once who turned out to be a young male who soon killed the male I bought her (him) for! Other than that I haven't observed or heard of a female behaving in this way but I guess it's possible.


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Thanks for the reply Lara. I'm pretty sure it's a female because I have put her in with both of my males, and they didn't try to fight, my males just chased her and flared at her, and she hid, but I heard this is normal spawning behavior....is that right? or no?


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## Lara (Sep 4, 2005)

Can be, they can get pretty rough around spawning time. My female who turned out to be a male was a viscious little bugger lol! Maybe your girl's just coming to terms with her sexuality :lol:! Perhaps she is as confused about her behaviour as you are! :lol: If she is a boy you will find out soon enough. If I remember correctly my 
SheMan didn't build a bubblenest until she looked like a boy. To be honest I don't know enough about female beta's to be of much help. I know they can flare up like the boys (if not as dramatically) but I don't know about bubblenests. Good luck :lol:


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Females have been know to build nests from time to time. Check for an ovipositor on the betta. Females will have a white "nub" protruding from just under their gill stomaches.


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## drosera (Feb 2, 2005)

*Just something to check for.*

Just a quick note to suggest you look and see if your water has a thick scum on it. If it does, then perhaps simply her breathing is causing bubbles which don't break the surface, and eventually collect somewhere in the tank.

Take care


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

UPDATE: I did check her bowl to see if there was any scum at the top, and saw that there was a tiny bit, so I decided to clean it. I cleaned it REALLY well, and now she has built an even bigger bubble nest all around her bowl...I'm just a little surprised because I only thought males did this...hmmm...well thanks for your help guys! :shock: :?


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## BettaMommy (Aug 20, 2005)

Males build the bubblenests. I have never seen a female build a nest. Sometimes I get a line of bubbles all around the tank, but that isn't a nest. Either your female is a male or you are just getting little air bubbles on the top.


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Hmmm...I'm pretty sure it's a female so maybe it is just a row of bubbles but it looks exactly like a bubble nest, the bubbles are stacked on top of eachother and everything....are you sure females don't build nests?


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## BettaMommy (Aug 20, 2005)

I'm positive females do not build bubblenests. But who knows what it is, I wouldn't worry too much about it.


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## hogan7 (Sep 21, 2005)

you cant be positive females dont build bubblenests because sometimes they do, this is a very rare cause. Females are known to sometimes randomly help with the entire breeding process from building the nests to sometimes caring for the fry when in their bubbles ie. retrieving them as they fall from the bubbles and puttin them back up there usually a male only job


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

hmmmm....thanks for the reply Hogan7!


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

> you cant be positive females dont build bubblenests because sometimes they do, this is a very rare cause


It's not that rare at all. Some female bettas do that!


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

MaxPayne_lhp,
Really? They do? Do you know what this means? Have you ever had one of your females make one?


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## hogan7 (Sep 21, 2005)

maxpayne_lhp said:


> It's not that rare at all. Some female bettas do that!


Im very aware that females do this, maybe i phrased it wrong, but females assist (sometimes very rarely) in the breeding process this includes making the nests, to caring for fry


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Simpte said:


> Females have been know to build nests from time to time. Check for an ovipositor on the betta. Females will have a white "nub" protruding from just under their gill stomaches.


Was this post not visible?


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Sorry Simpte,
Yeah I saw your post and I checked for a white nib but couldn't find anything....and I'm sorry I'm being so stupid but what is a ovipositor? :-(


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Its the body part that the female uses to release eggs.


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Okay, I just checked again, and couldn't find one...could I get your oppinion on something though, do you think I should try to breed her? Like, do you think she is trying to build a bubble nest because she wants to breed, or should I just leave her, and assume she is just happy? :fish:


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

It might be a he if you can't find one.


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## hogan7 (Sep 21, 2005)

Eh, breeding her would be the same as any other girl shes probably just happy. I wouldnt take it as a huge sign that she is willing to breed


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Oh okay, I doubt I have the time or money to breed bettas anyhow....thanks for the help, and Lydia, If it was a male, and I put it in a tank with another male, wouldn't thry fight to the death? I've put this betta in with both of my two males, and they didn't show too much aggression...


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Alisha said:


> Oh okay, I doubt I have the time or money to breed bettas anyhow....thanks for the help, and Lydia, If it was a male, and I put it in a tank with another male, wouldn't thry fight to the death? I've put this betta in with both of my two males, and they didn't show too much aggression...



Hmmm...It seems like they would fight, huh. So I guess it is a female. LOL I'm sure you already figured that out. I guess I just missed that part of the thread when I read it earlier...sorry!


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

That's okay Lydia, thanks for all your help!


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## kelicom (Sep 27, 2005)

*She is a He!*

Hi 
I don't know if I am too late to add to this discussion (you may already know the truth), but your female is most likely (I would say ninety percent) a He. I went to the fish store to buy a female betta--a very nice fish store, where they should know better--and I bought the only two "females" they had. As it turned out, they were both short finned males called plakats. 

How can you tell for sure? A female always has an ovipositor underneath her belly and it's very easy to see after about two months of age, and sometimes even sooner. If you don't see it, if you are looking, trying to see between these long ventral fins (those long string like fins hanging down), that's another sign she is probably a he--the males usually have longer ventral fins. 

I had the same exact situation you described. I wasn't sure about the gender because when I put the one of the "females" with another male, he/she acted very submissive. Horizontal stripes appeared (a sign of fear--vertical stripes, or barring happens to females when they are ready to breed) and he just hid. He is a very submissive male around other males. 

So I kept thinking he was a she, so one day I brought home some more females and let them go in her/his tank. I couldn't understand why he/she kept chasing them all over the place, and wagging his tail fins in that funny way. I finally knew for sure when I saw the much younger females ovipositor ducts underneath their belly--they all had white eggs sticking out, even though they weren't plump, barring or really old enough to mate (or so I thought).

In the end, the betta that I thought was a she was the first to mate with one of these females! Within 24-48 hours of being together--they move fast! Unfortunately, the other "female" that was sold to me as a male, was killed by another male. I cried for him, but there was nothing to be done.

I can tell the difference between a male and a female instantly now. I am fairly positive you have a male betta but the only way to "test" this is to put him in with a real female. I guarantee that you will see him chase her around, and this suddenly submissive fish will change character. But if you don't want to breed bettas, don't get a "real" female. 

I've had lots of bettas that I watch closely, and the females will blow bubbles, especially during and after courtship, but never have I seen one build a thick bubble nest. 

Hope that helps.


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I think you should look very closely for the ovipositor. That's really the only way you're going to be able to tell. I've had females build bubblenest just like males. I used to have a girl that would occasionally expell eggs and put them in her bubblenest all by herself.


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## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

Kelicom,
Thanks so much for your reply. Your She/He betta, sounds exactly like mine, my betta will try to hide, stay on the bottom of the tank and not move around too much when in with the other males. The two males I put "her" in with, are very aggressive males, they didn't exacly try to fight to the death with her/him, but when I just recently put my betta in with one of the males he tore up "her" fins pretty bad...so I decided I will take your advice and hopefully get a really female this time, thanks for your help, I can't believe I bought a male betta, and thought it was a female this whole time...ugh! Well thanks sooo much, you helped me so much! :grin: :wink:


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## kelicom (Sep 27, 2005)

You're welcome!


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