# Female Betta built bubble nest, layed eggs (without male)



## Happy_Human

Hello, I just joined this site tonight. I found it while searching the internet for information to help explain my female betta's behavior. I noticed this evening that she had built a nice bubble nest in her tank. (She is all alone in a 5 gallon tank). While I was watching she floated next to the nest and suddenly eggs were drifting down from her. The eggs looked like little white ice crystals. All evening she has been tending to the nest, and also swimming down to where her eggs are laying on the bottom of the tank, looking / poking around at them then swimming back up to her nest. She appears to be acting as if she is picking up eggs and depositing them in her nest, except I don't think she is actually bringing up any eggs. It does look though like there are some eggs stuck in the middle of the nest. Im not positive if those are eggs though or just low hanging bubbles. I haven't looked at my photos yet but if something turned out good enough I'd like to post it and have someone with experience tell me if I'm looking at some eggs in the nest or whether bubbles can look this way. Anytime the betta (her name is "Purple" by the way) is away from the nest and notices that I've got my camera pressed against the side of the tank, she rushes back to the nest - protecting it I suppose. 

After reading about this behavior in a female I've decided to just sit back and enjoy her interesting activities rather rushing out at 1:00 am to try to find her a nice guy betta since she is in the mood  

The main reason Im posting is that I came across many posts (on this site and other places on the internet) by people who had questions about this same behavior in their own fish, or perhaps their fish had done just part of this behavior - building a nest or laying eggs or helping their mate male to their eggs into the nest. Invariably someone would respond to people who wrote that their female was building a nest to say that the owner of the fish must be mistaken about the sex of their fish building a nest, that their fish must be a male. Or that a female betta needs to mate before it can lay eggs. Or that only a male puts the eggs into the nest. Well, I've definately disproved those repliers who think a female _never_ behaves this way:

1. I saw my female in the act of laying eggs after she built a bubble nest and I've been watching her attend to the nest.
2. I can clearly see her ovipositer, I've seen eggs come out of it and I've been attempting to take photos which show the organ, as a teaching tool for others who don't know what it looks like.

If anyone is interested, I can try to figure out how to post photos.

Thanks for the nice site, by the way.


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## komodo182

I would like to see the pictures, also, how long have you had her?


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## Happy_Human

I only got her two months ago from Petco (I don't recommend buying pets from Petco but in an emergency I bought cat food there and decided to rescue this female betta as the rest of their bettas were dead or dying...really gross situation)


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## Happy_Human

*Photos: Female Betta Builds Nest & Places Eggs Herself*

Picture 1 Purple with the bubble nest she built and the eggs she put in there herself.
Pictures 2 & 3 Purple brings eggs to her nest. You can see the egg in her mouth.


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## WildForFish

Hello Happy Human,

I have two females that go though the egg dropping and keeping periodically.

The good thing is she will not get egg bound by releasing the eggs.

Is she in sight of a male?

If you have the time and willing to put in the effort, she is ready to breed.


WFF


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## Happy_Human

Thank you, WFF
I do not have a male betta. If I decide to get a male and breed her, til what age is it safe for her to wait to breed for the first time?
Thanks.


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