How Do Betta Fish Mate Without Killing Each Other?

How Do Betta Fish Mate Without Killing Each Other?

Betta is a South-East Asian fish that lives in ponds and streams where water flows slowly. Many people know about their aggressive behavior and keep them in separate tanks at their homes.

How Do Betta Fish Mate Without Killing Each Other? Betta fish can mate without killing each other when you prepare a spacious aquarium with continuous resources, proper plantation, and a barrier to keep them separate. Conditioning with protein-rich food makes them healthy and competent for mating. After the formation of the bubble nest by the male, shift the female into the tank. Male fish wraps around the female and squeezes the ovipositor for egg release during mating. They blow eggs to bubble nests with their mouth, and hatching starts. Remove female and keep male for protection of eggs. Take the male out of the tank when eggs turn into fry fish because they can eat them. 

They like warm temperatures and live for almost 4 to 5 years. However, male fish are more difficult to control, so they should be present in a separate tank.

Females can live in a sorority where more than fellows are present in a single tank.

How to make my betta fish mate without killing each other?

You can prevent the fish from attacking each other during mating by keeping a close eye. It is better to take them out when they are trying to kill each other.

Prepare separate aquarium

You have to prepare an aquarium of a good size where the bettas can live together without any insecurity.

Moreover, there should be a maximum of 12 to 15 gallons of water for the two mating betta fish.

Nourishment of betta fish

When you provide a suitable temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, they feel more competent for breeding.

In addition, provide extra meals in small portions to digest the food efficiently so their stomach does not bloat.

The conditioning process can range between 10 to 14 days when you provide protein-rich food to the adult betta fish. It is better to provide a favorable environment and a healthy diet before mating.

Moreover, you can feed them with bloodworms and daphnia. The mosquito larvae are also a good source of protein for them.

You have to add supplementary food at least 2 times a day. These fish can get pregnant without a male and you just have to provide them with the required conditions.

Add a barrier and plantation

It is better to separate them by using a barrier that keeps them apart physically and visually. You can remove the barrier from time to time so that they can feel comfortable and get ready for mating.

A piece of cardboard between the two small tanks can work well, or use a small glass container to capture the male fish inside.

In addition, you can add some plants to the aquarium that provides a suitable place to hide. When a female feels uncomfortable and stressed, she goes toward hiding spots.

Formation of the bubble nest

The male partner builds a bubble nest on the top of the tank by blowing air from the mouth. His gesture indicates that he is ready to mate and preparing a house for the eggs.

After some effort, a bubble nest form on the upper layer of water. You can also add a plastic bubble sheet to capture the bubbles to avoid bursting.

Shift a female fish

When the male partner has done his job, you have to shift a female fish into a tank; or remove a glass jar to allow the male to enter a tank.

It is better to allow females after nest formation because the chances of fighting increase when they spend more time with each other in the same place.

Body wrapping

The male fish tries to wrap around the female and squeeze the eggs from the pouch.

The ovipositor is a small round shape opening close to the stomach and is responsible for releasing eggs after mating.

When he squeezes the pouch from the ventral fin area, the small white grains start falling towards the bottom of the tank.

Fertilization of eggs

The eggs start falling from the ovipositor in the tank depth. The male partner releases milt, which helps in fertilization.

Furthermore, this is external fertilization which means it occurs in the water; instead of genome mixing within a mother.

Collection of eggs

Both partners collect these tiny white beads in their mouths and blow them towards the bubble nest. Then, they transfer these eggs from water to the nest and allow them to hatch correctly.

Take out female partner

After their transfer to the upper portion of water and close to the nest, the job of the mother is complete.

It is the right time to take it out of the tank because the father fish takes the eggs. He protects the eggs from damage due to falling and guards them.

Hatching of eggs 

After 48 to 72 hours, the eggs start hatching, and the fry are developed. This is the first stage of their growth, which turns into an adult after some weeks.

Additionally, you have to keep the male inside the tank till the egg turns into fry and maintain a proper food supply to the tank.

Remove male fish from the aquarium

When fry appears in the water, you have to take the male out of the tank immediately. It is necessary to take them out because they can eat the newly born.

This way, the process of mating and production of a new one gets complete without any fight and killing of any partner.

Why do betta fish kill each other on mating? 

There are many reasons for the aggressive behavior and fighting nature for each other.

First, there is a possibility of fear of survival and territory between them, leading to fighting.

Stressful conditions

The stressful condition can aggravate the situation, and they start behaving aggressively.

A lower temperature with cold water can negatively affect their mood and avoid mating.

They can feel lonely sometimes, and you can get an idea of their loneliness when they rub their bodies to the bottom of the tank.

 In addition, they prefer to live at the bottom surface and show lesser movement under stress. Many people like these as Betta is a good pet.

Protection of eggs

Male fish protect the eggs, and they can become aggressive when someone tries to touch them.

In the same way, they can also kill their partner when she tries to do the job of transferring eggs from the tank bottom to the bubble nest.

Territorial behavior

All betta fish show territorial behavior, and they do not want to share their habitat with any other. So they start fighting with the new entry and kill them within minutes.

Fight for food

All organisms fight for food to ensure their survival, which is the case for bettas.

When there are lesser resources and competition occurs between them, one of them ultimately has to die among the two.

Small habitat and lesser privacy

When there are no hiding spots or plantations in the tank, they start fighting. Like all organisms, they also want some privacy and loneliness.

When there are many fish in a single tank, they show aggressive behavior against each other and start killing.

Vibrant color and large fins

The betta fish have vibrant colors like blue and red, while the blue color becomes more vibrant inside the water. In addition, some of these organisms have larger fins that interfere with movement.

So, larger fins and the vibrant color can make other swimming organisms with small fins aggressive, resulting in a fight between a larger and smaller one.

When would you breed a betta fish?

The age and the health of the fish are of considerable importance during the mating process.

Therefore, it should be for 5 to 10 months of age to mate efficiently with the male partner.

In addition, it is better to mate the two organisms when they are healthy and do not have a poor immune system. The new bettas can inherit the poor immune system, and their chance of survival decreases.

Furthermore, there should not be an injury on their fins and no wounds on their body.

An infected partner is not suitable for mating, and a female does not prefer a sick male to be the father of their offspring.

How do betta fish kill each other?

These organisms fight till their death and attack their fins. Then, they target open wounds on their bodies and inflict them, which causes exhaustion and pain.

Furthermore, the infection can occur in the wounds that can affect their health.

Finally, the changes in temperature of their surroundings and the water bring changes in their mood and make them aggressive.

Some betta species are grown only for fighting purposes, and the fight takes an hour. However, they can kill each other in less than 10 to 12 minutes when present in the same tank.

This fight continues for a long duration until one of them dies. Therefore, you should avoid placing them together to save their lives.

Do female betta fish kill each other?

Male betta fish is more aggressive in behavior, and they cannot live together in a single place. Contact between the two males ultimately results in the death of one of them.

While female bettas do not behave aggressively like males, they fight with each other when there is a competition for resources. However, you can add almost 4-5 females in a single tank.

Therefore, they can live together, but you have to be careful about the number of these organisms. So, they can kill each other while fighting for their territory and resources.

How long does it take for a male and female betta to mate?

Forming a bubble nest is a time-consuming process, and the male betta fish has to make a lot of effort to build a strong nest for the eggs to hatch.

Moreover, it takes almost 36 to 48 hours to build a solid surface to support the eggs. When this process completes, they find their partner for mating.

The duration of mating in betta fish varies between a few hours to even days. Some of them need only 2 to 3 hours to squeeze eggs from the ovipositor, while a few of them takes days.

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