can female betta fish build bubble nests?

[honeya]

I've been enjoying watching Charlie, my male betta, swim around his tank and flaunt his fins for the new female betta I brought home a couple of weeks ago. After a short trip away, I came back to notice bubbles on the surface of her tank - it looks just like a bubble nest. I'm wondering, is this even possible, considering the male hasn't built one in a while? I was really hoping he'd start building one now that he's got a female neighbor to impress.

They're in separate tanks, no filter or airstone, but I do change their water every week. I haven't done any water testing, since they breathe surface air and have been doing fine since I got him in July.

[Furry]

I've had a similar experience with my own betta pair. When I initially introduced the female to the male for breeding purposes, she actually participated in creating the bubble nest alongside him. However, I've noticed that she doesn't attempt to make nests when she's alone. From my understanding, based on the research I've done, it's predominantly the males who create these nests, but I have come across instances where females also take part in this behavior.

[tawnie]

I've had mixed results with my females, some have helped with bubble nests, while others haven't. One of mine even surprised me by dropping eggs while she was in her tube and then carefully placing them in the nest, bless her little heart.

[eastonby]

Do you have a picture of her, I'd love to see it. There's a possibility she might be a male plakat, I've seen some females with similar characteristics but the fins and body shape would give it away.

[avena]

In my experience, the girls tend to create bubbles while taking in air at the surface, but I've not seen them collect these bubbles into a nest-like structure. That being said, you never know what these little characters might do, they can be full of surprises.

[floura]

They definitely do build nests, adding to the already confusing world of betta behavior. This is a great example - one of our home-bred baby girls created this impressive nest when she was just 3 months old.

[duskhunter]

I've had a few females surprise me by making their own bubble nests, and in some cases, they've even taken over the childcare duties, looking after the eggs and fry.

[honeya]

Do you have a picture of her, I'd love to see it. There's a possibility she might be a male plakat, I've seen some females with similar characteristics but the fins and body shape would give it away.

I've got a picture of her, but for some reason I'm having trouble uploading it to the forum - it keeps saying it's over the acceptable size.

Thanks for letting me know that females can make bubble nests too - I was worried I might have a water quality issue going on.

[havenly]

Can we guess what Charlie's up to in his tank?

[goldminer]

I'm jumping into a decade-old conversation, why not, right. Fin_tank's got some action going on – Charlie's probably getting the female to release those eggs.