Betta Breeding

Cour

Attempted to breed my two bettas... it didn't go over well. Cour was pretty lackadasical about his bubble nest, neither building much of one nor maintaining it worth a dime.


Eira was clearly unhappy about his presence when he was in the tank with her, and very interested in him when the divider was between them. I've never seen a more frightened fish than she, which is really saying something because I have an Opaline Gourami who hates my guts.

It was somewhat entertaining to watch her rapid figure-eights between the various tank ornaments, and to see her plan her breaths before diving to hide. Bettas and Gouramis are both labyrinth fish, who need air just as much as they need water. That means, Eira can't just hide and camp, she has to come into the open every minute or so. She would lead him through a series of figure-eights at depth, then dart across surface to the corner of the tank to breath while he tried to figure out where she'd gone. Then she'd dive again.

Obviously, I didn't let that go on for long. It was interesting to watch, but also somewhat alarming. I separated them and tried again the next night.

Anyway, after two unsuccessful attempts, I had a rather tense scare myself, when I couldn't find Eira anywhere. When I did find her (she slipped between the divider into Cour's side), she was lethargic and, at that point, I decided it just won't be happening this month. So, now Cour is off in his separate bowl and I'll let Eira rest for a while before I move her from the breeding tank.

Eira