Breeding of betta fish

Question
I have two bettas in my 2.5 gallon tank, a red male (Elmo) and a blue female (Ferrari). They follow each other around constantly and sometimes puff up at one another, but I keep a pretty close eye on them to make sure they don't get hurt. Elmo likes to dance around in front of Ferrari a lot. He made a bubble nest in their old tank, but when I moved them to my house from my ex-boyfriend's a week ago, the bubbles of course disappeared. Ferrari seems quite plump, so my question is this-- will Elmo make a new bubble nest in the new tank? I'm worried that it was maybe a one time thing that got ruined from our move. I don't want Ferrari to become unhealthy because there is no place for her to lay her eggs, if that is what she's ready to do now. Elmo still flirts around with her, but he has not blown any recent bubbles. Is it possible that Ferrari putting on weight had nothing to do with the previous bubble nest? And is it possible that Elmo will make another nest if Ferrari needs one?

Answer
Hi Teneisha;

If he is ready he will build the nest. He may not be feeling safe and established in his new tank yet. It is probably also still in the break-in period and that can make fish feel sick. Make a 25% water change every day for the next 3 days. You can test the water for nitrites and ammonia too. It will tell you how far along the break-in period is. Here is a link to my article on new tanks to help you with those details;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

You may also need to raise the water temperature. Bettas like it to be about 80f to 82f for breeding. The tank is actually way too small to breed in though. With the possibility of 400 eggs and babies in the future, there just isn't room for the waste that will be produced by all those guys, even as tiny babies. Yikes!

You will need a second tank to move Ferrari into for her own safety. They may be able to spawn but Elmo will not want Ferrari in the tank anymore once the eggs are in the nest. He could kill her trying to get her out of there. It's his job to care for the eggs and babies and he doesn't want any help.  

Here is a web page about breeding bettas to help you set up a good breeding tank;

http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/Spawning/lesson1.php

Good Luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins