Betta Fish Mating

Question
I have just bought one female white betta fish and one blue
male betta fish. I know about the rituals about chasing each
other, which they did once put into the tank, for at least
an hour, and now the female has some yellow stuff in her
stomach and is fat with them. The male now seems to be
trying to get out of the tank (swimming and mashing his head
onto the tank wall repeatedly) and does not seem to be
eating. The female also doesn't eat and simply floats there.
I am very confused about these actions, and it would be nice
if you could answer them. Thank you!

Answer
Zoe,

 

I will apologize if I sound a bit harsh while answering your question. I am a breeder of these beautiful fish and I try to talk people that don't really know what they are doing out of breeding. Unless you know what you are doing 100% DO NOT EVER PUT TWO BETTA'S IN THE SAME TANK!! The conditioning of the pair takes 2 weeks. During this time you are feeding them very well a and often, making sure their water quality is excellent, and that they are 100% healthy before you even think to breed them. When the 2 weeks is up, you still DO NOT place them in the same tank together. You put him in the breeding tank that is 10 gallons. He will swim in there by himself for a few day getting used to his new home. When it time, the female is placed in the tank, but in a hurricane lamp cover. She is in the tank, but he cannot get to her or hurt her. She stays in there for about 2 days. During this time, the male should be building the bubble nest. He will build, then go and flare at the female then go back to building. This can take a few days as well. When the bubble nest is built, you then remove the glass from around the female so that she is now free swimming in the tank. YOU NEED TO WATCH THEM THE WHOLE TIME THEY ARE TOGETHER. There will be a lot of chasing and hiding and that is normal, but, if things get out of hand, remove her immediately. NEVER leave her in the tank with an over aggressive male. That just means she is not ready and therefore should be removed, wait a few days, then try again. Just because you put a male and female together does not mean they will mate. I have 7 males and 5 females and sometimes I have to change out the female. DO NOT FEED YOUR FISH WHILE IN THE BREEDING TANK. Betta's can go 2 weeks with out eating, and sometimes longer. If you feed them while they are together in the breeding tank, the male will attack the female to get the food. Then when they do spawn, they will eat the eggs. They have an instinct that tells them they are not hungry. The male is the one that takes care of the eggs. If you feed him while he is in there he will think of the eggs as food and eat them.

If there is something yellow coming out of your female, that is not good at all. If she is floating and not moving you might just lose her. I hope you have removed her from that tank and placed in her own 5 gallon tank with meds and a heater. The male should also be removed and given meds as well. Since you have no idea what you are doing, you might have cause both fish to lose their lives.

Please, BEFORE you attempt to breed any fish, make sure you now everything there is to know before you start. Never buy Betta's and put them in the same tank right away. They are called Siamese Fighting Fish for a reason.