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male and female bettas???

23 16:07:33

Question
QUESTION: hi
i just bought a female betta and i would love for her and my old male to mate or at least interact. i think my male isn't very aggressive. i had a small dwarf frog with him once and he would swim to it but not nip or try to bite her. i have my male and female separated by glass right now in a 10 gallon tank but i only have it filled half way so there are 5 gallons.  
should i fill it all the way?
is it ever to much/not enough water??
My female seems more interested in my male than he does in her. i have had him for 2 yrs and he has never blown bubbles i have had her for 2 days. my old male that i had several yrs ago blew bubbles constantly and would fill the entire tank top with them.
Why hasn't he ever blown bubbles?
Would he if i took the glass separating them away or is he just to old?
he has puffed up at her a couple times but now they just stare at each other, if he comes to the glass. she trys to stay close to him. i am worried about putting them together cause he is very large and she very small.
can i improve my tank in any way?
i have rocks on the bottom and they each have their own rock formation.
i also have several plants but not alot should i get more?
my tank is usually cold as well i just bought a heater but i dont think it is changing it much.
should i keep the water warm???
hope u can help Thxs XD sry for the amount of questions lol

ANSWER: Hello Kourtney:  Keep the two betta separated until they appear to be interested in each other and he starts to build his nest.  He will kill  her if you put them together too soon.  He should go through a very obvious courting ritual with flared gill covers and tail.  She will swell up with eggs and he will build his nest at that time you can try to put them together.  They need a heater... and a tank that is about 78-80 degrees... he will probably not build a nest without warmer water... dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi thxs for the help but i do have them together.. my male doesn't bite her or chase her around. when i first put them together she would swim to him and just stay by him. A couple of times lately she has bitten his fins but no major damage should i still remove them or keep them together. It seems like she is starting to get filled with eggs i believe. If he doesn't blow bubbles when she gets very plump with bubbles should i get another male?And i will soon get a heater. I have a lamp over them is it ok to have a light over them?

ANSWER: Since they are already together I would just leave them be and see what happens.  She will wait for him to build his nest to spawn... if she should spawn without him building a nest then I would get another male as that would be an indication that the current male is not yet ready to mate.  the lamp over them is good... a heater will be better.  dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi me again sadly my male betta died i believe from old age. but now i bought 2 more betta another girl and another boy. i have all three together and both of my girls seem to have marks on their face just before their gills what does is mean? they don't bite each other greatly, maybe a peck on the fins is that ok, but they do chase each other around. i have had them all together for 2 days.my girls seem to fight more then my boy with the girls. my boy just puffs up and follows my girls around and the other night i was watching them and my boy and my older girl were making their fins large and kinda dancing. i know that sounds weird but thats how they looked. my girls are also filling with eggs but my boy hasn't blown any bubbles yet i think once i get the water warm he will cause i have seen him blow a few.last night a few of my older girls eggs fell to the bottom do you know what might have happened???

Answer
Hi... Sorry to hear that your older betta passed on.... Sounds like he had a good home.  Female betta change a lot during mating and their colors will change, they will get stripes, etc. So the marks on their gills may be part of that process.  The male will eventually blow bubbles when he makes up his mind.  If for some reason he doesn't then just replace him with another male.  dave