female betta with eggs and no male

Question
Hi Karen,

I bought three female bettas a couple of weeks ago and have them in a 5-gallon tank. One has been growing a big belly and I originally thought I was feeding her too much. Now she has what I've seen described on other websites as an "egg spot" (white dot protruding under her belly). I think she might be full of eggs. She started getting uncharacteristically aggressive with the other two females about two days ago, but was more listless today. If she is full of eggs, will this be harmful to her if she has no male to squeeze them out? Is this an inevitable event for all female bettas?

Also, I came home from work today and there were tiny bubbles all over top of the water. This might be a filter problem, but I thought I'd mention it incase it has to do with the one female (I have no clue about this stuff!).

Thanks so much,
Serena

Answer
Hi Serena,
Its very true that females develop eggs inevitably and if sometimes they can run the risk of developing egg binding. Which is basically what happens when they hold their eggs too long. Fortunately, egg-binding is usually rare. Most females just reabsorb the eggs or expel them on her own.

If you notice your female looks egg bound or if she seems sick in other ways (sometimes constipation or internal bacterial infections can be the cause of a bloated belly) you'll have to decide the best course of treatment. Often, for females who have eggbinding, dosing the tank with Epsom salt can help. Egg bound females usually start behaving very listless and they may not eat.


I've even heard of some sources suggesting putting black water extract in the tank to stimulate the female to release the eggs. However, I'm not entirely positive on this one. There is never a 100% chance that an eggbound female can recover.

If you need anymore help, feel free to let me know.
Best wishes,
Karen~