Are they mating?

Question
One day I got two female Betta fish. They fought and I seperated them then put them together again, but one killed the other. So I went and got a male Betta to acompany the female. When I found out how they mated, I cleaned their fish tank, took out the rocks, got a thermomiter, and a reagular pump, I left a real plant in it and hiding place, I didnt get a heater,though. I left the female in a globe for about an hour or so.... the male was flaring at her but he didnt make a bubble nest....(Does he need more room to make a bubble nest? Hes in a 2 gallon 7 inches high.) So since he wouldent make a bubble nest in the styrofoam cup,I took it out.Before I went to bed, I put the female back in the whole night and when I woke up this morning, my female was nipped at and her stomach appeared smaller. I looked at the bottom of the tank and saw the eggs. I took out the female and now shes in the globe but the male still wont make a bubble nest and still wont do any thing with the eggs. Will the eggs survive? What do I do?

Answer
Dear Teresa,
Wow! What an interesting story! This is perhaps only the second time i've heard of bettas spawning impulsively without first building a bubblenest.

It's hard to know if the eggs will hatch or not or if they are even fertilized correctly. But what you could do is take a siphon hose and siphon the eggs into a small fish bowl or similar fish-safe container along with their original water. These eggs may hatch, there is a possibility.  The little eggs will take anywhere from 36 to 72 hours to hatch. For the first few days (about 3) the fry will absorb the leftover yolk sac they hatched with. Once they have absorbed their yolk sac, they will begin eating very tiny foods. Microworms are by the far the best fry food available.

But it is difficult to say whether or not the eggs will hatch that have been at the bottom. They may not. :(

Your betta pair probably just needed more time. Sometimes it takes a good while for a betta to get things straight and build a proper bubblenest. Just be patient and try and try again.

I really hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Karen~