From what I read its fine to remove the bubble nest while changing your water, they will just make a new one...My Hattori did! lol this time it's HUGE and looks like foam now.
New Pictures - BubbleNest, Flaing & Tank
- Thread starter darkngorgeous
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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haha awesome pics. My Betta just started making bubble nests this last week. So yeah, its fine to destroy the nest when you change the water, they will rebuilt it no problem.
And as far as flaring goes, I wouldn't do it too much. My Betta is a pansy, I show him his reflection, he flares at himself, then runs away like a coward and hides... soooo I don't do it too often.
On a side note, my other Betta has never made a bubble nest for me. Could be his age, he is quite old now, but his water conditions are better than the one mentioned above so even if you don't get bubble nests, I wouldn't worry about it as long as Mr. Betta seems O.K. =)
And as far as flaring goes, I wouldn't do it too much. My Betta is a pansy, I show him his reflection, he flares at himself, then runs away like a coward and hides... soooo I don't do it too often.
On a side note, my other Betta has never made a bubble nest for me. Could be his age, he is quite old now, but his water conditions are better than the one mentioned above so even if you don't get bubble nests, I wouldn't worry about it as long as Mr. Betta seems O.K. =)
Yup, definitely a bubble nest! He wants to be a dad and is showing off his DIY skills! LOL He's such a pretty fish, it might be worth trying to breed him after all...tough to do though.
To REALLYCLUELESS... you should draw water from the bottom of the tank during water changes, so you pick up all the waste that's resting down there...this way you are replacing the worst water with the new stuff. That shouldn't disturb the bubble nest much.
To REALLYCLUELESS... you should draw water from the bottom of the tank during water changes, so you pick up all the waste that's resting down there...this way you are replacing the worst water with the new stuff. That shouldn't disturb the bubble nest much.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
I was like you in the beginning too, reallyclueless. when my first male betta blew a bubblenest i thought some soap had gotten in the water! lol. and i never let soap go anywhere near my fish or supplies.....
Water changes will actually cause your betta to make bigger, thicker bubblenests. they are happiest in pristine water and will be more likely to make the nests. happy betta = bubblenests.
Do keep an eye out for sparse (only a few bubbles) nests that are distributed over the tanks surface though. this may mean that your fish is not well.
On another note, the bubblenest will tend to dissipate when you open the lid of your tank (always have a lid! bettas will jump!), since the humidity level drops when cooler air comes in contact with the air above the water. don't worry, your boy will get back to work after your done doing whatever it is you are doing in his tank - feeding, water change, etc.
I personally do a minimum 100% water change weekly on my biggest tank that is in use, which is 2 gal. my 1 gals get twice weekly changes, and my 1/2 gal gets at least 3 changes a week, if not more. you can never keep the water too clean. make sure you are using an appropriate water conditioner (i use "betta plus" bowl conditioner by nutrafin - one capful per 2 litres <rinse the cap after or you get crusties on it>). it's a little expensive, but i find it is a good quality and my finkids are not worse for wear for me using it.
When i change the water i scoop my fish into a BIG and WIDE glass (i use big beer mug reserved for this purpose...lol) from the kitchen cupboard (give it a rinse in lukewarm water first in case there is residual dish soap) and make sure there is at least 3 times the height of water in the glass for the height of the fish and make sure there is at least an inch or so of air space at the top. don't worry, your fish will get a little upset, but it is only for a max of ten to twenty minutes. put a lid on the cup! tuppeware lid i use. then dump the gravel, if u use it, into a plastic collander and rinse twice with warm water, shaking collander so all gravel gets rinsed - need to get the poop out of it. rinse tank (mine fit in the kitchen sink), rinse plants, if plastic/fabric (i don't have experience with live plants). put gravel and plants back into tank. i usually have a big jug handy to pour new water into tank (run tap so water is room temp, fill jug, pour kinda slowly into tank - you get less air bubbles clinging to inside of tank this way. fill tank, minusing the amount of water in the cup with the fish, then add appropriate amount of conditioner. i then swirl the water around with a disposable plastic straw so all conditioner is distributed throughout. some people add a touch of aquarium salt, i do, but this is a personal preference.
I also use a floating thermometer in all my tanks, so i know exactly what temp the old water is and exactly what temp the new water has to be. sometimes there may be a difference of a degree or two, but my fish don't seem to mind. If by chance you've made your new water too warm or too cold, you can change it out a little with cold/warm to get the right temp, just make sure any more water added has the water conditioner in it. typing this reminds me of a time when i had used the last of my water conditioner and the tank was too warm and i couldn't switch out any water due to lack of conditioner, so before my fish went back home i put bags of veggies from the freezer around the tank until the temp went down! spoiled fish, huh? lol.
once you have the water changed, temp right, conditioner in (swirled around to distribute), i always wait a bit (five minutes or so) just to let things settle down and then i pick up the fish cup, angle it over the tank, and let a bit of the new water into the cup slowly until the cup is full and horizontal to the surface of the water, halfway out of the water. by now the fish should realize that he is "home" and swim out of the cup. I don't like netting my fish unless it is absolutely necessary - netting = lots of stress.
Hope this helps. and if anybody is appalled at the way i do a water change, then please do not hassle me, let me know how to do it better.
Water changes will actually cause your betta to make bigger, thicker bubblenests. they are happiest in pristine water and will be more likely to make the nests. happy betta = bubblenests.
Do keep an eye out for sparse (only a few bubbles) nests that are distributed over the tanks surface though. this may mean that your fish is not well.
On another note, the bubblenest will tend to dissipate when you open the lid of your tank (always have a lid! bettas will jump!), since the humidity level drops when cooler air comes in contact with the air above the water. don't worry, your boy will get back to work after your done doing whatever it is you are doing in his tank - feeding, water change, etc.
I personally do a minimum 100% water change weekly on my biggest tank that is in use, which is 2 gal. my 1 gals get twice weekly changes, and my 1/2 gal gets at least 3 changes a week, if not more. you can never keep the water too clean. make sure you are using an appropriate water conditioner (i use "betta plus" bowl conditioner by nutrafin - one capful per 2 litres <rinse the cap after or you get crusties on it>). it's a little expensive, but i find it is a good quality and my finkids are not worse for wear for me using it.
When i change the water i scoop my fish into a BIG and WIDE glass (i use big beer mug reserved for this purpose...lol) from the kitchen cupboard (give it a rinse in lukewarm water first in case there is residual dish soap) and make sure there is at least 3 times the height of water in the glass for the height of the fish and make sure there is at least an inch or so of air space at the top. don't worry, your fish will get a little upset, but it is only for a max of ten to twenty minutes. put a lid on the cup! tuppeware lid i use. then dump the gravel, if u use it, into a plastic collander and rinse twice with warm water, shaking collander so all gravel gets rinsed - need to get the poop out of it. rinse tank (mine fit in the kitchen sink), rinse plants, if plastic/fabric (i don't have experience with live plants). put gravel and plants back into tank. i usually have a big jug handy to pour new water into tank (run tap so water is room temp, fill jug, pour kinda slowly into tank - you get less air bubbles clinging to inside of tank this way. fill tank, minusing the amount of water in the cup with the fish, then add appropriate amount of conditioner. i then swirl the water around with a disposable plastic straw so all conditioner is distributed throughout. some people add a touch of aquarium salt, i do, but this is a personal preference.
I also use a floating thermometer in all my tanks, so i know exactly what temp the old water is and exactly what temp the new water has to be. sometimes there may be a difference of a degree or two, but my fish don't seem to mind. If by chance you've made your new water too warm or too cold, you can change it out a little with cold/warm to get the right temp, just make sure any more water added has the water conditioner in it. typing this reminds me of a time when i had used the last of my water conditioner and the tank was too warm and i couldn't switch out any water due to lack of conditioner, so before my fish went back home i put bags of veggies from the freezer around the tank until the temp went down! spoiled fish, huh? lol.
once you have the water changed, temp right, conditioner in (swirled around to distribute), i always wait a bit (five minutes or so) just to let things settle down and then i pick up the fish cup, angle it over the tank, and let a bit of the new water into the cup slowly until the cup is full and horizontal to the surface of the water, halfway out of the water. by now the fish should realize that he is "home" and swim out of the cup. I don't like netting my fish unless it is absolutely necessary - netting = lots of stress.
Hope this helps. and if anybody is appalled at the way i do a water change, then please do not hassle me, let me know how to do it better.
bettafishmommy...seems like you have a method that works great for you, so I'm sure no-one will hassle you! You are kept pretty busy with your water changes! I like your avatar - nice to see a female betta for a change.
irishspy
There is a stargate in my aquarium.
Well, I'll be darned! I had noticed a mass of bubbles around the leaves of one of the wisteria plants that had reached the top of the Betta Palace, and I wondered where they were coming from. Now that I think of it, they only appeared after I added Rocky to the tank -- the little guy was building a nest, shouting "I want a woman!!" to the world. 
erv:
As for putting another male in a tank next to Hattori, I think that would be fine. I doubt either will spend all their time flaring, and it might help keep them active by having to "defend" their territory every so often.
erv:As for putting another male in a tank next to Hattori, I think that would be fine. I doubt either will spend all their time flaring, and it might help keep them active by having to "defend" their territory every so often.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
a note on putting two male bettas side by side in seperate tanks or divided tank.... for the first day or so they are not likely to eat anything as they will be too busy flaring for their neighbour. i've sortof trained my fish that food only appears near their thermometers, which is on the opposite end of the tank from the view of their neighbor, so they eat in peace without having too clear a view of the boy or girl next door.
If you decide to get a female to house next door to a male, add to the above flare time another day or so because males get so much more excited seeing girls (just like us humans, lol), and may take longer to settle down and realize that they really can't get to the pretty little thing.
here is my current setup until i get my 10 and 20 gals cycled: (see pic below)
i've since rearranged them on the desk so the three big ones are in a row in the back and the itty bitty 1/2 gal is up front. the biggest tank has Nemo, who is king of the finkids, so he gets a view of the other male and both the girls (i plan to breed him soon). his bubble nests are sometimes a 1/4 inch thick!
One more thing to note is that if another male is housed beside, you may have to "card" them if they get too intent on going through the wall of the tank... it's painful for me to see Nemo go full tilt at the wall with a resounding thunk..... so i card him when he gets too excited, but he's calming down lately so i don't need to.
If you decide to get a female to house next door to a male, add to the above flare time another day or so because males get so much more excited seeing girls (just like us humans, lol), and may take longer to settle down and realize that they really can't get to the pretty little thing.
here is my current setup until i get my 10 and 20 gals cycled: (see pic below)
i've since rearranged them on the desk so the three big ones are in a row in the back and the itty bitty 1/2 gal is up front. the biggest tank has Nemo, who is king of the finkids, so he gets a view of the other male and both the girls (i plan to breed him soon). his bubble nests are sometimes a 1/4 inch thick!
One more thing to note is that if another male is housed beside, you may have to "card" them if they get too intent on going through the wall of the tank... it's painful for me to see Nemo go full tilt at the wall with a resounding thunk..... so i card him when he gets too excited, but he's calming down lately so i don't need to.
