First. Take a breath. Short answer. Yes! Everything is okay! Don’t worry, I freaked out too when I first found bubbles at the top of Blub’s fish tank. It was a few days after we had gotten him and I thought that I was a terrible fish owner!
So… Johnny… what are these bubbles?
Well, I’m glad you asked! We like to call them Bubble Nests! They actually mean your little one is ready to mate and is good and healthy! Now, male Bettas will blow these nests every so often (and not every Betta will so don’t worry if yours isn’t!) For us, Blub blows nests while Flub doesn’t. Most commonly Blub blows his nests whenever we change the water in his tank, which definitely makes sense!
But… why bubbles?
Also glad you asked! Bettas mate externally. The male Betta will blow bubbles while the female secures the eggs in these nests. Since most wild Bettas live in shallow water there isn’t much oxygen, so the Bubbles ensure a nice clean oxygen-filled space for the little ones to thrive! Male Bettas are actually the keepers of the eggs and help protect them from danger! (Isn’t that pretty cool?)
Is there any way to guarantee to get my little one to blow nests?
Well, yes and no. Again, not all Bettas are going to blow bubbles. Some quick tips would be:
- Make sure to clean water regularly. I usually recommend 1/3 water changes once a week. If your tank sides start to get dirty, definitely do a 100% water change, but Betta’s can sometimes get shocked or stressed when you completely change the water. (Make sure you are always using conditioner. This is a must!)
- Use a waterfall filter! A lot of tanks have pretty awesome settings. I recommend setting the waterfall to gentle!
- Use a heater if your tank is 3 gallons or more. Bettas like to live in 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to keep your tank away from open windows (as that can drastically change the water temperature.)
- Make your Betta’s living space comfy! If you need a list of things we use in our tank check out this article we posted. It’s pretty thorough and there’s plenty of articles out there in case you need a helping hand!
Should I be trying to get my Betta to blow bubbles?
Nah, it shouldn’t be your top priority. Honestly, bubbles are mostly for folks who are trying to breed Bettas. As long as you’re keeping your Bettas tank clean and you’re feeding them regularly you’re all set!
Pamela says
October 17, 2018 at 10:43 amHow do I change the water when my Beta has a bubble nest? Also I need to upgrade his tank it is just a very large vase. Will this stress him out too much? So should I wait? He is definitely happy.
Johnny Salib says
October 17, 2018 at 12:20 pmHey Pamela, removing the bubble nest is fine and will not anger your Betta Fish. (Especially since it’s not fertilized.) If you want to keep the bubbles, you can actually scoop them out with a clean cup, but it’s not necessary.
A large vase can definitely stress out your Betta. I would suggest changing as soon as you can, and in the meanwhile just make sure that you have been using water conditioner and are changing the water every few days to keep it clean (since the vase has no filter.)
Pipo/Angel-Minko/MrJackFreckles says
August 3, 2017 at 3:08 amThose fish dudes are interesting aren’t they?!
Johnny Salib says
August 3, 2017 at 12:37 pmDefinitely! Been doing a lot of learning with them!
Tamago says
July 21, 2017 at 10:37 pmI didn’t know about Bettas and bubbles. Very interesting to read! Sounds like male Bettas take very good care of the eggs 🙂
Johnny Salib says
July 21, 2017 at 11:55 pmPretty nifty, eh?
Mary Kirkland says
July 21, 2017 at 12:59 pmI’ve never had a betta so that was interesting info. Thanks
Johnny Salib says
July 21, 2017 at 1:17 pmNo worries Mary! Thanks for stopping by and reading!
The Swiss Cats says
July 21, 2017 at 2:13 amWe don’t know about fishes and bettas, it’s very interesting to learn more about other critters ! Purrs
Johnny Salib says
July 21, 2017 at 1:17 pmGlad to hear you’re enjoying learning about other little ones! It’s definitely become a huge interest of mine!
The Island Cats says
July 20, 2017 at 8:49 pmWe don’t know anything about fish, but we think having Fish TV to watch would be pretty cool.
Johnny Salib says
July 20, 2017 at 10:33 pmHahaha! Fish TV Sounds amazinnng!
Brian Frum says
July 20, 2017 at 3:32 pmDang, I didn’t know any of that but I do like to learn new things!
Johnny Salib says
July 20, 2017 at 10:33 pmGlad to hear you enjoyed learning from us today Brian! 🙂 It’s pretty cool. That’s why I absolutely love taking care of new little ones! 🙂
da tabbies o trout towne says
July 20, 2017 at 2:54 pmbeau, thiz post waz veree informative !!! we never new that bout bettas …we haz never owned em but haz friendz who have !! thanx for sharin ~ ☺♥♥
Johnny Salib says
July 20, 2017 at 10:32 pmNo probsies!! (=^.^=) – Beau
Eastside Cats says
July 20, 2017 at 1:50 pmYay, healthy betas!
Johnny Salib says
July 20, 2017 at 10:32 pmWoot, woot! They’re pretty awesome 😉