I’m sure you’ve rushed here in a panic thinking that your betta fish is sick or something is wrong with your tank.
Take a breath. It’s okay. Your betta is fine.
I remember the first time my betta fish blew bubbles, I freaked out and thought that I had killed him. For us, our betta started blowing bubbles the second day that we had him and I thought that there was an issue with the fish tank we got him.
I was quickly relieved to learn that bubbles are very common occurrences in male betta tanks and that they are something that should make you feel happy.
So let’s break it down, why does my betta’s tank have so many bubbles and is my betta fish okay?
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!
DOES EVERY BETTA BLOW BUBBLES?
No, not all bettas fish blow bubble nests.
Bubble nests are only created by male bettas and even at that, not all male bettas will blow bubbles.
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!
SO 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?)
HOW TO GUARANTEE BUBBLE 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 YOU TRY TO MAKE YOUR BETTA 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!
I am pet sitting, Morty, the beta. I had to read up on the “bubble situation” and I am encouraged that he is happy
at my house. I am 80 years old and may just get my own beta. It’s funny because the family talks to him when they come to visit.
I started interacting a little more with my betta, and now he has this big old nest. If this doesn’t mean he’s happy with me then I don’t know what does. He’s a handsome red man with a little bit of blue on his tail and some nice darker blue under his scales.
How 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.
Hey 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.)
Those fish dudes are interesting aren’t they?!
Definitely! Been doing a lot of learning with them!
I didn’t know about Bettas and bubbles. Very interesting to read! Sounds like male Bettas take very good care of the eggs 🙂
Pretty nifty, eh?
I’ve never had a betta so that was interesting info. Thanks
No worries Mary! Thanks for stopping by and reading!
We don’t know about fishes and bettas, it’s very interesting to learn more about other critters ! Purrs
Glad to hear you’re enjoying learning about other little ones! It’s definitely become a huge interest of mine!
We don’t know anything about fish, but we think having Fish TV to watch would be pretty cool.
Hahaha! Fish TV Sounds amazinnng!
Dang, I didn’t know any of that but I do like to learn new things!
Glad 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! 🙂
beau, thiz post waz veree informative !!! we never new that bout bettas …we haz never owned em but haz friendz who have !! thanx for sharin ~ ☺♥♥
No probsies!! (=^.^=) – Beau
Yay, healthy betas!
Woot, woot! They’re pretty awesome 😉