How to Combine Male & Female Betta Fish

Betta fish are solitary fish. The males and females can only be combined to breed or spawn. If you try to combine them at any other time, the male betta will attack the female and kill her. This is true whether you place them in a small betta bowl or a large fish tank. For breeding purposes, it is important to prepare the male and female beta for breeding before placing them together.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish tank
  • Water conditioner
  • 25-watt heater
  • Live plants
  • Betta bowl or small aquarium
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the male betta fish in the tank you will use for the breeding and raising of the fry, or baby fish. Ideally, this tank will be at least a 5- to 10-gallon fish tank to allow the fish room to move freely.

    • 2

      Add the water conditioner to the tank to remove chlorine and other chemicals from the water. Add the 25-watt heater and set the temperature to 80 degrees.

    • 3

      Decorate the fish tank with two to three live plants to provide the female Betta places to hide if the male becomes overly aggressive.

    • 4

      Put the female betta fish in the betta bowl or small aquarium near the male̵7;s tank. The male must be able to see the female through the glass.

    • 5

      Check to see how the male Betta fish is responding. When he is ready to accept the female for breeding, he will begin to make a bubble nest on top of the water. When it is about the size of a silver dollar, he is ready for the female. This may happen in one day, or it may take up to a week.

    • 6

      Look at the female Betta fish. When she is ready to breed, she will appear fatter than normal and will have vertical lines show up on her body. You may also notice a small white tube protruding from her body near her anal fin. This is the gravid tube that releases the eggs. This usually happens around the same time that the bubble nest shows up.

    • 7

      Move the female to the male̵7;s tank and sit by the tank to watch the fish. The male may nip at her fins and you will notice them doing a "mating dance," in which they will swim after each other and around each other in the tank.

    • 8

      Observe the fish as they spawn. During the spawning, the male extracts the eggs from the female by squeezing her body. This may happen several times during the breeding process.

    • 9

      Remove the female from the male̵7;s tank as soon as you notice that he is chasing her away from the bubble nest or the eggs. This is a sign that he is done breeding. He will kill her if she remains in the tank. Place her back in her tank or bowl.