Are you trying to get your betta fish to spawn and are wondering how the process goes? Or, maybe you’ve noticed your betta creating a bubble nest, and are wondering if it’ll produce eggs.
Either way, we’ve got you covered. We’ll tell you all about betta fish eggs so you know exactly what to expect.
How Do Bettas Mate?
If you are trying to mate your bettas, you should let the male and female get to know each other a few days prior. Place their tanks next to each other, but don’t place them in the same tank yet.
If they want to mate, the male will begin to produce a bubble nest. A bubble nest is a large clump of bubbles that he produces at the water surface.
When the fish are ready to mate, you will place them in the same tank. The female may lay on her side in the water column, appearing very still. The male will wrap himself around her and squeeze the eggs out of her.
As she releases the eggs, he will secrete milt — which contains sperm — to fertilize the eggs. The eggs will sink to the bottom of the tank. Then, the male will begin transferring the eggs into the bubble nest he’s created.
If he doesn’t transfer the eggs to a bubble nest for whatever reason, don’t panic. The eggs can still hatch at the bottom of the tank. The bubble nest keeps the eggs safe and makes it easier for the male to care for them. But, they aren’t necessary.
Sometimes, the male may intentionally leave eggs at the bottom of the tank if they’re not fertilized. If they don’t hatch after 72 hours, then you know they aren’t fertilized and you should remove them before they rot.
Once the eggs are laid, you should immediately remove the female. She will not hesitate to eat the eggs.
What Do Betta Eggs Look Like?
Betta fish eggs are very tiny. They’re only about 1mm in size, and they basically look like tiny, white balls. But, if you look closely, they’re not perfectly round. Instead, they are more of an oval shape.
How Can You Tell If Eggs Are Fertilized?
It’s not hard to tell if eggs are fertilized because you can see the eggs growing. They are tiny, so you may need a magnifying glass, but you can see it happening!
As they grow, the white eggs will begin to develop a yellow or brown hue. Near the end, you will notice two dots inside the eggs which are the fry’s eyes.
You will also notice the father actively caring for the eggs. He won’t do this if the eggs aren’t fertilized.
If the eggs aren’t fertilized, they will remain white, even after a few days.
It is possible for a female to lay eggs without a male. Naturally, these eggs won’t be fertilized, so you’ll need to remove them from the tank. If you don’t, they will begin to rot and may develop a fungus. This can make your female betta sick.
Although it’s possible, it’s really not common for females to lay eggs without the presence of a male.
How Many Eggs Do Bettas Lay?
On average, a female betta will lay 30-40 eggs at a time. Some bettas may lay up to 500 eggs at once, but these occurrences are very rare.
Although they will lay about 30-40 eggs, not all these eggs will survive. In fact, only about 70% will hatch into healthy fry.
How Long Does It Take For Betta Eggs To Hatch?
Once the eggs are placed into the bubble nest, it will take them about two to three days to hatch. After this, the fry will begin to eat their yolk sac for nutrients.
What Might Prevent Eggs From Hatching?
Sometimes, things can go wrong that may prevent the eggs from hatching. Usually, this happens if the eggs are never fertilized in the first place.
Males may not fertilize their eggs if they are inexperienced or if they’re stressed out. Sometimes, you may have an infertile male as well.
In other cases, the female may produce many more eggs than is usual. If this is the case, the father may not be able to fertilize all of them. So, that will inevitably prevent many of the eggs from hatching.
It’s also possible that you didn’t provide the right conditions for the eggs to hatch. The water parameters need to be near perfect for the fry to develop and hatch. This is often the hardest part of breeding your bettas.
If 72 hours have passed and your eggs still aren’t hatching, then you should remove them from the tank. They will begin to rot and make the aquarium water toxic.
How Do You Care For Betta Eggs?
It’s not hard to care for betta fish eggs because the father will do most of the work.
You should leave the father in the tank while the eggs are developing as he will continue to care for them. But, as soon as the eggs begin to hatch, you should remove him from the tank. Once the fry begins to emerge, he will not hesitate to eat them.
Still, there are things you can and should do to provide your eggs with the most success. If you want the eggs to hatch, then you need to provide the right aquarium conditions.
Here are the perfect conditions for hatching betta fish eggs:
- Temperature: 78-80° F (25-27° C)
- pH: 7.0-7.2
- Hardness: 5-20 DH (70-300ppm)
- Ammonia: 0ppm
- Nitrites: 0ppm
- Nitrates: <20ppm
It’s also vital that you prevent fluctuations in the water parameters. It’s not enough to just get the water parameters to these levels, they need to remain stable.
Fluctuations may prevent fry from developing. They may also stress the male out to the point that they will eat their eggs.
Conclusion
Breeding your bettas can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Still, you need to know how to do it right so that you’ll have plenty of healthy fry.
Do you think you’re ready to breed your bettas? Go for it, and good luck!