TRANSPLANTED BUBBLE NESTS What to do if your male won't make a bubble nest.
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The
white opaque male I used for my first spawn is a very poor bubble
nest builder. After two days in the spawning tank, he hadn't managed
to get two bubbles to stick together in the same place. He swam
around, puffing out bubbles but couldn't get anything started. It was
as if he didn't have the genetic hard wiring that got him going in
the right direction.
I got the idea that all he needed was a hint. So, I collected bubble nests from the jars of several other males and added them to the spawning tank right where I wanted the opaque to blow his nest. He swam over to the transplanted nest, looked at it ten seconds, and immediately started adding new bubbles to it. From then on he maintained the nest in top condition and the spawn preceded without a hitch... except for the minor issue of his eating all of the eggs, but at least I got him to keep a nest!
This indicates that betta males do not imbue their nests with a scent that other males object to. If you have a poor nest builder you want to spawn, try this technique.
