Female Betta is Running Away From Male: 8 Possible Causes
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Female and male both betta must be ready for mating if you want to breed betta fish. However, if your female betta is running away from male betta then maybe you are in trouble. At that time you must check some elements which need to be correct.
A barring pattern & dark colouration on a female betta’s body means it wants to mate. Despite having these if it is running away from male means aquarium condition is not suitable or male betta is not compatible with her. It may occur due to parasites infection & nutrition deficiency too.
However, there may be hundreds of causes why female betta running away from the male betta is. It completely depends on a pair. If your female betta does not like the male betta then it may happen obviously.
Here I’ll discuss some major issues that I’ve faced. You may face these complexities too while breeding your Betta fish. To know a comprehensive idea, let’s dive deep into the topic.
Why is female betta running away from male?
If you have one male and one female betta fish then you may wish to breed this pair. However, it may not be possible all the time. There may be several reasons for it. However, there is one main reason for it. Your female or male betta may not like each other and that’s why they are uninterested. There are other reasons too. Here I’ll discuss 8 more possible reasons why your female betta is running away from the male. Some of these reasons I’ve faced personally. So let’s get started know about these
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Female betta fish is not ready for mating
You must know that if you feed your female betta well and if its age is more than 4-6 months then it will be ready to mate. However, to check externally you should find a dark coloration on a female’s body or vertical stripes along with its spine. You may notice an ovipositor underneath her. All of these justify that a female betta is ready to mate.
When I want to breed my Betta fish then I also follow the same rules. Despite being a beginner you can notice vertical stripes on her body that must be along with her spine. If you notice horizontal stripes along its spine then you must know that the female betta is in a stressful condition.
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Read more:- How to Stop Fish Attacking Others in Aquarium: 90% People don’t know this
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It may not get proper nutrition
If your female betta fish is not getting proper nutrition then it may not be interested in mating. So before putting female betta inside of the breeding tank make sure that you are providing enough nutritious foods to her.
Generally, a betta is a carnivorous species. So you must provide lots of meaty food. Protein is mandatory for betta fish during this time. For extra protein sources, you can provide brine shrimp as food. It has a total of 61% protein. However, for an adult betta, only brine shrimp will not be enough. With brine shrimp, you can provide bloodworms, small crustaceans, frozen flies, mosquito larvae, daphnia etc.
All of these are live foods. Try to provide love food as much as possible during the breeding period. Though commercial foods are good still, your female betta will be required to have live food sources for extra energy for mating. I personally rely on human foods sometimes. These are good and healthy for a betta. You can provide human foods to female betta too if you don’t want to invest much in live foods. To know more about it you can go here. This is certified by a professional veterinarian.
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Read more:- How Much Do Tropical Fish Eat? Cost Analysis
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The aquarium is not suitable for breeding
Betta fish require a suitable fish tank for mating. If you have a little bit extra money to invest then it is recommended to build three types of tanks for Betta. The first one should be a mother tank, the second tank must be a mating tank and in the third tank, you can put the Betta fries.
If you do not have a suitable breeding tank then a female betta may not want to mate with a male one. So, you must check some parameters whether your mating tank is healthy or not.
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Right tank size for mating
The fish tank size must be more than 10-gallon. Lots of new aquarists try to use less than a 10-gallon fish tank for mating purposes. It is not good for them because they need more space to be comfortable enough. Make sure that the mating tank has a sufficient level of depth also.
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Read more: – 5 Rare Betta Fish that you must try to collect: With Care Guide
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Proper temperature and water parameters
The right temperature is the most required for a mating tank. 25°C is the most suitable temperature for Betta fish. So try to keep this temperature during the breeding period with a good heater.
You must check the water parameters also. Any kind of stress is disallowed in this period of time. So you must check water parameters daily. Ammonia and nitrite must be zero in this case. Having a neutral pH level is always better in the mating tank of the betta fish.
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Read more:- Betta Fish is Turning Black/White: Doctor’s Opinion On It
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Having hiding places are a must
For a breeding tank, the substrate is not recommended. A bare bottom tank is enough. However, you must place lots of decorations, driftwoods and caves. This will provide extra hiding places for female betta fish. If your tank has not have enough hiding places then it may be scared to mate with the male fish. So make sure to place enough elements to build hiding places in the breeding tank.
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Privacy is the most recommended here
Only hiding places are not enough for a breeding tank. You must keep this tank in a private place too. If you have kept the fish tank in a crowded area then the female betta may not be comfortable in mating with the male.
To keep the tank private, you can provide plenty of almond leaves. You can use styrofoam here also. The light intensity must be medium. A too bright or a too dark environment is not recommended for a breeding tank.
Read More:- Is Your Betta Fish Happy: Top 5 Proven Signs To Check
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A filter must be installed which has a gentle flow
A male betta fish gradually develops a bubble nest to create a situation of mating. Now a bubble nest stays on the top of the water surface. Agitation should not occur somehow during this time.
For this reason, you have to choose such a filter that creates a gentle flow. This gentle flow will not destroy the bubble nest by water flow. It is a must for a breeding tank of betta fish.
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Male betta may be infected by parasites
A female betta fish will not choose such a companion for breeding which is infected by any type of parasites. Betta fish is named as a fighter fish and female betta will like to choose a good fighter for mating.
One of the main diseases of male betta fish is ‘Fin Rot‘. It is a bacterial disease that happens quite a lot to make Betta fish. Now female Betta fish will not choose a companion whose fins are damaged. It likes the healthy, long fins of a male betta fish. So you must keep your eyes on it.
Male betta fish may be affected by other diseases also. These can be parasitic or fungal. So before trying to mate betta fish you must notice whether both fish are healthy or not. Otherwise, it will not be successful.
Read more:- Two Betta Fish in The Same Tank: Is It Even Possible?
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The male betta maybe not much energetic
If you want to breed then you must have a strong and aggressive male betta fish. Female betta will not like a comparatively weaker male fish for breeding.
A weak male fish may not be a good mating partner for a healthy female. When you put the female inside of the fish tank then it will understand the health condition of the male fish. In this case, the male betta fish must show some energy to the female to attract her. To eliminate this issue you must purchase male and female betta fish from a reputable fish shop.
I personally faced this issue quite a lot. Initially, I did not know anything significant about fishkeeping and so I got cheated a lot by several fish keepers. Then I realized this fact that I’ve discussed.
Read more:- Keep Betta Fish Happy & Healthy: 6 unique Veterinary Guidelines
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Female Betta likes red-colored male
A recent research paper shows that a female Betta fish’s mating partner selection sometimes depends upon the coloration of male betta. The result of this research has shown a female betta fish prefers red male betta fish rather than blue male fish.
It is not obvious for all female Betta fish. Some female Betta is attracted by both. So there is a neutral zone too. However, it may be one of the reasons why your female betta fish is running from the male one. So if you want to buy a male betta fish then try to find a red one. It will provide much more benefit for breeding purposes.
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Female betta may be old enough
If you purchase betta fish from a poor shop owner then
it may happen to you. So you must purchase this from a reputable fish shop. Usually, a female fish is likely to start breeding after 4 months and this period extends up to 14 months. After 14 months female Betta fish lose their breeding capability. Now if you have an old female betta fish it can run away from the male fish.
However, it may happen if you have juvenile female betta fish. So know properly from your shopkeeper before purchasing Betta fish.
Read more:- How to Stop Fin Nipping in Aquarium: With 9 Popular Fin Nippers
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The betta pair is two males
If you do not have much experience in keeping betta fish then it may happen to you and it is quite possible. Sometimes due to wild ancestors’ genes, a female betta fish may look like a male one and that’s why female betta fish could be sold as male betta fish. Some dishonest fish farms do this for generating more profits at a time.
In general, male betta fish have a more elaborate color combination and it has big and attractive fins. A female betta does not have these types of fins or colors. However, if you have purchased a juvenile betta fish then it is very difficult to understand its gender. Gradually you can understand its gender with its body growth. Generally, after two months bettas start showing their sexual characteristics. The size of a male betta is comparatively bigger than a female one. Not only that, but a male betta fish becomes much more slender and long. Besides this, female betta fish have less aggressive behavior than male fish.
Can a female betta fish lay eggs without males?
A female betta fish can lay eggs without a male betta. Probably fries will not come out if it happens. Female betta may reabsorb eggs again in this case. Besides this, a female betta may eat its eggs too. To keep eggs alive a bubble nest is a must and which is almost impossible without a male betta.
How long will it take for female betta fish to be ready for breeding again?
As a whole, a healthy female betta gains the ability to breed again within 2-3 weeks. This period can extend up to 3-5 weeks too. However, it totally depends on the health condition of female betta. An inactive or stressed female betta fish should not be forced to breed again until it becomes healthy.
So best of luck & happy fishkeeping 🐟