I have a tail biter.

[mdfa.ca]

My new bettas from Thailand seemed to have adjusted very well, eating like pigs and males building nests. I was very hopeful that I could start breeding the Pearl Gas pair after another week of conditioning but alas, the male turned out to be a tail biter. I looked at him on the weekend and there is a 1/2" long bloody area where he chewed off his tail. Obviously I need to make sure he heals first before attempting the breeding. The other pair is in the same boat for a different reason. On my first tank cleaning with a soft hose the male spooked (just like a horse LOL), thrashed around and broke one of the rays in his tail, very close to the base. By the next morning that whole section was ripped out. So, they are both "in the hospital". Yet again my fish teach me patience.

They both have a bit of almond leaves in their tanks with heaters and a bit of salt.

But, my question is, what else can I do to help their tails heal faster and is there anything I can do to stop the biter from attacking his own tail? I have never had this problem so have no idea how to help him... How the heck do they manage to grow their tails so long and beautiful in Thailand? Is it possible this behaviour has just started now?

Taking a deep breath and steeling myself for a long wait...

Margaret.

P.S. Just wanted to add he is in a 1/2 Gal glass jar with nothing sharp in there so there is no way he has injured himself on anything.

[crazy4bettas]

Well, first of all - BREED HIM!  90% of tail biters do so out of boredom. Stress is the other culprit. 

Second, a bigger tank/bowl would be helpful.  Especially if you can put lots of safe decorations and silk plants in there for him.  That will give him more to do and he'll be less likely to attack himself.  I keep mine in divided 5 Gallon tanks - they can see shadows of their "roommate" through the divider as well.  Sometimes allowing him to have a "buddy" within sight will give him something to do as well.  On the other hand, if it's stress that's causing the tail biting, a buddy might stress him out more   (but it really sounds like this might be a boredom thing - if it was stress he would likely have arrived with a torn tail - I've had them eat themselves en-route before)

The IAL and salt should be all you need for healing.  And pristine water conditions of course.  In a 1/2 Gallon jar they need to have water changes often - every 2-3 days at least. (which can also be stressful for them)

I bred my new imports this weekend.  I know people go on about conditioning, but they have really been quite well conditioned in Thailand.... I like to give them a few days to settle in and then put them to it.  They seem to go better right after the trip too - I think it's because they were stressed out, kept in small containers with minimal water etc, then suddenly they get into larger homes with nice fresh water and less stress.  Boom - time to feel frisky!  You may not get a "bumper crop" with less conditioning, but I find the females are almost never without some eggs.  And I don't know about you, but I personally don't like having to jar 100+ fry from a huge spawn....

Good luck.  Can't wait to see what you get from them!

[mdfa.ca]

OK, Heather, I get your point. I'll set up his breeding tank tonight. You  may be on to something, hmmm. I've been letting him see the female for about 30-40 min twice a day last couple of days and he doesn't seem to have done any more damage. Maybe he does need something to do.

Btw, this is probably a stupid question, but what is IAL?

Margaret.

[mdfa.ca]

Sorry, figured out what IAL is. Put our boy into the breeding tank last night. My son named him Snowball. He was a bit overwhelmed but was swimming around and discovering the place by this morning. The girl goes in this afternoon and hopefully the fun will begin.

[bettasandbeads]

Good Luck Margaret
 Nothing is more stressfull for the owner when when her male Bettas don't cooperate.
Keep us posted and enjoy.
Catherine

[crazy4bettas]

Good luck.  Can't wait to hear how they do. 

Seems to me it was Kim that initially suggested to us all that tail-biting might be a sign of "frustration" (if you know what I mean )

[hyperfin]

Heres to hopeing all goes well!

[mdfa.ca]

Wellll, I did put the girl in last night, and she at least appears ready. Just hovers beside the male, head down, waiting for him. He, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know how to build a nest. He swims over to the cup, looks at it, tentatively blows a bubble or two and then swims back to the girl and shows off. By the time he comes back to the "nest", the bubble is gone. So, by this morning, there is nothing there. And she's just waiting, waiting...  . Should I just follow her suit and wait for him to get his **** together? Should I feed them while they are in the breeding tank. Poor girl, she is huge with eggs!  I wonder if that is as uncomfortable for them as it is for a 9 mth pregnant woman?

Margaret.

[crazy4bettas]

I would leave them.  He's not being overly aggressive to her and she doesn't seem to be aggressive to him... Just watch that she doesn't get mad at him and attack.  He'll figure it out - he's probably just so enamored of her that he can't concentrate on making a nest    I've had them spawn without a nest before - then they make one as they go and the male has more work to do in caring for the eggs later on, but it certainly doesn't mean they won't or can't spawn.  When she is ready to spawn, she will dart over to the "nest" area and give him a nudge in the side; then probably dart away again.  Once she starts doing that, it won't be long until they get down to business

I always feed mine in the spawning tank.  I usually use live food when possible (white worms work well) since if they don't eat it then I don't have to fish it out right away.  I find if the male has a really good feed at the beginning he is less likely to eat the eggs.  It might also help to induce spawning since excess food and fresh clean water seem to be triggers in the wild.

[mdfa.ca]

THanks Heather! Since she is still in the glass bell I will probably leave her there until the weekend unless the male does build a nest tonight. Then we'll sit and watch... I just don't want to leave them unattended. She is being very quiet in her little safe haven though. Just waiting....

[mdfa.ca]

We have BUBBLES!!!! Last night I came home and my son just off handedly mentioned, "You know, Puffball made a bubblenest". I run upstairs and surely enough. Not under the cup where I was hoping, but sort of all over the place, and also under the IAL. THat's ok, I'll take that. We did not release the female last night because I was going to my club meeting and if things went really fast, there would be noone there to watch them and pull the female out when they were done. So, tonight is the night! Wish me luck! Or rather, wish THEM luck  .

Margaret.

[crazy4bettas]

Yay!  Good luck!

How big is your spawning tank?  And do you have lots of hiding spots for the female?  I don't worry too much about the female following the spawn - she will usually find a hidey hole and hang out away from the nest.  The male may chase her, but he's usually more interested in the nest.  The only times I've seen any real aggression is if the female tries to envade the nest.  I remember one pair that I left for 2 days while I was on an overnight.  They spawned and I didn't realize it and when I got back there were actually tails in the nest (actually I think it was the red dragon spawn this fall).  The female was hiding out under her floating plant on the other side of the tank and the male was only occasionally warding her off.  Both of those were virgin spawners so I was surprised.

[hyperfin]

Hey Margret i just cheched out your website and saw you work... You are a great artist!!! I was wondering if you would be willing to do a portrait of my dogs Dexter and Tyson? One is a full breed Boxer and the other is a Boxer/Walkerhound cross.

[mdfa.ca]

It's a 5 Gal and there is some plants in there plus a small piece of (rounded) driftwood with Java Fern on it. She has lots of places to hide. That's good to know she will be fine if we can't be there.

[mdfa.ca]

Hey Hyperfin,

thank you! I would love to do a portrait of your boys! Just e-mail me and we can hammer out the details: mdentfineart@yahoo.com.

Margaret.