Why Are Female Betta Eggs Sticking Out? And How to Treat

Betta Eggs sticking out is a common issue most betta fish owners are facing. There could be several reasons for this sticking eggs. Those are

1. Betta fish female and the male ratio is off
2. Poor water quality 
3. Overcrowded 
4. Lack of nutrients 

However, do not panic. You can save your female betta fish from this trouble. So, I included some methods to overcome this challenge successfully. Keep reading!

Why are female betta eggs sticking out?

There are several reasons for betta eggs sticking out. So, let’s see them one by one. 

Betta fish female and the male ratio is off

Firstly, if your tank does not have a proper female and male ratio, it can be caused the egg to stick out. Most aquarists, who have only female betta fish in their tank, are experiencing this situation. Hence, some female betta fish do not tend to release their eggs without male bettas in their tank. 

Poor water quality 

Secondly, betta eggs sticking out can happen due to poor water conditions. So, it would be best if you always tried to maintain the water quality at the preferable level. Also, you should check out the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels of the tank water. Then, you should keep them at the minimum level or zero level. Because these substances are harmful to all fish varieties. 

Overcrowded 

When your fish tank is overcrowded, sometimes fish tends to stick out their eggs. Especially when you rear betta or fight fish, you should highly consider the tankmates. Because They show aggressive behavior towards tankmates. 

Lack of nutrients 

Another factor that causes sticking eggs is a lack of nutrients. Generally, when spawning, female betta needs extra energy. Thus, if you do not provide enough foods or nutrients, they do not have better health to breed successfully. 

How to treat female betta eggs sticking out?

Firstly, if you notice female betta eggs sticking out, you should check the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels in the tank water. Because betta eggs sticking out can happen due to poor water quality. However, if your water condition is not better, you should perform a water change as soon as possible.  

Secondly, you can go to Epsom salt treatment. Because if they have any constipation, Epsom salt can fix it. Moreover, you can feed them daphnia. Hence, daphnia is a great food that helps to clean out female fish eggs. Further, daphnia can relax the muscles of female betta fish. As a result of the daphnia diet, females release their eggs naturally. Further, if your betta tank does not have a male betta, you can try this method. You can separate the betta female into a separate tank and introduce a male betta fish to that tank.

At this time, there is a possibility to release the eggs by female betta. In this method, you do not have sure the behavior of female betta or male betta. Also, you have an alternative way to accomplish this. You can put a male fish into the cup and put the cup at the top of the aquarium. But do not put it in the aquarium. Through this, you can leave them for about 2-3 hours alone without a worry.

Also, you can follow this method if you have enough space in your aquarium. If these above methods do not work, you can try fasting your female betta. Avoid providing the food for 3 to 4 days. It is hard, but you should have to do it. Because it leads your female betta to absorb the eggs. In addition to these, you should try to keep your bettas, including female betta fish, without any stress. 

Do female bettas get egg-bound?

Yes. Female betta fish can get egg-bound. Generally, in suitable conditions, female betta fish release eggs into the water. At the same time, male betta release their sperms and fertilize them. This process does not happen if there is no male in the tank or if the condition is unsuitable. However, this time female bettas will reabsorb the matured eggs and wait until next year. But sometimes, female betta fish do not release eggs. Most of the time old female betta fish is facing this unfortunate circumstance.

Special Note: Sometimes, if you watch closely, you can notice that the egg tube is sticking out. In this situation, do not try to squeeze your fish to release the eggs. Because it is very dangerous and it can hurt your betta. 

How can you tell if a female betta has eggs?

There is a white bump near the ventral fin. It is the ovipositor spot of the female betta fish, and it is always there. The first sign is egg spots, and the egg tube is visible clearly. When female produce eggs gradually, this ovipositor spot or egg tube extend down slightly. So, this is the primary signal to ensure that your female betta has eggs. 

Further, you can ensure that your female betta is producing eggs by inspecting their stripe patterns. If your female betta fish has vertical stripes and these are white, it is a good sign. Because it derives that your betta is fertile and also produces eggs. In addition to this, they show a fatty appearance suddenly, you can guess that your female betta has eggs. Because when your female produces eggs, they start bulking up.

However, you can support this process by feeding slightly more. Here you can introduce live foods to betta females. For instance, blackworms almost certainly encourage egg production of your female betta. In addition to that, you can compare the appearance of particular female betta fish with male betta fish or other female betta fish. Here you can notice a marked difference in the mid-section of the female betta. Because most probably it is bulky. 

Special note: Here it would be best if you first considered the age of your female betta fish. Because they become mature when they are 2-3 months old. However, if you wish to breed your female betta, it is recommended to wait until the fish reach their maximum size.

How Do I Get My Female Betta To Drop Her Eggs?

To drop eggs, your female betta should mature. Generally, they will encourage to drop the eggs after a successful spawning process. However, for a successful breeding process, your female betta needs better health and a better environment without any stress. So, it would be best if you fed them properly. Further,  consider the water quality and water temperature also. In addition to that, you should select a healthy male betta for your female fish. 

How Do I Know When My Female Betta Is Ready To Mate?

You can easily identify when your female betta fish is ready to mate from several signs. When your female betta is prepared, its color becomes darker. You can see deep coloration in their body. Similarly, you can find dark stripes on their body. But stripes should be vertical. However, if these stripes are horizontal, the female betta is not ready to mate. 

Also, when they are ready to mate, you can clearly notice a small white tube behind the ventral fins of your female betta fish. This tube is an ovipositor spot. This ovipositor spot is the place where the eggs come from. In addition to that, when this period, male betta fish tend to build a bubble nest. This bubble nest is the place where parent fish place the eggs after laying. 

So, if your female betta is ready to mate, she accepts and swims directly to the bubble nest.  However, if she does not ready to mate, she will tend to destroy the bubble nest. So, these are the key signs that help identify when a female betta is ready to mate.  

Female Betta Is Not Releasing Eggs, Why?

There are several reasons not to release eggs.

1. Firstly, you should ensure that your female betta is mature. Typically, they will mature when they are 2-3 months old. 
2. Another thing is water condition. If you keep your female betta in poor quality water conditions, betta will not release eggs. Therefore, you should check the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels in your tank water regularly.
3. Also, you should perform a water change regularly. Further, you should highly consider the bio load in the tank. 
4. Further, if your female betta is stressed, they are not releasing eggs. Therefore, you should create a peaceful and preferable environment for them to live without any stress. 
5. When a female betta is too fat, it will be a barrier to releasing the eggs. Because too much fat is causing to blocks the egg passage of fish. 
6. Moreover, female bettas need enough energy to spawn and lay eggs. Because it is pretty difficult. So, you should feed them well with nutrient-rich foods. 
7. Also, it would be best if you consider their health condition. Because if there suffer from any disease, it will act as a barrier to releasing eggs. 

How To Make Female Betta Produce Eggs?

To achieve this, you can follow the below-listed tricks. 

Step 1: Firstly, you can buy a pair of bettas from young 

Step 2: Then raise them together in the same tank with a lot of livebearers. However, if you couldn’t rear a betta pair together, you can place a male fish before 2-3 weeks to breed. 

Step 3: Provide a better environment with preferable water parameters

 You can go through the below instructions to achieve it. 

• Water temperature: You should keep the water temperature around 78^oF. It is the preferable level.
• Water changes: Do the water changes at least two times per week. Furthermore, you should remove the excess or uneaten foods from the tank. 
• Ph level: 6.5-6.8 

The pH levels and kH levels must be stable. In addition to that, if you desire, you can add some Almond leaves to the tank. 

Best foods for female betta fish

Further, you have to consider the diet of your female betta fish highly. Because foods can directly encourage the female bettas to produce eggs. So, you can try the below-listed foods to get better results. 

• Live white worms
• Frozen glass worms
• live or Frozen daphnia
• Frozen tubifex worms (it is better to avoid live tubifex worms. Because they usually carry parasites or bacteria.)
• Live Grindal worms
• Frozen Mysis shrimps
• Live flightless or wingless fruit flies
• Frozen or live brine shrimps
• Live black worms

Special Note: When you feed your betta with live foods, you should make sure that they are clean. As well, it would be best if you stored them properly. 

Summary

There are a few reasons for female bettas eggs sticking out. But you can protect your fish by going through the right treatments. However, you have to perform 80% of the role to get healthy eggs from your female betta fish. So, I hope this article helps you accomplish the responsibility mentioned above at your level best. 

Read Next: How To Tell If Betta Eggs Are Fertilized? | 12 Unheard Facts |

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