Female Betta tries to swim underneath bubble nest but male chases her away

[onefiveoneone]

Hello everyone,
I've been conditioning both my male and female Bettas for a little bit more than a month with pellets, flakes and blood worms. The female certainly looks quite plump.
Anyway, I introduced them to my spawn tank, which is just a clear plastic tub which is approximately 60L (or a little bit more). There are plenty of hiding spots and live plants and I've added Styrofoam cups since the bubble nests the male made kept popping.

When I first introduced them (after putting the female into a clear cylinder), I watched them go through the whole courtship phase. The female was pretty scared but she got through it. Now she's trying to swim underneath the bubble nest but the male will chase her away. I am 100% sure that they haven't embraced yet. The temperature is also at a constant 28 degrees (give or take one degree).

Is he simply too aggressive or are they close to mating?

[Gloria]

Does he chase her away and then go work on the nest? It may be that they just need a little more time in together or they need to be re-conditioned... I am not too sure. I am still pretty new to breeding. Hopefully someone else can give you a hand..

How are they going now?

[indjo]

That's normal. As long as the male still works on his nest and the female is always returning to the male, then let them be. The whole courtship (or what ever) may take a few hours to a week. First time breeders (specially the female) usually take longer than veterans.

[onefiveoneone]

Hi everyone,
Thank you both for replying, :). My family is currently refurnishing the house so the internet has been out and so I apologise for the late reply.
At that time, he chased her away and continued to work on his nest.
Right now, they are embracing! The only problem is that no eggs are coming out. He seems to be holding her upside down so the ovipositor is facing towards his body.
I'm assuming they just need some practice!
Or could it be that the female simply does not have eggs to release?

[onefiveoneone]

We now have eggs!
Except the female is a lot faster than the male and she is gobbling them up a lot quicker than he can grab them S:

[Bambi]

congrats on the eggs. hopefully you'l still have a few when they're done.

if it's your first spawn a smaller number may be better anyway. xD

[onefiveoneone]

Thank you! :)
I have a feeling my male is eating them though ..
He swims up to the nest and all but it looks like he is chewing it. Then he adds another bubble to the nest.
At this rate, I'll have no fry ):

[Gloria]

Thats bubble he adds to the nest will be the egg, just with extra protection.. I thought my male was eating them too but soon realised he wasn't.. Hope all is going good still...
Pics of mum and dad would be awsome :)

[onefiveoneone]

Oh! Phew. Well, that's a relief.
There are a lot of infertile eggs on the floor of the tub but I'm too scared to remove them in case I disturb the nest. I'm assuming things are okay at the moment but Papa Betta seems to be depressed for some reason. They spent 3+ hours embracing so it might just be exhaustion?
He's just floating at the top far away from the nest.

Is there anything I should do?
+ on a different note, my infusoria seems to developing nicely!

Also, I shall post up pictures of Mum & Dad soon! I just want their fins to heal up first :)

[Gloria]

He might be but i don't recall my boy really ever leaving the nest.. Have they finished? Is the female removed if they are done? Have you got a snail in the tank? How do you know the eggs on the tank bottom are unfertile?

I am not sure if there is anything you can do, maybe just keep an eye on him..
You don't have to wait til their fins heal, no one will judge you :) I am sure they are still BEAUTIFUL!!