he is in a 10 gallon tank and he is conditioned well. The female is in her glass chimney and she is dark bodied and you can see her vertical stripes. There is a cup in the tank and he built a nest in it, but i had to destroy it because i needed to feed him one more time and he hides from me when i try to feed him. The female has had vertical stripes for 2 days and he still wont make a bubble nest. What is Wrong? he always flares at her and she flares back, and then they try to get to eachother. Sometimes he ignores his food because he is to busy flirting with her. Was it wrong to try to catch him with a net? I caught him with a net because that is how i have to feed him because again, he is too busy flirting with the female. I need tips! Dont give me a stupid answer like some of you ignorant people who dont know anything about my question. I want direct answers.

Remove the female until he makes a bubble nest again. If your concerned about feeding him, buy one of those betta vacation feeders. The white blocks shaped like a betta fish will feed them for the amout of days it says. (Buy from petsmart)

He can just eat from there. (it will be placed at bottom of tank.)

one he makes another bubble nest introduce the female once again.

Sorry, I have no clue. But I'm definitely starring because I may breed my bettas soon, and I am currently having a similar problem. My betta has never even made a bubble nest.

Good luck, I hope you get the answer you need!

Never EVER catch a betta with a net. Their fins and gills are far to fragile for constant catching in nets. Never do this. If he is hungry enough he will eat. This is why the nest is not being made. You are interupting him. Never catch a fish with a net to feed it. He will eat eventually.

And telling morons not to answer will only encourage them to do so FYI.

25 + years fish keeping experience.

maybe hes just not ready give him some more time

Here is a direct answer. Leave the fish alone. If it is no eating then don't feed it! The water level in the tank should be about 4 ". The temperature should be in the mid 70F range. The filtration should be by a well cycled small sponge filter (air powered) There should be a few floating plants. There are several possibilities as to why your fish is not building nests. First it could be excessive handling. Or it could be sexually immature. Or the water may need a few very small water changes. Or the water chemistry might not be right. Many fish can live well in water that they would never breed in. Perhaps a book about breeding Anabantids would help.

60 years of fishkeeping.