Space Invaders
(images via: Florida Photography Guide and My Florida Backyard)
Many readers may know Tilapia from the seafood section of their supermarket but did you know this African native is an invasive species? The bowl-shaped nests above were scooped out by non-native Tilapia in a Florida pond, and the fish themselves hang around the nests until their eggs hatch and the young disperse.
A Mo Betta Nest
(images via: Aquariums Life, GoPitbull and Seriously Fish)
It doesn’t get much “Betta” than this: a nest made out of bubbles! Bettas, or “Siamese Fighting Fish” as many know them, are one of the only fish species that create serviceable nests out of nothing more than seemingly fragile bubbles. It’s wonder the nests stay together long enough for the eggs to hatch and the young Bettas to grow a bit within their shelter.
(image via: Pet Info Club)
Male Bettas build their nests bubble by bubble – it actually doesn’t take as long as one might think. Once courted and compliant, the Bettas spawn… not in the nest, on the river or pond bottom. Then the male has more work to do, taking each individual egg into his mouth and “blowing” it up into the bubble nest. When it comes to nest-building creativity, few fish are mo betta than the Betta!
Stickleback Mountain
(images via: Animal Pix Archive, Giacomo Radi and Sam2cents)
The Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus) is one of the better-known nest builders due to the extreme care the male takes in building his nest, luring a female inside, and then guarding their newly hatched young. Naturally, no cheap cheesy nest will do. The fish seeks out a variety of building materials such as sticks and waterweed, then skilfully weaves them together so that the resulting construction is sturdy enough to stand the test of time.
(image via: Arkive)
Sticklebacks aren’t especially large fish but their application of brainpower to a specific end is admirable to say the least. There are more than a few birds whose nest-making efforts pale in comparison to those of the humble Stickleback.
(image via: Nasirkhan/Pxleyes)
Fish nests don’t get the same coverage as bird’s nests but blame the problem of accessibility, not the nests or nest-builders themselves. As you’ve seen, it doesn’t take a fisheye lens to reveal the wide world of fish nests in all their glory, just a fish’s eye view.

