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Anonymous
Not gonna work, anon. The way it works: the male 'embraces' the female under the nest, that is, curls his body around her, which stimulates her to release the eggs. And after she's released the eggs, he fertilizes them and then collects them in his mouth and spits them into the nest. You can see how putting her in alone isn't going to work--female bettas don't just lay eggs with no stimulation or provocation to do so.
It's natural for the male to be somewhat aggressive towards the female; she may very well get some ripped fins and he may chase her. You have to give this whole process time. The female may well not be fertile, might be too old or too young or might not be ready to lay eggs at all. I'd suggest feeding her frozen or live food for a while, fatten her up and make sure she's ready to lay. You'll also be able to tell she's receptive to the male's advances when she is, if she changes color slightly to show horizontal stripes when he displays for her. Don't release her into the tank with him until he displays at her through the glass and she responds favorably. Like I say, you can't rush this process.
If all else fails, try a different female.
(And short-finned male bettas do exist; it's not likely, but I suppose you do know for certain that this -is- a female? Check to see if she has an egg spot at her vent.)
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