how does fighter fish make fingerlings?

If your fish has really bright vibrant colors, it is a male. If you have a male it sounds like some kind of ailment. Either way, I suggest you call a pet store and describe it's symptoms to get advice on what to do.

You can breed bettas, best bet is to talk to someone who does. It's fairly easy to do, but you have to keep an eye on them and remove the female as soon as they're done. If yours has long colorful fins/tail it's a male. Shorter fins are usually a femlae. White substance from the gills, is not a good sign. I'd say it sounds like a gill fluke infection. It's a worm type of parasite, they have tiny hooks and actually hook into the skin on the fish. Here's a couple links on it. I'd recommend doing more frequent partial water changes, giving a salt bath, and picking up a product that will treat flukes. http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/skin_gill_flukes/ http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdgilld.htm Good luck!