How Do You Identify a Male Baby Betta Fish

Are you thinking of buying a betta fish? Are you already an possessor who wants to breed from your beloved betta? If that's you, y'all'll demand to know how to tell the difference between a male and female betta fish.

In this article, I tell you everything you lot need to know nigh determining betta fish gender.

• Wild vs Domesticated Betta Splendens
• Sexual Dimorphism
• Pet Store Stocking
• Physical Differences in Appearance
  • Color
  • Fins and Tail
  • Trunk Shape
  • Size
  • Egg Spot
  • Betta Bristles
• Behavioral Differences
  • Flaring
  • Aggression
  • Chimera Nest Building
• In Conclusion

Wild vs Domesticated Betta Splendens

Wild betta fish look completely different from those that you see in pet stores.

Male wild bettas lack the flowing fins and brilliant array of colors that are boasted by their convict-bred relatives, being a somewhat dull, gray-green color with short, stubby fins. In wild betta fish, females wait very like to males, although they are slightly smaller.

Sexual Dimorphism

"Sexual dimorphism" is a term that's used ofttimes in articles about tropical fish, including bettas.

Basically, sexual dimorphism refers to the degree of difference between males and females of the aforementioned species. The terms "weak" and "strong" are also applied to a fauna'due south sexual dimorphism.

In the case of betta fish, it'southward true to say that wild bettas have a weak sexual dimorphism. In other words, it'due south very difficult to tell the sexes apart. However, captive-bred betta fish have potent sexual dimorphism because the male of the species is very unlike in looks and beliefs to the female person.

That's because captive bettas are bred for their spectacular finnage and rainbow array of colors, including metallics. Wild betta fish are naturally muted in color and have short fins and tails.

Over the years, the basic betta genes of wild fish have been toyed with by enthusiasts to create the beautiful anomalies that consequence in the strong sexual dimorphism of today's captive-bred bettas.

Pet Store Stocking

How you purchase your betta fish can exist an indicator of the fish's gender.

In my experience, it'due south more often than not male betta fish that y'all find for sale in minor pet and fish stores. That's because the males of the species are more eye-catching with gorgeous bright colors and flowing fins. Consequently, about hobbyists want a male person betta, rather than females, which are drab in comparison.

Y'all can buy female bettas besides, but I've establish that it's usually more specialist aquarist stores that sell them.

So, if yous purchase a betta from a small, regular pet store, ask the assistant if the fish is male or female person. If they're experienced, the assistant should know how to tell the gender of a betta fish.

However, if in doubt, assume that the betta is male person.

Concrete Differences in Appearance

Female person and male bettas are very different in appearance:

Color

Male	Female
Male bettas are brightly colored Male bettas practise not display stripes	Female person bettas are more than subdued in colour Female bettas develop vertical stripes when in mating status

Fins and Tail

Male person	Female
Some varieties of male bettas accept long, flowing finnage The male's ventral fins are longer and thicker than those of the female	Female bettas have brusque fins In short-finned Placat bettas, the female person'south caudal fin is shorter than that of the male

Torso Shape

Male	Female
Male bettas are slim and narrow	Female bettas are shorter and wider-bodied

Size

Juvenile male and female bettas are the aforementioned sizes.

Male	Female
Adult male bettas measure two.5 to iii inches in length	Developed female betta size is 2 to 2.25 inches in length

Egg Spot

If the fish is female, you volition see a tiny white dot between the ventral and anal fins.

The white dot is the fish's "egg spot" or ovipositor. The ovipositor is role of the female fish's sexual anatomy and is used to eolith her eggs during spawning.

The betta'due south egg spot is then tiny that it tin exist difficult to encounter. Endeavour taking a photograph of your betta from the side so magnify the photograph to encounter the spot.

Male	Female
Male bettas do non have an "egg spot"	Mature female bettas accept an "egg spot"

Betta Bristles

Betta fish take an opercular membrane situated underneath the gill plate comprehend. The membrane is visible when the fish flares its gill plates, resembling a "beard."

Male	Female
Male bettas have a large beard that can exist seen even when the fish is not flaring	Females have a much smaller beard that is not as visible even when flaring

Behavioral Differences

There are some notable differences in the beliefs of male and female bettas:

Flaring

Male	Female
Male person bettas flare their gills as a display of aggression Males practise not adopt a head-down position when flaring	Females flare at other females in a sorority to bespeak dominance Female bettas adopt a head-downward posture when flaring

Aggression

Male person	Female
Male bettas are highly aggressive toward other males and volition fight Male bettas tin can be aggressive toward other species that accept trailing fins	Female person bettas can be aggressive toward each other if kept in pairs Female bettas are generally peaceful in a community tank

Bubble Nest Edifice

Male	Female person
Male bettas blow bubble nests, fifty-fifty if there is no female person in the tank	Female bettas very rarely create bubble nests

In Conclusion

Now y'all know how to tell the difference between female and male person bettas!

In general, males take extravagant finnage and bright colors, whereas females accept curt fins and are less gaudy in appearance. Consequently, it'southward ordinarily male person fish that you'll find for sale in regular pet stores.

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Source: https://www.tankarium.com/male-vs-female-betta/

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