If fish attract your attention, especially those that require little maintenance, and you have decided to acquire one, then we recommend that you decide on a female betta fish, because they are very beautiful and colorful, they do not require large aquariums to live and no matter where you place it, it will always attract attention. Continue reading to find out about its features.
betta fish
It is a fish that is very elegant, colorful and very striking, these are just some of the characteristics that most identify betta splendens fish, but are these characteristics typical of females or males? Do you have any idea how you will be able to differentiate between them?
This is one of the questions that we are going to try to answer with this post, in which we want to show you what are the physical peculiarities that are capable of differentiating both genders, as well as the most relevant aspects of their character, which are equally good for you. to help you to be able to distinguish the sex of this kind of fish.
Betta fish, also commonly known by the name of Siamese fighting fish, are part of the Anabantidae family, and also stand out for being one of the most aggressive fish that exist, both with fish that belong to the same species, as with specimens belonging to other different species.
For that reason, you have to know what care it requires and its essential needs so that you can enjoy an animal that is happy and stress-free. To do this, the first thing you have to be able to do is to be able to identify the sex to which the fish belongs, so we invite you to read more, so you can discover how to know if the betta fish you bought is male or female.
Types of Betta Splendens Fish
However, it is customary to refer to all betta fish with that name, what is true is that there are different classes, each of which has a different morphology. In this way, before starting to tell you how you are going to be able to establish the differences between a male betta fish and a female betta fish, it is important that you learn to distinguish the kind of betta fish that you have with you, so that you can offer it the best care.
Currently, it is possible to find more than 10 types of betta fish, however, the most common that you will find in aquariums are the following:
- Betta splendens veil tail fish or veil tal betta. This is the most common and is characterized by having a tail fin that has the shape of a veil.
- Betta splendens fish half moon tail or halfmoon betta. It is one of the most attractive betta fish. It has a spectacular rounded caudal and dorsal fin that, if extended at the same time, form a D or crescent.
- Betta splendens fish crown tail or crowntail. The difference between this one and the rest of the betta fish is due to the points or rays that can be seen on its fins and tail, with which they can create an image that resembles a crown.
- Betta splendens fish double tail or double tail. Although that is the name that has been given to it, what this betta fish has is a caudal fin, whose bones are divided in two, simulating having a kind of split tail or, in any case, a double fin.
Although there are many species of betta fish, all males and all females will exhibit common physical characteristics that will help you tell them apart. That is what we are going to show you next.
Characteristics of the Female Betta Fish
As we have told you before, until they have reached full sexual maturity, it is absolutely difficult to tell if it is a male betta fish or a female betta fish. However, once they have reached adulthood, the differences between them will be fully observable.
Physical traits that differentiate them
As we pointed out in an earlier section of this article, the male betta fish is bulkier than a female betta fish, so the females are more stylized. But, this does not necessarily mean that they are going to exhibit a body that is shorter or smaller, since you will be able to find male and female specimens that have body measurements that are similar or that are the same, for this reason the distinction is found in than the female betta fish, it is a specimen that is finer.
The colors of a female betta fish are usually no more muted and discreet, so they will go more unnoticed than the bright and raised tones that the males have. Likewise, although the fins of a female betta fish have the same particularities as the males, in terms of shape, such as the presence of rays in the crowntail, a difference in size can be observed. In this way, the female betta fish has the smallest caudal, anal and dorsal fins.
Now, if none of the features that we have explained above help you to differentiate if your betta fish is male or if it is a female betta fish, what you have to do is try to find the ovipositor tube of the females, which is located in the lower section of the fish and where the eggs are produced. Said part is exhibited to the naked eye as a kind of rounded white spot or dot, located between the ventral and anal fins.
differential behavior
In general, a female betta fish is usually less aggressive than a male and for that reason, several females can live in the same aquarium, as long as it meets the optimal conditions of size and environmental enrichment. However, this does not mean that the occasional fight between them over issues related to hierarchies cannot happen.
Characteristics of the Male Betta Fish
In general, telling the difference between an adult male betta fish and an adult female betta fish is usually a simple activity. The complicated part lies in the fact that they are young specimens. So, time will have to pass, until they have reached sexual maturity, and it is at that moment that you have to pay attention to the colors of the fish and the size of their fins.
Physical traits that differentiate them
By the time they are fully developed, reaching an adult age, the male betta fish, regardless of the class they are part of, will always be larger than the female betta fish, so this is the first peculiarity that distinguishes them in an observable way between the two.
Likewise, another aspect that you have to observe is that the dorsal, caudal and anal fins are much more striking in a female betta fish, not only because of the size, but also because of the color. In this way, the male betta tends to exhibit more vibrant, striking and beautiful colors than the female betta fish, with red, blue and green being the most common, although they are not the only ones.
On the other hand, although this is a more complicated characteristic to observe with the naked eye, the betta fish exhibits a membrane that is located just below the gills, which has a black or dark brown tone, which is called beard. In male specimens, this beard is much more noticeable and you can see it when the fish is in dominant mode in front of another male. In the female betta fish, you can hardly see it, because it is smaller and does not have the habit of extending it.
differential behavior
Regarding its character and the way this fish behaves, the male has a much more aggressive attitude than the female betta fish when facing another male and immediately feels the urgent need to fight for one or more females in the same territory. .
For this reason, it is not recommended that you bring together more than one male in the same aquarium, because the sure result would be a fight between them. Likewise, if you intend for them to have betta fish offspring, it is not advisable that you go to join the male with the female without them having been properly presented, since because it is strange, it is likely that the male will also decide to attack her.
In this case, what you should do is separate the aquarium using glass or plastic, so that they do not share the same living space, in principle, so you should place both specimens in their corresponding spaces, so that they can be observed. without touching
When the male feels that he is ready to proceed to mate, he will be the one who will form a bubble nest, with which he will attract the female and the courtship process will begin.
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