Betta Female Mixed | Betta splendends

The difference between male and female betta fish is important to study because it can help in many ways, one of which is in identifying betta fish diseases . As you get older, the differences between male and female betta fish will become more visible. Although at first glance it is easy to distinguish, but sometimes we are also difficult to determine which betta fish are male and which are female. In essence, to determine the difference between the two, we need to look at more than one factor.

How to tell the difference between male and female betta fish To better understand it, here are the differences between male and female betta fish that we need to know:

1. Color

According to The Spruce Pets, male betta fish are often lighter in color than female betta fish . However, color alone is not enough to be a definite predictor of gender. Because, sometimes female betta fish also have a fairly bright color.

2. Vertical stripesI

The female betta will display vertical stripes on her body when ready to mate, while the male betta will not.

3. Body shape

According to bettafish.org, male betta fish tend to have thicker, longer bodies and longer fins. The tail, anal fin and dorsal fin make the male betta look much larger than the female betta. While female betta fish are usually shorter and wider in body than male betta fish. Male and female betta fish are more or less the same body length, which is about 7.5 cm, but female betta fish tend to be thinner.

4. Fins

Most varieties of female betta fish have a shorter tail fin than males. View Photos Most varieties of female betta fish have a shorter tail fin than males. (PEXELS/TEAM MOSSHOLDERS) Male betta fish have longer fins, sometimes reaching three or four times the length of the female betta. Although in some varieties of betta fish the male has a short tail fin, in most varieties the female betta has a tail fin that is shorter than the male. While the abdominal fins of male betta fish look longer and thicker than the abdominal fins of female betta fish.

5. Egg point

In adult female betta fish there is an “egg point” between the pelvic and anal fins. This is actually an ovipositor that fish use to lay eggs. While male hickeys rarely show egg points. Also read: Besides Betta, There Are 7 Types Of Ornamental Fish That Are Also Interesting

6. Beard

Betta fish have a membrane under the cover of the gill plate called the opercular membrane. This membrane appears as a “beard” and is visible when the fish is docked . The male betta’s betta is much larger. So large, the beard is often visible even when the fish are not docking . Female betta fish also have beards, but they are much smaller and invisible when not docked .

7. Ngedok ( flaring )

The male fish will show a wide beard when docked, while the female fish will be smaller. One of the easiest ways to distinguish male and female betta fish is when the fish is flaring . While drinking, the differences between male and female betta fish are increasingly visible. The male fish will show a wide “beard”, while the female fish will be smaller. Females can also show a head-down posture when docking and postures that are not shown by males.

8. Behavior

Male betta fish are nicknamed fighting fish for a special reason, namely being very aggressive with each other and with female betta. The aggressiveness is even hard enough to reduce the life span of the fish. That is why it is not recommended to place more than one male betta fish in one aquarium. We are also not advised to combine male and female Betta fish in the aquarium, except for mating.

9. Aggression

Female betta fish are not fighters like males, but can be aggressive towards each other and towards other fish. Aggression between female bettas can be very stressful, especially if there are only two female bettas and one tends to dominate the other fish. For this reason, if you want to keep more than one female betta fish, keep at least five females in the same aquarium so that aggressive behavior is more spread out and is not directed at the same fish.

10. Blow bubbles

Generally, only male betta fish blow bubbles. The saliva bubbles are created on the surface of the water to protect the eggs during breeding. However, this is not absolute because sometimes the female betta also blows a bubble nest. However, such occurrences are quite rare. Males build bubble nests in preparation for breeding with females and will often build bubble nests even if they don’t have a partner in the tank.

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