Black fish

[Shane Stroud]

I'll start by saying I'm not attempting to breed my fish, but I've noticed something strange that I never gave much thought. Here goes.

I have a male and a female, both black orchids. They live right next to each other and he has built a pretty sizeable nest.

Here's the strange part. I know females' stripes change direction for breeding, but her body is solid black. That puts a damper on things. What's a good indicator for a black fish?

[BeautifulBetta123]

They should get silvery stripes on her face and gills.
Beware black females are infertile though.

[aemaki09]

you should be able to see the breeding stripes easier on black fish.

light color bettas are the ones that are impossible to see breeding stripes on.

you might not be seeing them because they see each other constantly, I would put something in between them to block their view of each other for a few days, then remove it and see if you can see the stripes

[aemaki09]

Originally Posted by BeautifulBetta123

Beware black females are infertile though.

not true, Melano (true black) females generally are, but black orchids and other irid females are fertile

[Shane Stroud]

When she was younger, I could see her stripes under the right light. As she grew, all hint of any stripes disappeared, her body went solid black, and she got some fantastic blue in her fins, just like her male counterpart.

I'm going to try a few things to see if I can spot the stripes. Thanks for the input. Things are getting interesting.

[MattsBettas]

You can also tell because she will "dance" at a 45 degree angle, become generally submissive, and be receptive to the male.

[BeautifulBetta123]

Sorry that's what I ment I should really read over my posts first :)

[Shane Stroud]

Originally Posted by MattsBettas

You can also tell because she will "dance" at a 45 degree angle, become generally submissive, and be receptive to the male.

Maggie is submissive to nobody and nothing. I think she'd eat the cat if she could. She's spunky, to say the least. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her and see what behaviors turn up as time goes on. It's fascinating.

[indjo]

Really dark black means she is healthy, not stressed. If she were in breeding mode the bars will be apparent. If she is stressed, she will turn into a pale brown-greyish black and you can see her stress lines.

Aggressive females are usually easier to breed. Just make sure that she is in breeding mode before you release her. If kept solitary she will fight males . . . but as she matures, usually there will be a time when she turns into breeding mode.