[masshiimarro]

hi guys~
ive recently bought a new betta,, supposidely female.... but i keep getting this hunch that its actually a male. for one, shes MUCH bigger than anyone ive kept before..even my full grown males arent as big as her and her body doesnt seem too female-like to me. its not rounded like the others. ive checked to see if shes got an ovipostor, and shes got one but its pretty small..also shes pretty docile, and she doesnt flare at anyone..
anyways, im at a loss... and i would appreciate anyone's input!

 

[Mo]

1. Usually male bettas have noticeably longer fins than females

2. Usually females have short fins, but there are quite a few exemptions were male have short fins too, like plakat bettas.

3. Females are usually a bit more passing of tankmates, but sometimes this isn't true as females have been known to be just as aggresive as males sometimes

4. Females have what's called an opivoster right by there ventral fins, it's just a little white dot. But sometimes juvenile males have this same spot too

5. Males usually have larger, and longer anal fins

6. Males have what's called a beard. A darkened area by gills, of you put up a mirror they will flare and show this beard

 

[Olympia]

Well she's huge so I doubt she's a young male. Her body is very masculine, I agree.
How long are the ventrals? The two little fins infront of the anal fin. I can't see them, but even plakat males have long ventrals, so that's a good indication usually.
She's also got some faded stripes, young males and females have those.'of course if she's big I doubt she's young. Was she stressed out in the photo? sometimes males stripe up when stressed. If she always has them I'm pretty sure shes a girl.
The only time I ever got a female to flare was when I put a male infront of her. My girl has a short tiny beard, but it's still visible, nothing like a male's though.

 

[masshiimarro]

shes pretty much always had those stripes.. but then again ive only had her for about 2 days.. her ventrals are a bit less than 1/2 of an inch long, which i guess isnt as long as most males, and shes about 2 inches long body wise not counting the tail. shes very passing of most fish, even the males. i floated her in the male tank to see if she would react,,, and instead she was hellbent on trying to munch on the little snail on the side of the cup XD

 

[Olympia]

I'm gonna go with female then. a big gentle girl.

 

[Bombalurina]

She looks like a girl to me, too.

 

[Mo]

Yes, I agree with the above posts regarding as to her being a female Betta Splendens. a magnificent one you have there.

 

[masshiimarro]

aww thanks guys! i just saw her flare today and yup. female. lol shes got a tiny little flare and even when she is flaring she doesnt seem too enthusiastic about it XD shes the biggest girl ive ever seen though.. my petco girl looks half the size of her!