# How to determine a betta's age



## centaurii (Aug 31, 2015)

I'm sure this is one of many threads on the same subject, but I wondered if there were any tips to aging a betta.

I had noticed in most pictures of adult bettas that they seem to get dark eyes over time. As in, their eyes turn pitch black when they're full grown. I purchased Omicron at what I believe to be an adult size back in August of last year, and he has not grown bigger from what I can tell. But his eyes are still a golden orange color, they don't seem to be showing any signs of darkening. So it makes me wonder how old he really is. His body is about 1.5-1.75 inches long, not counting the fins.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Eye color is not indicative of age. My 3.5 month-old import actually developed lighter eye color later on. Another import came with dark brown eyes and it stays that way. Anyone can pull up their own contradicting evidence towards that hypothesis. Once a Betta has reached adulthood at 6 months, there is no way of telling age. That is, except you purchase from a breeder and ask for the spawn date.


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## centaurii (Aug 31, 2015)

That makes sense, thank you for the quick reply. That must mean Omicron was anywhere from 5 months to a year old when I got him. I hope he got the luck of the draw genetically and will live longer than the typical 2-3 years of the average pet store betta


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## Rennie Sky (Feb 27, 2016)

Is there a way to guesstimate age under 6 months? My new boy seems to have mostly adult type fins, but is pretty obviously smaller then adult Bettas I've known.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Rennie Sky said:


> Is there a way to guesstimate age under 6 months? My new boy seems to have mostly adult type fins, but is pretty obviously smaller then adult Bettas I've known.


If you got him from a pet store, unless he's a she, chances are he's at least 6 months old. For some reason chain stores tend to carry younger females ._. 

Body size, while helpful when the fish is still a fry, is also not an accurate age indicator once they get older. There's an EEHMPK girl in my LFS who is just under an inch at 6 months old (hatch date written on tank). Similarly my 5-month old import (accurate age, I asked the breeder) who is sitting right in front of me ATM is larger than my ~9 month-old pet store boy. It all came down to maintenance, feeding and care when they were babies. This is why pet store fish are a hit and miss.

Bottomline is: just assume you have 2-3 years with them


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## Rennie Sky (Feb 27, 2016)

Thanks Olivia! Guess I'll assume he's just a "mini". LOL If he grows it'll be a fun surprise!


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

Petco/Petsmart generally gets them anywhere from 3-6 months of age. The only true way to tell age is to either get them from a breeder or a place where the owner of the store knows the breeder. That's how I know Misha, Zuri, Chihiro and Tadashi's birthdays. They came from the betta shop and the owner knew the breeder he got them from.


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## Shidohari (Sep 21, 2008)

wow thank you for this, now I know the approximate age of any betta at a chain store like petsmart (which I live close to). I have never noticed any bettas I've ever owned in my life getting bigger (those that I owned long term anyhow) this would explain why. They were already full grown or mostly full grown by the time I purchased them.


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