# New family members...and a girl/boy dilemma!



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

So, it's been kind of a rough year in the tanks. I lost most of my older females to age and age-related ailments, and my boy Macaulay after a hard battle (Thanks again for the help and support throughout that sad business). I was left with just my boy Dexter and one older female, Scarlet, who has since moved into a smaller tank of her own. With the ten gallon looking sad and empty, I wandered into my LPS and come home with a few new friends.

As always, I went in with the mindset of "No more boys! One is enough!". Naturally, I couldn't stick to that after finding this fellow, who is in need of some good clean water and a name:



















Then I picked out my girls. Meet Hannah:










Nora:



















Holly (who is a wiggler):



















And a lovely who is yet nameless:



















There is also one more, whom I was SWORN is female. My fish guy and I had a discussion about her gender, but I'm not quite convinced. She has LONG fins and no visible eggspot, though the positioning of the fins looks female to me. She was so pretty I took her anyways, but if she is a boy, I have a bit of a problem heh. Opinions please?

Anyways, if she is a girl, her name is Lucy:



















So these are my new little ones! They're all in qt right now, and everyone is doing really well  I can't wait to introduce them to their new homes!


----------



## mattoboy (Feb 4, 2012)

No pics


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

I'm an idiot. Had the album set to private. Fixed?


----------



## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

Keep refreshing and the pics will pop up. I guess it takes the site a bit to load them.

The last fish looks like a male to me... Only because of his/her beard? (or what looks to be a beard in the first picture.) I can't really tell without a closer picture though. Love that fish though.

You got some nice fish though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish my little baby would grow into a little girl like your Nora. (long fins but female) Sadly mine's a boy though lol I love him anyway, just had hope....

Where on earth did you find those females?


----------



## SilentBetta (Jan 13, 2012)

Ya know lucy? I had a betta like that and it has barely any fins when I bought it in the store same color and stuff too. It turned out to be a male I'l take a photo if you want


----------



## SilentBetta (Jan 13, 2012)

actually now im not sure if its a guy or a girl can you guys confirm after I post a photo


----------



## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

When I looked at your red girl who doesn't have a name Macey popped in my head.

And SilentBetta we can try to see if your fish like Lucy is a male or female.


----------



## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

Nora and Lucy are both makes. >_< bit they are all stunning fish!


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for the input guys. I'm nervous now. 

Twilight, I got them all from a pet store called Pet Cultures. These lovelies are typical of the females they have on a regular basis. They have some incredible males too. As for the name Macey, it's cute but all my fish are named after old movie characters 

Betteluver, Nora is definitely female. She's got an egg spot and her ventrals are little. She's the same shape as my Scarlet, who is also definitely female (got along in a sorority). 

Are we sure about Lucy? Her dorsal fin is smaller and set further back... 
(I think I'm grasping at straws here :S)


----------



## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

males* oh goodness, what a fail. I apoligize my stupid iphone. >_< I'm sorry! On my phone I couldn't see, I only saw the long fins. She's a lovely spadetail.  
Lucy, however is most DEFINITELY male. Those fins are enormous. Looks like a delta tail male. He's very handsome though.


----------



## SilentBetta (Jan 13, 2012)

Can someone also identify snails for me too because I have a few in my dads pond and I wanna puyt them into my bettas tank


----------



## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

SilentBetta said:


> Can someone also identify snails for me too because I have a few in my dads pond and I wanna puyt them into my bettas tank


From what I read recently, snails are both male/female. With the exception of a couple of species, I believe.


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Bettaluver4evr said:


> males* oh goodness, what a fail. I apoligize my stupid iphone. >_< I'm sorry! On my phone I couldn't see, I only saw the long fins. She's a lovely spadetail.
> Lucy, however is most DEFINITELY male. Those fins are enormous. Looks like a delta tail male. He's very handsome though.


Haha no worries  Thanks, I've grown really partial to the spadetail females. 

Well, now I'm in a pickle. My five gallon can divide for two males, which is how I had it before. But now that he's got the place to himself, Dexter is LOVING life, and is in the best shape I've seen him since I got him over a year ago. So I don't really want to divide it again. And now I have two more males. Crap. 

The weird thing about Lucy (who now needs a new name, I suppose) is that (s)he doesn't respond to the other male (who wants to KILL him), or to any of the females. (S)He doesn't flare or show off at all- active, but not interested, which also led to my thinking it's female.


----------



## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

ClassicCharm said:


> Haha no worries  Thanks, I've grown really partial to the spadetail females.
> 
> Well, now I'm in a pickle. My five gallon can divide for two males, which is how I had it before. But now that he's got the place to himself, Dexter is LOVING life, and is in the best shape I've seen him since I got him over a year ago. So I don't really want to divide it again. And now I have two more males. Crap.
> 
> The weird thing about Lucy (who now needs a new name, I suppose) is that (s)he doesn't respond to the other male (who wants to KILL him), or to any of the females. (S)He doesn't flare or show off at all- active, but not interested, which also led to my thinking it's female.


I have a spadetail too, she's my favorite girl. <3  And oh goodness! Well I wouldn't divide it if you feel the fish you've had for a while will be negatively affected. :/ Maybe you have some old vases or QT tanks that will do until you can get something more suitable? Just a thought!  
I think your new males are quite lovely.  And lol Lucius/Lucifer is very handsome. Maybe he's just docile right now? Brought home a VT boy last weekend that is now my fiestiest betta.


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

They're all in qt for now, and luckily a friend of mine may have an old 10g kicking around that she will send my way, so it may be okay after all! 

Thanks, I like them both a lot. I just couldn't pass up a Mustard gas Double tail!!


----------



## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

Oh me either!  If I were allowed to get another betta, and I saw 1... I'd die. >_< I'm very glad that you were able to keep them.


----------



## MoonShadow (Feb 29, 2012)

"Lucy" Is most definitely 100% a male, without a doubt! And a beautiful male! I also agree that Nora looks to be a young veiltail male, young males can display "egg spots", its a lot more common then people think it is.


----------



## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Lovely might be a male as well. If it is a she, she has some very big ventrals, which worries me...


----------



## lilyth88 (Mar 15, 2012)

The last fish is a boy.


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Sigh. I thought so. I should never have listened to the fish guy *Shakes fist*.

As for the two spades, the Blue and red one is definitely female. She's got a big eggy belly, a huge spot, and vertical lines on her sides that get more pronounced whenever I put her close to a male. The picture is deceptive with regards to her ventrals. 

As for Nora, I'm sure she is also female. She's quite big to be a young male (body is over an inch long), and has a big round belly as well. That's normal body type for the females from whoever supplies my LPS, like my red spadetail who is definitely also female:










Thanks for everyone's help! Looks like I landed myself some extra boys and will need to pick up at least one other female...who is definitely female haha


----------



## surprize30 (Apr 28, 2012)

idk i can tell but if i ha to guess it looks like a male


----------



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

OOOHH AHHH. Beautiful fish! I'm so sorry to hear about your babies that've passed. 

Holly reminds me of my very active Teeney. She has a 10 gallon to herself and she is active. During cleanings I put her in her cup and she goes CRAZY. She seems mad that she is in such a small space xD


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks Teeney 

Yep, that's how Holly is. I guess her name suits her- she's named after Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. She's also an enormous pig haha.


----------



## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

There is a TV actress who is named macey with red hair even. 

But another name idea for lovely who needs a name. How about one of my more favorite smaller time actresses, Amy. (Amy Madigan) If you watch Criminal Minds she was the "Psycho with a whistle." and she appeared in a lot of other things too. - just an idea. Also Brigitte Helm from Metropolis.  I'm a geek I love that movie. 

Actually I take back wanting a store by me that sold such nice looking females for pets...I would probably have a few community tanks and I need to stop buying pet bettas!!!


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Lucy, the nameless one, and Nora look like young males. Young males sometimes have egg-spots.


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Twilight, thanks for the suggestions  I think I'm going to call her Violet. 

Okay, so Lucy is definitely a boy. I'm still holding out that Nora and Violet are females. I understand that young males can have egg spots, but I have a hard time believing that they're that young- they're each over an inch long not including fins obviously, and most of the females from this supplier are this type. Also, the way they're interacting with other males and females leads me to think female.


----------



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

ClassicCharm said:


> Twilight, thanks for the suggestions  I think I'm going to call her Violet.
> 
> Okay, so Lucy is definitely a boy. I'm still holding out that Nora and Violet are females. I understand that young males can have egg spots, but I have a hard time believing that they're that young- they're each over an inch long not including fins obviously, and most of the females from this supplier are this type. Also, the way they're interacting with other males and females leads me to think female.


The other thing you can do is make them flare and see if they have a beard...
Although unless you plan on putting any of them together, it wouldn't matter and wouldn't really be worth stressing them out.
I had to do that with one of my females since theyre going to have a sorority.


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

Yep, my girls are going into a sorority, which is why this all needs to be straightened out. They're all in qt right now with their cups grouped together. I'm keeping an eye on behaviour


----------



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

ClassicCharm said:


> Yep, my girls are going into a sorority, which is why this all needs to be straightened out. They're all in qt right now with their cups grouped together. I'm keeping an eye on behaviour


Good luck! I wish I could QT mine within sight of each other. I have them on a small two story wall shelf, two bettas on each level :/


----------



## ClassicCharm (Jan 17, 2010)

So, I performed a bit of an experiment. Which was really just putting qt cups beside each other haha.

Lucy- definitely a boy. Wow. You should see that beard. 

Violet- definitely a girl. I put her beside the mustard gas boy. Definitely no beard, and she was showing off for him and her vertical lines went white. She also had one poo covered in fluffy white stuff.

Nora- will not flare or show any interest in anyone I put close to her, male or female. Sigh.


----------



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

ClassicCharm said:


> So, I performed a bit of an experiment. Which was really just putting qt cups beside each other haha.
> 
> Lucy- definitely a boy. Wow. You should see that beard.
> 
> ...


Lucy haha sorry I can't help but laugh. Are you keeping lucy's name? Or changing it- like to Luke? 

Well petsmart does have females on sale for $0.99 all tail types... ;-)


----------

