# How to Tell the Gender of Bettas



## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Im hoping this will be a sticky, so im going to ask for permission.
To properly care for you betta, you need to learn how to tell male and female apart to know their own needs. Or you could just end up with a bunch of dead males in a tank (thinking they were females).:| No one wants that do they? (HOPEFULLY THAT'S A {NO}) LOL.
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Well it is really easy actually. The females have a white dot and males dont. The white dot or "egg spot" is sometimes hard to find. You just have to look carefully.

Also (Most of the time) the females have shorter fins. This is not always correct because there have been females with long fins and somtimes there have been females that looked better than the males.

So it is a myth that females are less "flashy" and colorful than the males.

For example here is a female with fairly large fins:









In this picture you cant really see the Ovipositor spot but in the video when the fish goes up you can see the egg spot.

Video:
http://youtu.be/Zi-jSCy15yc

You will be able to just make out the female betta's egg spot under the ventral fins.

This is also a perfect picture that shows the egg spot and how females are a little wider.









This is a male:









Video:
http://youtu.be/nkh6oQ0Nbv4

Male (PLAKATS)&(HALFMOON PLAKATS) are sometimes confused with females because of their fins being so short.

So the only way to tell for sure that a female is a female and a male is a male is by the egg spot.

Male Plakats (PK's) and male HalfmoonPlakats (HMPK's) USUALLY have really wide and thick looking ventral fins as females USUALLY dont. 

I think i covered everything of how to tell the gender of bettas.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Very nice, however, sometimes a male will have an egg spot or ovipositor and some females may not show it well and not always a good indicator of sex....I have found fins and body-shape/size to help me determine sex more than just the ovipositor alone.....


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## smellsfishie (Apr 14, 2011)

Can you post examples of how to sex bettas based on body shape?


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Oldfishlady said:


> Very nice, however, sometimes a male will have an egg spot or ovipositor and some females may not show it well and not always a good indicator of sex....I have found fins and body-shape/size to help me determine sex more than just the ovipositor alone.....


Well you see, i didnt know that

Thanks for adding that OFL.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

I go strictly by the Red Lipstick


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

...good one Scootshoot


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

i would have to disagree there. Many males have that as well as girls.


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## smellsfishie (Apr 14, 2011)

two of my females have black mustaches...


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

smellsfishie said:


> two of my females have black mustaches...


It's most likely mascara...


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## smellsfishie (Apr 14, 2011)

scootshoot said:


> It's most likely mascara...


mascara goes on the eyes, not lips


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Really guys? How did we get to talking about make up? Lol. On a FISH forum at that lol.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Males leave the toilet seat up. lol


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Oh my gosh! Lol


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## smellsfishie (Apr 14, 2011)

Hahahaha!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

lol!!!


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## BettasForever (Jan 18, 2011)

bettalover2033 said:


> i would have to disagree there. Many males have that as well as girls.


It was just a joke :lol:


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Okay.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)




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