# Betta sex change??



## Brisbettas (Jun 2, 2020)

I know how crazy this sounds, but I believe my female betta is now a Male or at least trying to be . I’ve read countless forums on this topic with no specific answers. I’m 100% sure she was/is female. I know this because I have bred her. The first image is from 4 months ago, the second is from today, the third is one of her male offspring. Any info will help


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

Some fish can change sex, but as far as I know bettas are _not_ one of them (without outside help like exposure to artificial hormones anyway). More likely in my opinion, your betta just has long "male-type" fins which have developed over time- and that's why I prefer not to rely on fin size/shape when determining sex!

To confirm sex, I prefer to look for ovaries. Your betta has a dark body and heavy scales, so you may not see them very easily, but if you take your time you should be able to find them. Take a flashlight and shine it from behind your betta, so you see the shadow of their organs. If you see the round shape of their stomach and nothing else, they are male. If you see a triangular shadow extending down towards their tail, those are ovaries and they are female!

You can also look for the shape from the outside of your betta's body, but this isn't as conclusive since fat males may seem to "bulge out" past their stomach and skinny females may seem to "curve in", etc. But in a fish with heavy scaling it may be helpful.

Here's some pictures of bettas with their organs highlighted to show you what shapes to look for:





















Since you know for certain that your betta was female and fertile earlier in her life, I would be very interested in hearing your results. It's possible that physical damage or some sort of illness caused her to stop producing female hormones, allowing "male" characteristics like fin size to develop, or something of that nature.


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## CosmicSyringe (Jul 20, 2013)

That is incredible! The only thing I can think of is maybe she just wasn't fully developed until becoming male. I'm astounded.


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## Brisbettas (Jun 2, 2020)

Rana said:


> Some fish can change sex, but as far as I know bettas are _not_ one of them (without outside help like exposure to artificial hormones anyway). More likely in my opinion, your betta just has long "male-type" fins which have developed over time- and that's why I prefer not to rely on fin size/shape when determining sex!
> 
> To confirm sex, I prefer to look for ovaries. Your betta has a dark body and heavy scales, so you may not see them very easily, but if you take your time you should be able to find them. Take a flashlight and shine it from behind your betta, so you see the shadow of their organs. If you see the round shape of their stomach and nothing else, they are male. If you see a triangular shadow extending down towards their tail, those are ovaries and they are female!
> 
> ...


I couldn’t get any light through her scales, but her body shape is now more along the lines of males and her ovipositor has disappeared. Three months ago when she was recovering from breeding she actually got velvet so I treated her with microbelift, warmer water and Indian almond leaves. After that is when I noticed the changes. I feel the microbelift I used disrupted her hormones.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can also tell the difference through "beards." A male's will extend past his gills; a female's is barely visible.


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## Jmart985 (May 15, 2021)

Brisbettas said:


> I know how crazy this sounds, but I believe my female betta is now a Male or at least trying to be . I’ve read countless forums on this topic with no specific answers. I’m 100% sure she was/is female. I know this because I have bred her. The first image is from 4 months ago, the second is from today, the third is one of her male offspring. Any info will help
> View attachment 1018617
> View attachment 1018618
> View attachment 1018619


Maybe this will help.








The Surprise Hiding in the DNA of Pet Fish


Domesticated betta fish have evolved a sex gene not found in wild fish of their species.




www.theatlantic.com


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## burtlesnurf (Mar 20, 2021)

Oh wow that's pretty fascinating. I'd love to see a picture of her(?) flaring to see if she has that male beard!


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