# Breeding Stripes



## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

I recently bought two female bettas... or what I thought were two females. I began to condition them and put the smaller of the two in with my male - he seemed to love her,and even did a butt-wiggle! Unfortunately while I was elsewhere in the house she jumped out of her jar and when I saw my male next, he was in tatters (still alive) but badly in need of some medication and time alone.

My question is: would you think this is usual female betta behaviour? She/he is small, develops vertical breeding stripes while near the male, has an ovipositor, and has short fins. Do male bettas ever get breeding stripes? It's quite possible that she could be a male plakat, but if I'm going to return her/him to the store I want to know for sure that I just don't have a super aggressive female.


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## Setsuna (Sep 5, 2012)

KansaiBlonde said:


> I recently bought two female bettas... or what I thought were two females. I began to condition them and put the smaller of the two in with my male - he seemed to love her,and even did a butt-wiggle! Unfortunately while I was elsewhere in the house she jumped out of her jar and when I saw my male next, he was in tatters (still alive) but badly in need of some medication and time alone.
> 
> My question is: would you think this is usual female betta behaviour? She/he is small, develops vertical breeding stripes while near the male, has an ovipositor, and has short fins. Do male bettas ever get breeding stripes? It's quite possible that she could be a male plakat, but if I'm going to return her/him to the store I want to know for sure that I just don't have a super aggressive female.


as far as i know through my breeding experiences only females have breeding bars but you can tell a male from a female easy cause females have a white dot in between thier ventral fin and their ventral fins are much shorter then a males


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Could they be stress stripes?


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Yes females like males can be aggressive and can beat the snot out of a male. If I let my girl in with my boy she would rip him apart because she's super aggressive and he is more docile out of the two.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Very young males have been known to have them from time to time, along with an "egg spot". Generally males will have a beard and long ventral fins while the majority of females have short ventral fins and little to no beard.

Where are you buying your fish, if I may ask?


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

Setsuna said:


> as far as i know through my breeding experiences only females have breeding bars but you can tell a male from a female easy cause females have a white dot in between thier ventral fin and their ventral fins are much shorter then a males


That's what I thought too but I already have one male (very sure about this) and he has the white dot on his belly.

I've just never had a female who ripped apart a male before. I know I should have been watching more attentively but it couldn't have been too long before she jumped out and I noticed and his fins are falling off because of the damage. :/


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

lvandert said:


> Very young males have been known to have them from time to time, along with an "egg spot". Generally males will have a beard and long ventral fins while the majority of females have short ventral fins and little to no beard.
> 
> Where are you buying your fish, if I may ask?


These ones I bought at Petsmart simply because the best Aquarium store near me (Big Al's) was out of females. I know Petsmart doesn't have the best reputation in sexing fish, but I can't seem to find any breeders where I live so they were my only shot at getting females.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

oh yeah, they are horrible at sexing bettas lol. Do you have a picture of the fish in question?


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Could they be stress stripes?


Nope, definitely vertical stripes. I actually watched her stripes change from horizontal to vertical as she got used to the water in his tank so I'm pretty sure about this.


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

lvandert said:


> oh yeah, they are horrible at sexing bettas lol. Do you have a picture of the fish in question?


I don't have one now but I will as soon as I locate my camera. I'll post a picture of the other 'female' I bought too, help with them would be much appreciated!


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

LadyVictorian said:


> Yes females like males can be aggressive and can beat the snot out of a male. If I let my girl in with my boy she would rip him apart because she's super aggressive and he is more docile out of the two.


Oh? Do you think she (if she is a she) would be better paired with another betta, or should be could she still possibly breed?


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

some girls are really tough (my sister made that mistake once). Some have to be treated just like boys and be in their own little tank. You can still breed them but you'll need a boy who can stand up for himself thats for sure lol


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

lvandert said:


> some girls are really tough (my sister made that mistake once). Some have to be treated just like boys and be in their own little tank. You can still breed them but you'll need a boy who can stand up for himself thats for sure lol


Yeah, for sure! Unfortunately as of now, only two of my males have ever built a bubble nest (one seems vehemently opposed to any sort of effort whatsoever) and none have ever bred before. I also fear that two of them may be too old (they are absolutely ginormous) for breeding anyway. Sigh.


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

lvandert said:


> Do you have a picture of the fish in question?


Here she is!


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

yeah that looks like a girl...looks like you got one tough cookie!


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

lvandert said:


> yeah that looks like a girl...looks like you got one tough cookie!


Well that's good at least! I just wish my males were up to the challenge! I need to find myself a good breeder in my city.


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## Setsuna (Sep 5, 2012)

Thats a female alright. Your males just needs to be aggressive and stand up to her. Try adding some IAL in the container or tank that he's in I'm sure he'll feel good and be aggressive


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

Setsuna said:


> Thats a female alright. Your males just needs to be aggressive and stand up to her. Try adding some IAL in the container or tank that he's in I'm sure he'll feel good and be aggressive


Will do. Where would the best place to buy the leaves be? Online or in-store? Any recommendations would be amazing!


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

You just need to condition her VERY well in order to breed her. My little girl (despite being a veiltail and all anyways) would never be used as a breeder. She's just as bad as a male and whenever she sees my boy when I clean the tanks and have them in cups side by side she will try to attack him through the glass and tried to jump into his cup but luckily she has a cover over hers.


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

LadyVictorian said:


> You just need to condition her VERY well in order to breed her. My little girl (despite being a veiltail and all anyways) would never be used as a breeder. She's just as bad as a male and whenever she sees my boy when I clean the tanks and have them in cups side by side she will try to attack him through the glass and tried to jump into his cup but luckily she has a cover over hers.


Hmmm. All right, other than feeding her good food and keeping her in a heated tank with periodic water changes, what else would you suggest to condition her better? I'm new to the breeding scene but I'm doing my best to learn.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

IMO it's important that both show breeding mode signs before you float a female in a male's tank. In breeding mode, the male (actually both) will swim all over the tank. SO if an aggressive female is placed with him, she will think he is running away and she will chase and attack him. Often the male will fight back and put the female in her place but the male will have torn fins by then.

If both are in breeding mode, they will play follow the leader. Either may lead the courtship process. Usually only the male would bite. But sometimes if the male isn't ready while she is, she may attack the male. Or if the male doesn't show aggressiveness (not vicious) she may also attack.

Your picture is definitely a female. She has small dorsal, ventral and anal. If you want to breed her, isolate her. After a day or two, show her a male. If she is circling around the tank, you can breed her. But if she seems to be trying to break through the glass, she's not ready.

Btw, I don't rely on bubble nest nor breeding stripes to determine my breeders. I rely on their general behavior.


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## KansaiBlonde (Oct 22, 2012)

indjo said:


> IMO it's important that both show breeding mode signs before you float a female in a male's tank. In breeding mode, the male (actually both) will swim all over the tank. SO if an aggressive female is placed with him, she will think he is running away and she will chase and attack him. Often the male will fight back and put the female in her place but the male will have torn fins by then.
> 
> If both are in breeding mode, they will play follow the leader. Either may lead the courtship process. Usually only the male would bite. But sometimes if the male isn't ready while she is, she may attack the male. Or if the male doesn't show aggressiveness (not vicious) she may also attack.
> 
> ...


Thanks for all your advice! I wish I could do the same ie. rely on their behaviour rather than other signs, but I have never bred bettas before. And my males especially seem to be rather stubborn about it all!

Please, feel free to PM me if you have any other advice. I need all the help I can get.  (And yes, I have read all the stickies, but sometimes it's nice to talk to someone about it all.)


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Watch betta fighting (the moment they are introduce, not after the biting starts) and betta breeding in youtube. Or watch the bettas for sale - some will flare in one place while others will swim all over the tank. That should give you an idea of how they behave. Later when you do spawn, watch their behavior. Compare them to the ones not in breeding mode.

I need you to ask me questions - easier to think of. LOL


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