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Post by ahhthatsbetta on Apr 5, 2006 21:29:21 GMT -5
ok ... I bought a 2 month old "female" betta at a fish club auction a month or so ago, and my little girl has suddenly started blowing bubble nests ... is this normal for a female? She/he? has always flared, but I was told that feamles do this, so thought nothing of it. Her/his? tail is longer than it was when I got her/him? and her/his? lower fin (I can't remember the name of it ) has gotten very long. Latifa is also VERY aggressive toward other fish ... has killed 6 rummynose tetras, 2 angel fish, 2 Harlequin rasboras, and a scissortail rasbora (before being confined to a fish bowl ... I am planning to get her/him a tank soon). This is my first female ( I now have one other female, but she has no bubbles on her water surface), and only my second crowntail, so I don't know what to expect, or what is normal. Help is appreciated ... I had planned to breed her with my male crowntail, but ... is this even possible? Have I got 2 males? Pics are attached (the quality isn't the best, but should give you an idea). Thanks! ![]() ![]() |
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Post by cellogirl on Apr 5, 2006 22:35:05 GMT -5
looks like a male to me! The tail seems to long for it to be a female and the colors are more brilliant then a female would normaly have.
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Post by accountingchick on Apr 5, 2006 22:59:58 GMT -5
I have to agree with cellogirl on this one. It looks like you have a male that has not totally developed its finnage yet. It's anal fin and caudal fin are too long for a female. Also its stomach looks quite large. Has it shown any symptoms of illness?
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Post by shadoew on Apr 6, 2006 5:33:37 GMT -5
I agree also, that definitely looks like a male to me  |
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Post by ahhthatsbetta on Apr 6, 2006 6:13:16 GMT -5
no signs of illness ... I thought maybe s/he was full of eggs, and I had her next to my Male CT , getting them aquainted (thank goodness you guys wrote back ... that could have been quite dangerous!) He may have a bit of constapation ... my husband has been feeding the fish that past few days, and he has a heavy hand (and Latifa like to eat!) I will keep an eye on things.
Do females ever make surface bubbles?
(editted for spelling)
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Post by Rachel on Apr 6, 2006 9:27:04 GMT -5
Do females ever make surface bubbles? My female flares and blows a few bubbles, but certainly nothing compared to a male's bubblenest (or like the one you've shown). Does the fish have an ovipositor? That’s a definite way to distigush between the sexes. HB’s Male vs. Female Article. |
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sawcat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 237
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Post by sawcat on Apr 6, 2006 11:22:20 GMT -5
those fins look way to long to be a female. My girl blows a few bubbles but not a nest)
Actually looks like my first, who's name was (oddly enough) Dude (Looks like a lady) =))
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Post by ahhthatsbetta on Apr 6, 2006 15:36:55 GMT -5
re: the ovipositer ... I peeked, and there is something there, but it is tiny ... the article you refered me to Rachel says that sometimes young males have 'em, too (s/he is only abt. 4 months old), so I don't know if I'm any closer to the true gender of my little Latifa! i am a bit miffed that the woman who bred them doesn't know her fish well! She commented to me (when I told her abpout the murderous rampage in my tank) that she had a girl kill 6 sisters before she figured out who-dunnit. Maybe her she was a he, too!
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Post by Rachel on Apr 6, 2006 16:48:23 GMT -5
re: the ovipositer ... I peeked, and there is something there, but it is tiny ... the article you refered me to Rachel says that sometimes young males have 'em, too (s/he is only abt. 4 months old), so I don't know if I'm any closer to the true gender of my little Latifa! Yes, you're correct. I thought about that after I posted my reply. I shouldn't have said it's a "definite" indicator, rather a "most likely" factor. Since I wrote that article, I should have known better than to reply like that. Oopsie.  Since you got the fish at such a young age, the breeder used the ovipositor to judge the sex. I suggest showing her a picture of the fish now and seeing what her response is. I'd be interested to hear what she has to say. By the finnage, people are going to tell you it's a male. We had a member here that had a few young "males" that had ovipositors. As far as I know, they were always present on the fish, even when they got older. Of course, it is possible that they were actually long-finned females. Who is to say for sure? He never tried to breed them. It seems weird that males would have an ovipositor if you ask me. Although I suppose you could say it's just as strange for females to have long fins. The member that I'm referring to showed a breeder pictures of the fish. The breeder told him that young males sometimes have them, so it was concluded that they were male fish. Based on your betta's behavior (lots of flaring and the bubblenest) I'm leaning towards it being a male. As for a betta killing other fish, females can be just as aggressive as the males, if not more so at times. It's the nature of the species to behave that way. |
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Since you got the fish at such a young age, the breeder used the ovipositor to judge the sex. I suggest showing her a picture of the fish now and seeing what her response is. I'd be interested to hear what she has to say.