Differences Between Girl & Boy Bettas

Betta fish are prized for their bright colors, playful personalities and easy care and maintenance. Because they don̵7;t require elaborate aquarium setups, bettas are often chosen by beginners to decide whether they enjoy keeping fish, notes bettafish.com. While bettas are relatively hardy, betta owners must still become informed on the best way to care for these colorful fish, including feeding and breeding. Learning how to tell male bettas from female bettas is a crucial piece of information for betta beginners and breeders alike.

  1. Physical Differences

    • Male bettas are the most recognized, because of their colorful markings and flowing fins. Vibrant red, blue, purple and green are the most common colors, according to healthybetta.com. The male betta̵7;s fins, especially the tail fin, may equal his body length in some cases and will be three to four times as long as a female̵7;s fins, according to bettatalk.com. A male will also sport a spectacular "beard," the ruffles that appear from beneath the gills.

      The female betta̵7;s colors are much more subdued than males, although many breeds would be considered quite vibrant. The female̵7;s body is shorter and wider overall than the male betta̵7;s body and the fins will be much shorter. A female also displays an ovipositor̵2;an egg tube on the underside that appears as a narrow white spot. Female bettas may also sport a beard but it will be much smaller and less spectacular than a male's beard.

    Behavioral Differences

    • Also known as Siamese fighting fish, both male and female fighting fish can be aggressive, notes healthybetta.com. When confronted with another male, the male betta will flare his gills and stiffen his fins, enlarging his appearance in an effort to intimidate the other male, says bettafish.com. This aggression translates to other fish as well, and means the male betta does best in his own tank. Male bettas also blow bubble nests, a network of mucus-covered air bubbles that sits at the top of the water. Females don̵7;t blow bubble nests at all, says bettatalk.com.

      Female bettas are also somewhat aggressive with other betta females, establishing a rigid pecking order, according to bettafish.com. However, female bettas are generally less aggressive toward other fish, especially other species that are considered non-aggressive by aquarium enthusiasts. In large tanks, female bettas in groups of three or more can get along quite well with other fish.

    Misconceptions

    • There are some variations of betta breeds where females are as brilliantly colored as their male counterparts, so a beginner may not be able to accurately identify the sex. Also, adolescent males will not possess the striking colors of more mature males, nor have as long and flowing fins, notes bettafish.com. Many beginners mistake adolescent male bettas as females. Finally, there are rare occasions when adolescent male bettas actually feature what looks like a white egg spot on their abdomens, according to bettatalk.com, but this usually disappears as they mature.