hm...yea I would agree that the pet store females are much more "plain" looking..tend to be very similar to one another in color and tail style..If you check out my thread on the sosority tank..you could see the 2 females from the petstore look alike and are from 2 different pet shops..I still love em'...cute little mamas..LOL but I admit they aren't as fancy as maybe ones you'll see on aquabid ect..Although there are exceptions..Keep your eye open you never know if your petstore will get some unique ones in..and truth be told..although the petstore females may not be as "fancy" they do differ in their coloring(maybe not much-but some) and have great personalities too