How to tell male plakat from female

[minnieandpearl]

i just purchased a 2 inch female betta that is quite aggressive, flares quite a bit. she just doesn't "look" like other females i've seen. she is very dark with stripes. possibly its all from stress, including the stripes, because there are 5 new females in a 10 gallon tank but she just seems, well, different. what are the differences between a male plakat and a female? i'm concerned because i'll just put up a divider if it's questionable to anyone. sorry for the terrible pics but these were the best i could get.

 

[SMSBrunetteGirl]

Ovipoater,I think it`s called.That white thing sticking out under the belly

 

[Kiarra]

The ovipositor isn't the only way to tell, but it's one of the surest signs. The ovipositor is located on the ventral side of the fish, posterior to the ventral fins. It will appear as a small white dot, or as a small white tube in more gravid females, just behind the ventral fins.

Another way that you can tell is when the fish is flaring. Males have a noticeable large extension to their gills, underneath, when they are flaring. Females just puff out their gills, while males puff out their gills AND this addition flap of tissue underneath their chin. One extremely good example of a male flaring can be found in BettaMomma's avatar. The flap of tissue beneath the fish's head makes it evident that the fish is a male.

 

[minnieandpearl]

thanks! she's hiding in one of the ornaments right now, i'll let the tank stay peaceful and will check her later. she's not just big she's really full and stocky, looks like a bodybuilder lol

 

[Joepmaster]

Hi Minnieandpearl,

Here you can find a post in which you can see the differences between plakats and female bettas:

http/www.bettas4all.nl/viewtopic.php?t=194

Greetz,

Joep

 

[minnieandpearl]

thank you joep! ok, i'm going to guess she is a girl. i can see what looks like an ovipositer and she has very short stubby ventrals. she definately does flare quite impressively. we'll assume she's a girl but keep the divider handy

 

[Kiarra]

I think I do see an ovipositor in the second pic. But it's possible she's just a really mean girl. I have a few of those myself.