What kind of Betta do I have?

[Cali]

I just got a new Betta (my 5th..HELP, I'm addicted!) from a local aquatics store. He (or she) is a baby and I cannot tell if he or she is a boy or a girl. I think his fins are getting longer so I'm assuming he's a boy.

My question is this:

He is pretty much transparent in coloring, but he's got black horizontal strips on him. I've done several internet searches on Betta coloring and patterns and horizontal stripes are never listed as a typical pattern on Bettas. Is this a non traditional type of Betta? I mean, OTHER than the types sold in your LPS? All of the little baby Bettas in the aquatics store where I bought him have horizontal stripes.


Has anyone seen this type of Betta? If not, can you tell me what kind of Betta this is?

thanks,

 

[DizBjOhN104]

hmm..... i don't think male have horizontal stripes, i think the females has them

im not sure, but i think ur betta is a female

another way of checking is looking under its belly if u see a white dot or an egg on the bottoome of the belly its a female for sure

but thats all i know

 

[Cali]

See, that' another thing...I have one female Betta and I can CLEARLY see her egg sack (thingie). But, on my unknown Betta, I can't see one. I really think he's male. Remember, the stripes aren't vertical (as if she were ready for mating), but they are horizontal (from his head to his tale). It's weird.

 

[DizBjOhN104]

i have no clue, i can't remember srry

my addiction for bettas has left me, so i dont have bettas any more
but i did have 3 males, and 4 females before

 

[canis_lupus]

my lfs has a few of those 2 they have the stripes and i was told they r female b cause they are all in the same tank. other than that it's impossible without a picture or something

 

[Cali]

thanks, canis...


All the baby Bettas were in the same tank, too...but, they were REALLY young and (the store owner said) they were too young to show aggression towards each other at this point. It's my understanding some are male and some are female. They are all siblings....from the same stock.


I wish I had a digital camera to take a picture, but I don't. Sorry.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I just got a new Betta (my 5th..HELP, I'm addicted!)

sorry sweetie , there is no help, your addiction will only get worse

by the way, I have no idea about your striped guy

 

[juliethegr8t]

Remember, the stripes aren't vertical (as if she were ready for mating), but they are horizontal (from his head to his tale).

You're right about how when a female betta is ready for mating, she does get stripes - that aren't horizontal, but vertical. However, before this, some females do have horizontal stripes - they just change to vertical when they are ready to mate. So maybe you've got a girl, all I can say is keep an eye out and see if those stripes stick around, or if they go away. I'm guessing female right now, but sheesh, hard to tell!

Edit: Did a little looking around, and found a few sites mentioning females having horizontal stripes. In fact, here's what I found on one regarding telling the difference between the sexes:

"Sexing: Sexual domorphism in Bettas makes sexing relatively easy in mature fish (sexual dimorphism means that each sex has a different body shape); male have longer fins; females have short fins, more rounded bodies and show several lateral, horiontal stripes. Some domestic strains have females as colourful as the males but these females usually show horizonatal markings when ready for breeding." (Watershed Aquaculture)

 

[wuvmybetta]

However, before this, some females do have horizontal stripes - they just change to vertical when they are ready to mate.

This is true, I didn't even think about it until I read what julie posted. I have a female who gets vertical stripes when she gets excited over food or a water change or her flirty male neighbor , all the other females have horizontal stripes, the dark females anyway , maybe you DO have a female

Edit: BUT, you said he/she's transparent in color....only the darker females get stripes, light colors don't

 

[Cali]

Edit: Did a little looking around, and found a few sites mentioning females having horizontal stripes. In fact, here's what I found on one regarding telling the difference between the sexes:

Thank you! That does sound like my baby. Weird though, that she's ready for mating when she can't be more than 2 (maybe 3) months old.



I'd better keep my eye on her!

 

[Cali]

Edit: BUT, you said he/she's transparent in color....only the darker females get stripes, light colors don't

I know...it's completely baffling to me.

 

[Cali]

sorry sweetie , there is no help, your addiction will only get worse

"wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

 

[Scarab]

Ok...here's a little more info that might help some....first of all, a female displays vertical stripes when she's ready to breed, not horizontal:

From http/bettalistserv.tripod.com/FAQ.htm#2 :
"Q: My female has horizontal stripes, what does this mean?
A: When a female, and even on occasion a male, gets horizontal stripes, it is nothing to be concerned about. This is there was of letting the other fish know that they are submissive. These are also known as 'fear' stripes. They will obtain these stripes when they are stresses or feel threatened. If they were recently in a fight with another fish, then the stripes show that they have submitted.

Q: My female has vertical stripes, what does this mean?
A: When a female displays these stripes, it is her sign to the male that she is ready to breed. You may often find her more plump than usual if she is displaying these stripes. If so, then she is plump with eggs. These stripes will most often occur when a male is within view.

Q: How do you tell a male form a female?
A: For the most part, this is very simple. When they are young, or not completely mature, it is more difficult. The majority of the time, females will be short finned. They will also have an ovipositor between their ventral & anal fins. This looks like a small, white bump. They develop this when they are mature enough to breed. Males will normally have long, flowing fins. They are the typical picture that comes to mind when someone mentions a betta. Males are also longer in body than the female for the most part. There are such things as long-finned females and short-finned males. The best way to sex them is looking for the ovipositor, although if a female is young, she will not have it yet."


And from http/www.bettasrus.com/bcorner/gender.htm :
"Females also tend to get "fear" stripes more often than males. These are the horizontal stripes that appear along their body when they become stressed. Females also exhibit vertical stripes when they are near males and ready for breeding. These stripes also can appear when around other females and aggravated.
At times, a male can exhibit these stripes, but it is far less often than in females. A male will hold his color more so than the females, who often will get stressed and fade their colors into stripes. The stripes are not visible in light bodied bettas such as some Cambodians, opaque whites and pastels."

Check out this last source on Bettasrus...has some great pictures and other info on gender.

 

[Cali]

scarab, thank you so much. I think they ARE fear stripes. Go figure! I thought she was happy this whole time. What's she got to be afraid of?


...I did buy 2 of the babies together and I kept them in the same (1 gallon) tank because they were SO little. But, the other day, I noticed the one guy was chasing and nipping at the other little guy. So, I gave the submissive one (the one being nipped) to my neighbor's daughter. Both fish had stripes at this point. That was like three days ago and my guy (the aggressive one) STILL has his stripes.

How weird. He seems perfectly happy and content in his 1 gallon tank. He has the whole thing to himself now. He's got no reason for fear stripes. Color me baffled.

 

[Cali]

scarab....

that's EXACTLY what they are...FEAR STRIPES. My girl looks EXACTLY like the one in that picture on that site you listed: http/www.bettasrus.com/bcorner/gender.htm

She looks like the female shown over the caption "horizontal fear stripes"

I'm so excited I finally know what it is!!!

thank you so much. That is exactly what my baby looks like...EXACTLY!