Identifying Bettas in Your Betta Fish Tank

There are a wide variety of betta fish that you can have in your betta fish tank. With so many, it could be hard to tell them apart let alone know if you need to add any more. Since it is not advisable to have two male betas in the same tank, it is good to tell a male and a female apart. This way when you know which fish is a male, you will not add another male into the fish tank. It is quite easy to identify the gender of the fish by looking at the behavior and the features displayed.

A male betta is usually aggressive in nature. This is more so if it is in the same tank with another male. When it sees another male or even its reflection, its gills will open so as to make it look tougher. This is also known as flaring. When you see two betta fish flaring on contact know they are both male and one should be removed from the betta fish tank. Another identifying feature of a male is that it will form a bubble nest on top of the water surface to hold the eggs or when it is happy.

Female betta fish are not as colorful as the male. They have a white dot on their belly otherwise known as an ovipositor or egg spot. When a female is happy, she will be fat with eggs. She will have stripes going up and down on her body. When she is scared, the stripes will go across her body. By looking at the fish behavior in your betta fish tank you can be able to tell if it is female or not by looking at how it behaves and if it has the white dot on its belly. There are different species of betta and you can tell them apart by the type of fins they have. When you know these differences in features you can be able to name the fish in your betta fish tank. By looking at the fish fins, you can be able to see the distinguishing features. For example, a male crown tail fish will have longer fins. This betta has spiky fins which makes it outstanding. When it extends these fins, they look like a crown. The female crown tail has shorter fins although still spiky.

Halfmoons have the longest type of fin. The fin is one piece and when extended looks like a half moon hence the name. The males have a longer fin than for the female. This species is considered relatively peaceful although the male can get aggressive. Plakats are another bettas species although with shorter fins. They take the shape of the halfmoons but a shorter version. The males are extremely aggressive.

Other not so popular bettas include king betta and veil tails. Each betta fish will bring something different to your betta fish tank. You get color and character all in one bundle. They are unique species that make the fish tank exciting to look.