do female betas flare?

[Otavio Exel]

Hello All,

my daughter was given a small female beta[1][2];

but, surprisingly, she flares to her image in the
mirror just like I've seen male betas do!
is this expected?
or maybe she is not a "she" but a "he"?

TIA!

[1] yes, in a very small jar
[2] yes, I'm getting her a decent home tomorow

--
Otavio Exel /<\oo/>\

[John D. Goulden]

> Hello All,
>
> my daughter was given a small female beta[1][2];
>
> but, surprisingly, she flares to her image in the
> mirror just like I've seen male betas do!
> is this expected?
> or maybe she is not a "she" but a "he"?
>
> TIA!
>
> [1] yes, in a very small jar
> [2] yes, I'm getting her a decent home tomorow

I've never seen a female betta flare, but then again I've had only a handful
of female bettas. Look for a distinct white area (the gravid spot) on "her"
belly just in front of the anus. If you see it, it's a female. If you don't,
you may have a male betta or a dwarf gourami. Another thing to check for are
stripes (do you see distinct horizontal stripes?) and the shape of the fins.
Can you post a link to a pic?

IMHO a "decent home" for bettas means at least five gallons (two bettas in a
divided 10-gallon is fine; I think those 3.5-gallon minibows are too small
and "betta bowls" are cruel and unusual punishment), planted, heated to 78F,
very clean and slightly acidic (PH 6 to 7) water with a bit of aquarium salt
added, and little or no current. Provide at least one broad-leaf plant that
reaches the surface; bettas like to rest on the leaves and are more likely
to build bubble nests if there's some structure to work with at the surface.
I hope your daughter enjous her betta - they have lots of personality and
are my favorite fish to keep!

Another note on female bettas: one thing I have done a lot in the past is
put a male and female in a divided ten. After six weeks or so, especially if
they spend all of their time together near the divider and if she doesn't
have fear / submission stripes, try removing the divider. More often than
not they will get along just fine and will spend most of the day patrolling
their tank together with very little flaring or nipping. Many of my drab
female bettas have colored up nicely when paired like this. You may or may
not get baby bettas, though - I did this with pairs that wouldn't breed in
the conventional manner or that I wasn't interested in breeding.

--
John Goulden
mostly goldies, guppies, bettas, and swordtails

[Vicki PS]

"Otavio Exel" > wrote in message
r...
> Hello All,
>
> my daughter was given a small female beta[1][2];
>
> but, surprisingly, she flares to her image in the
> mirror just like I've seen male betas do!
> is this expected?
> or maybe she is not a "she" but a "he"?

Some do. The difference is that on a male you'll see its "beard" extend
when it flares, but this is absent on a female. Some females also blow
bubblenests. However, it's not uncommon for immature males to be mistakenly
identified as females. (I've had that happen to me a few times buying lfs
bettas).
>
> [1] yes, in a very small jar
> [2] yes, I'm getting her a decent home tomorow

How big a tank you get is up to you, but if you've got limited space,
anything from 2 gallons up is fine, as long as you can maintain good water
quality and stable temperature.

Vicki PS

[bettasngoldfish]

I have females that flare and build bubble nests! They are the ones
with the big tudes ; )