So you have decided to buy a betta fish or maybe you already have one.
There seems to be one or two burning questions that are always on the fish buyers mind--is my fish a male betta or a female betta and does it make any difference to me? Can I actually put male and female betta fish together? I had those exact same questions when I went to the pet store to purchase my first betta.
In the course of getting information I asked the clerk how you tell a male betta from a female betta.
He informed me that it really didn't matter, since I wasn't going to breed them, just pick out the one I liked the best.
That answer was pretty much OK with me at that time because I only wanted one fish and that fish would be alone in the fish tank.
A couple of weeks later that question and answer started to bug me as I watched my betta swim around the tank and I thought to myself, "what if I wanted to get another fish for that tank, how would I know which sex it was or if it could go into the tank with my first one?" I did a little research and found out that the answer to the, male or female question, was really very simple.
Male bettas are the ones with the long flowing fins, beautiful bright colors and are the larger of the species.
Not a big stretch of intelligence for a pet store clerk to learn that the big, colorful ones are male and the smaller more brownish colored ones are the females.
More importantly, is the fact that most pet stores only carry male bettas, because they are the most spectacular when in a fish tank.
Knowing whether your betta is male or female is vitally important if you are planning on having more than one fish in a tank.
Never ever put two male bettas in a tank together, these are Siamese Fighting Fish and when put together, two males will fight until one is dead.
Putting two female bettas together in a tank is not a good idea either.
Females will become territorial and will fight the other female for dominance of the tank.
The surprising thing about female bettas is, if you put 5 or more females into a tank, they will not fight.
I guess there are just too many for one to think it should dominate.
When putting females together, use the formula of 5 gallons per fish to keep yourself out of trouble, 5 fish equals 25 gallon tank.
That way they can all have their little corner of the world to dominate without a lot of fighting.
A male and a female can get along in a tank, as long as the tank is large enough.
If another female is added to the tank, you will have problems with the two females.
If you are adding females, try to make it 5 or more and up the size of your tank to 30 gallons or more.
Don't forget to have rocks, gravel and plants (real or artificial) in your aquarium.
That way the fish can have a place to hide if they want a break from the rest and they will find your tank more interesting, which will make them more active and fun to watch.
Knowing if you have a male betta or a female betta is extremely important if you are putting more than one fish into your tank.
For your enjoyment and the safety of your bettas, learn to tell the difference between the sexes and how they react to each other in a community fish tank.