Does It Make A Difference If You Have A Male Betta Or A Female Betta?

     So you and maybe the rest of your family have decided to buy a betta fish. Or perhaps your family is already the proud owner or one.

In my family there seemed to be one or two important questions which seem to always be on the fish buyers mind.

The fish I have or want to get, is it 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?

If I want to have a lot of fish in my aquarium, should I distinguish between the males and females?

I had those identical questions before I went to the pet store to buy my first betta. Half way through the process of gathering information for myself I asked the clerk how to tell a male betta from a female betta. He informed me that it really didn't matter, just decide upon the one I liked the very best.

That answer was more or less right for me at that time given the fact that I only wanted one fish and I thought that fish would forever be the only one in the tank.

About 2 weeks later what he said and the answer started to bother me because I started to think about adding more fish to the tank. My problem then became, how could I know which sex the new fish would be and could it be placed into the tank with my first Betta fish?

I did a little research and found out that the solution to the, male or female question, was really pretty uncomplicated. Male bettas are the ones with the long flowing fins, beautiful bright colors and are also the bigger of the species.

I also discovered that the smaller more brownish colored ones are the females.

Knowing whether your betta is male or female is vitally important for anyone who is considering having more than one fish in a tank. If you don't know the differences you might be putting yourfish at risk.

Don't let it cross your mind that you can put two male bettas in a tank together. The male bettas aren't compatible companions and the two males will fight until one is dead.

Female bettas aren't quite as bad but putting two female bettas together in a tank is not the best of ideas either. The reason for this is that females become very territorial and will fight the other female for dominance of your tank. The surprising thing about female bettas is, if you want more than one in your tank, put 5 and up females into a tank, they won't fight.

When putting females together, utilize the formula of 5 gallons per fish to stay out of trouble, 5 fish equals 25 gallon tank. It's the fastest way to 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, providing that the tank is large enough. Keep in mind that if another female is added to the tank, you will have troubles with the two females. If you are adding females, try to make it 5 or even more and up the size of your tank to 30 gallons or more.

Knowing if you have a male betta fish or a female betta is enormously important if you are putting a number of fish into your tank. For your own personal enjoyment and the safety of those beautiful bettas, discover ways to distinguish between the sexes and how they react to each other in a community aquarium.