Sexing Scarlet Badis
- Thread starter RachelG
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RachelG
Aquarium Advice Activist
There are only three males left at the store, unless they've been bought already. The owner says he never sees those fish so he might not get more anytime soon. There is a listing selling females that goes up on ebay sometimes, though it is pricey ($30 including shipping for one fish). So if I want a female I can wait for them to list that again.
OP
OP
RachelG
Aquarium Advice Activist
Here's a video of them swimming around each other. I don't know if there is aggression, but it looks like they are playing or something. Maybe the smaller one is just a very red female after all and they are courting? Or maybe they are gay for each other. I've seen male endlers try to mate with each other. 
jac_france
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi there Rachael – your post was a couple of weeks ago but thought I’d pass on some of the things I’ve learned about scarlet badis – I too couldn’t find them at first, until a month after I'd bought other fish instead. I swiftly set up an old tank that I had in the loft, got some filter media and plants from my mature tank, and prayed by the time the tank was ready that they wouldn’t be gone from the store!
Well they were still there (bar one bright red one, they were all so pale and uninteresting that they didn’t get much attention from the families in that shop!) So I bought him and a much smaller, very pale one - the guy reckoned for sure it was female. Well, once in my tank I could see more clearly (with my glasses on) that there were the hints of stripes and his dorsal fin was just too big. Females don’t have so large a dorsal fin, and whilst they may have stripes, they're indistinct and almost ghostly... and more grey than red.
Junior males “act” like females around the larger, red males, even pulling their dorsal fin down and shaping themselves like a female. Getting hold of female scarlets is difficult – you need to be in the right place at the right time, and get your name and phone number at every store you can. The problem is that shops will ask their breeders, but I normally get the same reply – they’re sent out too young to sex them with a 100% guarantee – so if I purchased a few, then I’m bound to get a female in there.
Unfortunately, two males in my tank works very well indeed (they’re just in there with some pygmy cories, nothing else). But I can’t chance buying more males as there isn’t the space for any further territories once my juvenile is fully grown. They get on fine with just the odd chase, but the younger one tends to avoid the older one if he sees him coming – he doesn’t hide, he tends to go to the corner of the tank and stick his head down in the corner (it’s really quite funny to see – it’s like he’s thinking if he can’t see the other fish, then the other one won’t see him).
But I digress (as I usually do). I am now waiting to upgrade them to a bigger tank and that will allow me to buy two or three “pot luck” scarlets (if that’s the way it has to be). Because I fell in love with them instantly, it’s not a problem. I’d like to breed them now so that’s the future project. They’re best on their own or with small fish that don’t compete for the food and don’t bother them – they get on really well with my pygmy cories – who sometimes swim about after the adult scarlet and just “tail” him for a short while.
Mine will only eat food that moves – if it stops moving, they lose interest - so frozen food doesn't work. They'll get excited and watch me put it in, and watch it drop to the floor but then if it hits the bottom and doesn't move - pffft, they're off. They love daphnia but if I add brine shrimp, that’s the preference – and they’ll tackle the biggest and somehow suck it into their tiny mouths like spaghetti then stay for a moment just “chomping” with big fat cheeks. With the daphnia, they’ll follow it for a while watching like a hawk, before building up the courage to give it a nip. Any bigger fish in there would just get all the food before them – and I wouldn’t want that as I do like to spoil them a little!
You may have found all the above out by now already – so apologise if I’m repeating stuff you already know. I’ve started a microworm culture as well for mine. Didn’t anticipate that I’d be breeding worms one day!
But I do hope you’re loving your scarlets still !!!
Jac.
Well they were still there (bar one bright red one, they were all so pale and uninteresting that they didn’t get much attention from the families in that shop!) So I bought him and a much smaller, very pale one - the guy reckoned for sure it was female. Well, once in my tank I could see more clearly (with my glasses on) that there were the hints of stripes and his dorsal fin was just too big. Females don’t have so large a dorsal fin, and whilst they may have stripes, they're indistinct and almost ghostly... and more grey than red.
Junior males “act” like females around the larger, red males, even pulling their dorsal fin down and shaping themselves like a female. Getting hold of female scarlets is difficult – you need to be in the right place at the right time, and get your name and phone number at every store you can. The problem is that shops will ask their breeders, but I normally get the same reply – they’re sent out too young to sex them with a 100% guarantee – so if I purchased a few, then I’m bound to get a female in there.
Unfortunately, two males in my tank works very well indeed (they’re just in there with some pygmy cories, nothing else). But I can’t chance buying more males as there isn’t the space for any further territories once my juvenile is fully grown. They get on fine with just the odd chase, but the younger one tends to avoid the older one if he sees him coming – he doesn’t hide, he tends to go to the corner of the tank and stick his head down in the corner (it’s really quite funny to see – it’s like he’s thinking if he can’t see the other fish, then the other one won’t see him).
But I digress (as I usually do). I am now waiting to upgrade them to a bigger tank and that will allow me to buy two or three “pot luck” scarlets (if that’s the way it has to be). Because I fell in love with them instantly, it’s not a problem. I’d like to breed them now so that’s the future project. They’re best on their own or with small fish that don’t compete for the food and don’t bother them – they get on really well with my pygmy cories – who sometimes swim about after the adult scarlet and just “tail” him for a short while.
Mine will only eat food that moves – if it stops moving, they lose interest - so frozen food doesn't work. They'll get excited and watch me put it in, and watch it drop to the floor but then if it hits the bottom and doesn't move - pffft, they're off. They love daphnia but if I add brine shrimp, that’s the preference – and they’ll tackle the biggest and somehow suck it into their tiny mouths like spaghetti then stay for a moment just “chomping” with big fat cheeks. With the daphnia, they’ll follow it for a while watching like a hawk, before building up the courage to give it a nip. Any bigger fish in there would just get all the food before them – and I wouldn’t want that as I do like to spoil them a little!
You may have found all the above out by now already – so apologise if I’m repeating stuff you already know. I’ve started a microworm culture as well for mine. Didn’t anticipate that I’d be breeding worms one day!
But I do hope you’re loving your scarlets still !!!
Jac.
jac_france
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Sorry, I meant Rachel, not Rachael 
OP
OP
RachelG
Aquarium Advice Activist
Thanks for the tips.
Both of mine were indeed males, no doubt about it. They got along pretty well, but the smaller of the two just disappeared one day. I'm not sure whether he jumped out of the tank somehow and got lost under the dresser or if he just died suddenly and the cherry shrimp ate him up. But the bigger male is still doing good. I feed him live grindal worms and frozen daphnia. Hopefully I can order a female or two from an online seller sometime.
Both of mine were indeed males, no doubt about it. They got along pretty well, but the smaller of the two just disappeared one day. I'm not sure whether he jumped out of the tank somehow and got lost under the dresser or if he just died suddenly and the cherry shrimp ate him up. But the bigger male is still doing good. I feed him live grindal worms and frozen daphnia. Hopefully I can order a female or two from an online seller sometime.
jac_france
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
That's sad
But glad the other's okay
Good luck with female hunting. If they should turn into males again at least we can both be comforted by the fact that many experience the same problem and difficulties. FYI I think a male's territory is about 3 gals, so at least there could be some room for error.
But glad the other's okay
Good luck with female hunting. If they should turn into males again at least we can both be comforted by the fact that many experience the same problem and difficulties. FYI I think a male's territory is about 3 gals, so at least there could be some room for error.
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