New Betta

[fox1]

I just got a new betta fish for my new Marineland 5 Gallon portrait tank. I just wanted help identifying if it's a male or female. I think that it is a female because there is no obvious beard and she is very peaceful. Also I noticed that the belly looks a little bloated. Is this cause of concern? I just fed her/him right before I took these pictures. The second picture (Betta 3) was taken yesterday and she wasn't fed. The belly is a little smaller there. Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[SaraB]

It's impossible to tell gender from these pictures. What you do is look at the belly (closer to the tail) and see if you can find an egg spot. It will be a small white spot.
A bloated belly could just have been how they were fed at the store. If you are super concerned you can feed it a cooked peeled chopped up pea.

 

[fox1]

It's impossible to tell gender from these pictures. What you do is look at the belly (closer to the tail) and see if you can find an egg spot. It will be a small white spot.
A bloated belly could just have been how they were fed at the store. If you are super concerned you can feed it a cooked peeled chopped up pea.

Ok, I looked for a egg spot but it was hard to see with the belly being white. I have to look a little harder. I will keep an eye on the belly. Thanks!

 

[SaraB]

It will be sticking out a bit. If you don't see one then it's a male.

 

[Ashyxiv]

It's easier to check from the top view (Betta 4 image). I guess this is a male betta from the body and long fins. Males have thin bodies. Females have short fins and thick bodies.

 

[SaraB]

I've had females with long fins. It's all in the breeding.

 

[kbalaz]

Im saying its a male, and he is stunning

 

[Barliman]

Beautiful specimen, I love the colors. My guess is that it's male; I've never seen females with fins that long.

 

[Fin35]

Beautiful fish! Females are not as beautiful as males and have shorter fins, he’s a male. If he starts making a bubble nest, you’ll know it’s a male. Just a side note, does that coconut cave have a hole in it? I have one as well and apparently Betta fish can get stuck inside the hole and die. If there is a hole plug it up with a java fern or something else. If you think your fish is bloated don’t feed it for a day and it should resolve. Also don’t overfeed, Bettas fish only need 2-3 pellets per feeding twice a day. Mine gets 3-6 pellets a day and he’s never bloated. Fast him every 10 days for 1-2 days.