Fugly Has A Brother...

[lljdma06]

I keep finding PK males in the female tank at that LFS. I think this male was even in there with Fugly when I got Fugly, but I couldn't get "him" to show his beard and flare, so I just got Fugly that day. When I came back for the new female, this one had taken Fugly's place as the dominant fish. He is more red, and I suspect that he and Fugly may be brothers.

No more bettas for me, I have enough. No name for him yet.



This one may be kept in my office at work. A possible backup if Fugly and new female don't work out. Or I may rehome him, as I really don't want anymore bettas. I have one too many. Actually two too many, now that Pretty isn't a good partner for Fugly, but I wanted to make sure I found a suitable mate for Fugly. It's like pairing off angelfish. You buy a bunch and get a pair from those.

L

 

[lljdma06]

Hahaha! This one must be uglier than Fugly, because no one's said anything yet. I shall dub thee Fuglier...

 

[chesterscot]

Hi llj

Now I know nothing about bettas really or what pk means to be honest

But if thats a male and his fins stay that way there nicer than the long wispy fined things haha
nice fish

regards scot

 

[lljdma06]

Hi llj

Now I know nothing about bettas really or what pk means to be honest

But if thats a male and his fins stay that way there nicer than the long wispy fined things haha
nice fish

regards scot

PK stands for Plakat, which is the name for the short-finned betta. Bettas in the wild have short fins. Yes, Fuglier's fins are going to stay that way. I quite fancy the look. I also find they swim better and are less prone to blowing out the fins, so they look better for a longer time. They are more agressive, though.

L

 

[coldcazzie]

I shall dub thee Fuglier...

Love it!

 

[effy]

awh i love plakats!! i hope im not the only one that thinks these guys are not ugly

 

[lljdma06]

I shall dub thee Fuglier...

Love it!

will have to buy 3rd PK & dub him "Fugliest"

awh i love plakats!! i hope im not the only one that thinks these guys are not ugly

No, you're not the only one. It's my favorite tail type. If I could get wild splendens, I would. I'm just joking because most hobbiests keep the long-finned types.

L

 

[FreedomFighter]

I think he's stunning.

Could you tell me how to tell pk apart from splenden females. I'm hopeless with Betta but my sorority is always in breeding colours, which tells me I must have a male in there somewhere.

 

[lljdma06]

The problem is that there is always a female that will defy typical characteristics, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This is just my opinion based on what I've observed.

Male - Bigger anal fin (often in PK ending with a distinct sweep or point)
Male - No ovipositor (Again, possibly some freaky males with this)
Male - longer ventral fins (Not the best to go by)
Male - slighter wider dorsal fin (Not the best either)
Male - Extra flap of skin in gill flap, giving an appearence of a beard (though some females have this too)
Male - Bubble nests (though females will also do this?)
Male - Now this is behavioral. He won't be with the others, he'll have a territory that he defends. The females, on the other hand, are investigators and will roam the tank. This is how I found my two PK that were with the females. They weren't swimming with the females unless they were subordinate males in the tank. Yes, there was more than one PK in the LFS tank. Fugly was the dominant, Fuglier was subordinate and with the females. Once I purchased Fugly, Fuglier assumed the dominant role and changed his behavior. Pretty was by itself too and defending comers. The females are different. While they bicker amongst themselves, they will seek a male. Hahaha, look for the fish that is getting all the attention and doesn't want it!

Now, it's quite possible that a female will exhibit some of these traits, but if it exibits all of these traits, chances are, it's a male. Also, and perhaps it's because I've had PK over the years and prefer them, I just seem to know who is male and who is not. Though some, like Pretty, do throw me for a loop. See, I suspect Pretty is also a PK male, just a mal-formed one. Like there are genetic gender anomolies (spelling, can't spell this word today) in other animals, stands to reason that fish species, especially those that are line bred, like bettas, will often have individuals that exhibit some gender anomolies, making gender identification difficult.

Does this make any sense?

 

[FreedomFighter]

Yeah makes sense.

See it's the fact that all my "females" have egg spots that's been throwing me off, but you say some males can have this? (weird!)

I'll take a close look at my sorority, see what I can spot.

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah makes sense.

See it's the fact that all my "females" have egg spots that's been throwing me off, but you say some males can have this? (weird!)

I'll take a close look at my sorority, see what I can spot.

Do you have pictures of your "girls"? That may help. When I was checking that LFS tank, I had my mirror compact with me. Did flare tests with some of the females. The flare is just different IMO. I've got video of Fugly and Fuglier's flares in their journal threads. The females don't look like that.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Yeah makes sense.

See it's the fact that all my "females" have egg spots that's been throwing me off, but you say some males can have this? (weird!)

I'll take a close look at my sorority, see what I can spot.

Do you have pictures of your "girls"? That may help. When I was checking that LFS tank, I had my mirror compact with me. Did flare tests with some of the females. The flare is just different IMO. I've got video of Fugly and Fuglier's flares in their journal threads. The females don't look like that.

Well I took a couple of photos of my suspect fish, do you want me to make a new thread to stop yours going more off topic, or are you not fussed?

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah makes sense.

See it's the fact that all my "females" have egg spots that's been throwing me off, but you say some males can have this? (weird!)

I'll take a close look at my sorority, see what I can spot.

Do you have pictures of your "girls"? That may help. When I was checking that LFS tank, I had my mirror compact with me. Did flare tests with some of the females. The flare is just different IMO. I've got video of Fugly and Fuglier's flares in their journal threads. The females don't look like that.

Well I took a couple of photos of my suspect fish, do you want me to make a new thread to stop yours going more off topic, or are you not fussed?

Not fussed... It's not like Fuglier cares...

 

[FreedomFighter]

Hah fair enough.

Well i'll post photos of my suspect fish, and then try to get some of the other girls.

It's just eaten, so it's as fat as a walrus.

 

[lljdma06]

Does it have a beard or flare? Grab a compact or mirror and test him.