Male or female Scarlet Badis?

[jossswonk]

I'm thinking about getting a pair of scarlet badis for my 6 gallon planted cube. My fish store currently has 2. One of them is very obviously a male but I'm not sure about this one.

 

[otterblue]

Its probably a male. Females are very rare. Sometimes the subordinate males don't color up so that they appear female. I was lucky to get 2 females five years ago and I've had breeding ever since. The females don't typically have those reddish lines.

 

[jossswonk]

Darn, I was hoping I was lucky and found a pair. Would 1 male be ok in a 6 gallon cube that's densely planted? Or with a small school of nano fish like chili rasboras? I've got some celestial pearl danios quarantining in there while I move fish around to clear up my 10 gallon, so it will be empty and ready for new inhabitants soon.

 

[otterblue]

I could be wrong and it could be a female, but I don't think so.

I think a 6 gallon is pretty small and 10 gallons would be better, so at most I'd only put 1 badis and no other fish. You could add some snails and shrimp, though. The shrimp, especially shrimplets, may be killed.

Two male scarlet badis would need a lot more space because they're territorial.

 

[otterblue]

Active fish or larger fish make Scarlet badis nervous. They also only eat live food and may be outcompeted by other fish due to being slow hunters.

 

[anewbie]

If that is an adult fish it is very likely a female - females are grey or just a touch of colour while males are quite brilliant:

 

[otterblue]

If that is an adult fish it is very likely a female - females are grey or just a touch of colour while males are quite brilliant:

You may be right, although all my females (and there's been a lot) are always gray. They sometimes display shades of gray stripes and rarely display hints of color and never any permanent red coloration.

It's not that uncommon for a submissive male to be gray around dominant males.