Male Or Female?

[Loko17]

I went to my LFS today to get a female betta and found three tiny crowntails that have finnage like females. The guy there said he ordered males and he thought they were just young males, I'm wondering if when the males are real young do they look like females? Thanks for the help

 

[mrplaty]

yes it can be very hard to tell when they are very young as they will have shortfins. You sill start to notice their sex from about 6 weeks. How big would you say they were??

 

[Loko17]

A little less than an inch long. The one i've got is probably an inch.

 

[mrplaty]

may still be unsexable at that size unless you have experience. Is Its anal fin pointed at the end or is it square???

 

[OohFeeshy]

Some ways of telling at that age (from experience with gender bending bettas)

Fin size, esp. ventrals (longer on males)
Oviposter
Aggression (but as an extra, not on it's own)
Colour (again, as an extra)

 

[afireinside]

They could be CTPK also, right?

 

[Loko17]

I think she is a she, there is a white spec on her underside and i had her in the bag and put her in the 10 gallon and she never once flared or became aggresive toward the male Dwarf Gourami. Looks good, shes very energetic and she's already eating. Thanks for the help

Its looking good, the anal fin looks just like this one.

 

[OohFeeshy]

They could be CTPK also, right?

Unlikely, very few people breed fancier tails like CTPK, and they're unlikely to turn up at a lfs.

 

[Loko17]

I'm confused, do some females flare? Mine did this morning

 

[afireinside]

Yes the can and they will. Though the little flaring things (I forgot them name atm) do not extend beyond the gill flap if it's a female.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Yes, some do, but only time will tell whether its male or female really. A week or so after I got my ladyboy, his fins enlarged, that showed he wasn't a girl (I knew already, no one else did though).

 

[Loko17]

Yea, I'm kind of hoping its a female because I've never kept females before but it wouldnt be bad having another male and watching it develop