No ovipositor but female.

[stubbskm]

I have been sorting a blue lace spawn, as a LFS is chasing females when I noticed that most of what I am calling girls have no ovipositors.

They are girls I am sure, short ventral fins, short fins and no aggressive behaviour ( all in a community tank). I have separated those with ovipositors ( 5 in total remaining)

Comparing these to my PK they don't look male. Is it at all possible for female not to possess ovipositors? Being dark colour I can't check for ovaries.

And with 20 of them in a 2ft one would expect that if they were all males there would be some aggressive behaviour. There is none. This has got me stumped.

[splendidbetta]

Any photos?

You sure can check for ovaries in dark bodied iridescent females, in the right light. However if they are young and haven't been separated before they may not be visible yet. If you can't see into the fish, then look for the bulge behind the belly. In males, there is no bulge behind the belly.

Maybe try jarring a few. Within a few days males will become obvious.

[Bettarazzi]

Yeah, I think jarring might be the way to go.

[stubbskm]

Jarring them is not an option at present. My 78 tanks in two barracks are full and have 20+ more jars around the house. Work is also going to be hectic for the next two weeks so more jars and water changes is not an option.

What kind of light? WHile they are happy in a community tank, I will leave them until work settles down.

Thanks.

[Bettarazzi]

If you shine a strong light behind them using a desk lamp or something like that you might be able to see the shape of the ovaries. Depends on how dark their bodies are. I just tried it with one of my dark bodies females and it was quite hard to see the ovaries. The other way is look at them from above and see if you can discern the bulge behind their stomachs. You might have to compare known males and females first before you look at the dubious ones.