The popularity of keeping betta fish continues to increase at an exponential rate with more and more fish keepers of all levels of experience starting to keep bettas in their aquariums.
In addition to the general popularity of keeping betta fish increasing, the popularity of keeping female betta sorority tanks is also increasing at a rapid rate too.
With female betta sorority tanks usually having around give female betta fish and many people preferring to keep female betta fish over males due to their lower levels of aggression, we have noticed more and more people asking about the female betta egg spot.
We have seen a large amount of misinformation on social media about the female betta egg spot too so we wanted to publish our own article going over the more common questions that we see people asking.
Our hope is that we will be able to help our readers better understand the betta egg spot allowing you to better understand your betta fish.
We often see people reaching out worried that their is a problem with their betta too due to various issues with their egg spot when there is nothing actually wrong and whatever the person was worried about is totally normal.
Do All Female Bettas Have Egg Spots?
All sexually mature female betta fish will develop an egg spot as it is the exit of their ovipositor that they will use to release their eggs when ready.
Some egg spots are larger and more obvious to see than others but any betta fish of over six months of age will usually have developed her egg spot.
Female bettas tend to reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight months with some taking as long as a year if their water parameters and diet are poor but this is very rare.
Once your female betta fish reaches this age she will develop her ovipositor (egg spot) and start to produce her eggs and release them into her tank.
The first time a female betta fish releases her eggs can actually be problematic as the hormone that triggers the production of eggs in the fish does not take into account the development stage of the egg spot.
Due to this, some female bettas can become egg bound due to having produced eggs but her egg spot not having fully formed yet.
If you do think that this has happened on your female betta fish then our article on helping female betta fish that are full of eggs may be helpful.
Where Is The Female Betta Egg Spot Located?
Female betta fish that are sexually mature will develop their egg spot along the bottom of their body.
The exact location can change slightly due to the betta’s profile changing depending on the type of fins and tail that she has. It is usually located between her fins and her tail and will usually look like a tiny grain of sand.
The egg spot is actually the exit of the ovipositor and it can move in and out of your female betta fish slightly depending on a few different things.
Don’t be alarmed if you are not able to see your bettas egg spot once day after usually being able to see it with ease, this can be totally natural and is usually nothing to worry about.
As we touched on above, depending on the profile of your betta fish and her colors or pattern, it can sometimes be very difficult to identify her egg spot.
This is why you will often see people on social media saying that their betta fish that has laid eggs does not have an egg spot.
If she has laid eggs, she definitely does have an egg spot, it is just hidden well and is not visible but this can be very common with some colors and profiles of bettas.
Why Is My Female Bettas Egg Spot So Large?
A female betta fish’ egg spot can naturally be larger than others depending on her profile. If you notice that your betta’s egg spot is suddenly much larger than normal she may be about to release eggs or starting to produce her eggs.
This can sometimes worry some beginner betta fish owners but as we covered in our article on female betta fish laying eggs without males in their tank, all healthy female betta fish of a certain age will produce and release eggs.
Some people get worried and thing that their betta fish may have an infection as she is a solo betta in her tank and doesn’t have a male but it is totally natural for a solo female betta to still produce eggs.
Although rare, there are some situations where your betta’s ovipositor may end up infected and have issues with either bacteria or parasites.
If you do think that this may be the issue we would recommend that you book a quick video call with a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, you can probably treat the issue with either Bettafix or No products found. depending on if it is an issue with bacteria or parasites.
What Is The Female Betta Egg Spot For?
The egg spot is the exit of the ovipositor on a fish and is used to safely release the eggs of the fish into her water supply. Depending on the fish species, she may release them freely into the water or into some form of nest or den.
When it comes to female betta fish, they will usually use their egg spot to release their eggs into a bubble nest that has been built by a male betta fish.
If there is no male betta fish present in her tank, most female bettas will hold their eggs for around two weeks before releasing them due to them not being fertile anymore.
If a betta fish does release her eggs in this way, she will simply use her egg spot to release the eggs into the water of her tank rather than to specifically release them into a bubble nest.
Eggs released in this way will usually become a part of the food chain in your aquarium and female betta fish will commonly eat their own unfertilized eggs.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over the female betta egg spot and all of the frequently asked questions that we see people asking about it to an end. We hope that we have been able to put your mind at ease if you were worried about the egg spot on your betta fish as there is a large amount of misinformation online about it that can result in people getting worried about something that is totally normal.
