I cannot guarantee that the other fish in the tank will be safe with the bubblenest intact so you should destroy that if it is still there.

Yes female bettas will get an "egg spot" too but if they are light colored it is sometimes hard to see. They also get a definite swelling in the area behind their dorsal fins. You will notice when a female betta is egg full. I do not know that this is foolproof but that is the best way.

Now that the plakat males are becoming available more, they did not used to be common, it is more important than ever to make sure you know your vendor and trust that they know what they are doing. Buying from local BREEDERS that you know and trust is the very best way to buy and when you do buy from a petstore, it is better to buy from a person that you have had dealings with before or who an experienced hobbyist has recommended.

There are very good dealers to buy from online as well who are reputable and they sell good and great quality fish, but the downside to this is still the high cost of shipping. But you can at least be sure dealing with those who are reputable in this manner that you will get what you pay for. I will caution you that even on aquabid or ebay though that it is possible to be given fish who have been inbred to the point of ill health or to be sent fish by inexperienced breeders who do have the slightest idea how to pack and ship fish and have one or more arrive dead. Here again KNOW YOUR VENDOR or make sure that someone you trust has recommended them from their own personal use, not just from seeing their merchandise. They need to recommend them from actually owning fish that they have sent so they can say what the health quality of the fish is, what the general nature of the fish is, and how the fish arrived and if the fish is no longer with them just how long it lived. Of course you want to make sure the person that you are asking is good with their fish too.

I am not lecturing or trying to make anyone feel bad. This is for information only.

Rose