Breeders around the world continue to develop new varieties. Often, the males of the species are sold preferentially in stores because of their beauty, compared to the females. Females almost never develop fins as showy as males of the same type and are often more subdued in coloration, though some breeders manage to get females with fairly long fins and bright colors.
Finnage variations
Design with Develope
Breeders have developed several different finnage and scale variations.
Betta fish are well known for their beautiful tails but do you know all the different betta fish tail types out there? Do you know what type of tail your betta fish has?
Fin - Tail Relevant Content
Veil tail (VT)
extended finnage length and non-symmetrical tail; caudal fin rays usually only split once; the most common tail type seen in pet stores.
Crown tail (CT)
fin rays are extended well beyond the membrane and consequently the tail can take on the appearance of a crown; also called fringetail.
Comb tail
less extended version of the crown tail, derived from breeding crown and another finnage type.
Half-moon (HM)
"D" shaped caudal fin that forms a 180° angle, the edges of the tail are crisp and straight.
Over-half-moon (OHM) or Super Delta tail
caudal fin is in excess of the 180° angle, byproduct of trying to breed half-moons, can sometimes cause problems because the fins are too big for the fish to swim properly.
Rose tail
halfmoon variation with so much finnage that it overlaps and looks like a rose.
Feather tail
similar to the rose tail, with a rougher appearance.
Plakat (PK)
short fins that resemble the fins seen in wild-type bettas.
Half-moon plakat (HMPK)
short-finned half-moon; plakat and half-moon cross.
Double tail (DT) or Full-moon
the tail fin is duplicated into two lobes and the dorsal fin is significantly elongated, the two tails can show different levels of bifurcation depending on the individual.
Delta tail
tail spread less than that of a half-moon ( <180 ).
Half-sun
combtail with caudal fin going 180°, like a half-moon.
Elephant ear (Dumbo)
pectoral fins are much larger than normal, often white, resembling the ears of an elephant.
Spade tail
caudal fin has a wide base that narrows to a small point.
Colors
to get a Betta fish is the freedom to choose a multitude of colors or patterns to fascinate admirers with an alluring aquarium. They are considered as one of the most colorful freshwater fish.
Wild fish exhibit strong colours only when agitated. Breeders have been able to make this coloration permanent, and a wide variety of hues breed true. Colours available to the aquarist include red, orange, yellow, blue, steel blue, turquoise/green, black, pastel, white ("opaque" white, not to be confused with albino) and multi-coloured fish.
Bettas are found in many different colours due to different layers of pigmentation in their skin. The layers (from furthest within to the outer layer) consists of red, yellow, black, iridescent (blue and green), and metallic (not a colour of its own, but reacts with the other colours to change how they are perceived). Any combination of these layers can be present, leading to a wide variety of colours.
The shades of blue, turquoise, and green are slightly iridescent, and can appear to change colour with different lighting conditions or viewing angles; this is because these colours (unlike black or red) are not due to pigments, but created through refraction within a layer of translucent guanine crystals. Breeders have also developed different colour patterns such as marble and butterfly, as well as metallic shades through hybridization like copper, gold, or platinum (these were obtained by crossing B. splendens to other Betta species).
A true albino betta has been feverishly sought since one recorded appearance in 1927, and another in 1953. Neither of these was able to establish a line of true albinos. In 1994, a hobbyist named Kenjiro Tanaka claimed to have successfully bred albino bettas.
Some bettas will change colours throughout their lifetime (known as marbling), attributed to a transposon.
Colours
Red, Blue, Yellow, Opaque, Black, White, Orange
Gold, Metallic, Turquoise, Copper, Lavender, Mustard Gas, Grizzle, Kois, Marble, green
Colour patterns
Solid
The entire fish is one colour with no variations.
Bi-colour
The fins must be a different colour to the body to be a Bi-colour.
Cambodian
The body is pale, almost colourless, and the fins are a solid colour.
Butterfly
The fins have distinct bands of colours.
Marble
Irregular patterns throughout the body and fin.
Piebald
pale flesh-coloured face irrespective of the body colour.
Full Mask
the face being the same colour as the body rather than what it would naturally be which would be darker than the body.
Dragon
rich strong base colour with the scales on the main part of the body a pale iridescent.
Multicolour
3 or more colours on the body that does not fit into any other pattern category.
Pastel
A light shade of colour seen only on the fins, body remains a flesh hue.
Giant Betta
Must to have Body Only >2.5 inch. in length.
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