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Betta Splendens - Majesty In The Making


Betta Splendens - Majesty In The Making

Tail Types:
The first interesting mutation to appear was the long tail, known as the veil tail. This is the type of Betta found in most pet shops. The tail shape and volume has been progressively refined to produce the delta tail, and ultimately – the Halfmoon. . Only a small percentage of each spawn will have the halfmoon tail, even if the parents are halfmoons.

An extreme form of halfmoon is the rosetail or feathertail – like the gorgeous gold pictured. They are delicate fish and require vigilant care to keep the fins unspoiled.

The Crowntail started as a single ray combtail. It has been carefully developed into the amazing double rays, balloons and cross-rays that are starting to appear in shows and on auction sites around the world.

Turquoise Crossray Crown-Tail

Gorgeous "Cherry Blossom" Balloon Crowntail

Both Halfmoon/Delta tails and Crown-tails can have double tails as well. Pictured is a gorgeous red/gold double-tail crown-tail.

Red/Gold Double-Tail Crown-Tail

Lavender Plakat

Even the traditional short-tailed plakat has received the fancy treatment. Some of the most amazing colours available started in this strain. There are now doubletail, crowntail and Halfmoon varieties in the short-tail fighters. Pictured is a stunning halfmoon lavender plakat.


Platinum Gold

Colours:
A popular, though difficult to achieve colour is black. True black females are usually infertile. There are several types of black – melano, black orchid (halfmoon male pictured), black lace and marble.
The metallic colours are only a recent development. First to cause a stir were the copper colours, quickly followed by platinum and gold.

Cooper Black Butterfly

Stunning Copper Gold Halfmoon

Black Orchid Halfmoon


Patterns:
A popular colour pattern is the two-tone “Butterfly”. The goal of betta breeders is to get the two colours to be as even and straight-edged as possible. The blue/white butterfly, like the one pictured, is a favourite with Australian betta enthusiasts.


Blue Butterfly

Neon Marble Double Tail

Mustard Gas 


The copper black butterfly pictured is an extremely rare occurrence – less than a 1/1000 chance!

One of the most controversial colours is the two-tone favourite known as the mustard gas. The original breeder of this colour tried to trademark and protect the “name”. Pictured above is a gorgeous Halfmoon displaying the “mustard gas” colour and pattern.

The marble gene, responsible for producing the butterfly pattern, is quite unpredictable. Colours can appear in blotches, bands, or an all over merle – known as grizzled. Combining a metallic colour with marble has produced some very unusual patterns, like the Neon Marble Doubletail pictured above.

The future:
Whilst new colours are being developed all time – one remains elusive. A true purple betta is the ultimate goal of many betta breeders. Sometimes it’s all just a trick of the light!


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