There are many types of betta fish and the number keeps growing over time. below is a list with information about how to identify them, as well as a photo of each one.
Betta fish (also known as Siamese battling or Siamese Fish) are very popular and have been very carefully bred over lots of decades to produce a variety of different types.
They all technically belong to the same species but there is an fantastic variety in their appearances.
There are so lots of different types of fins, patterns and colors that can be found that two different bettas might not look the same to someone outside.
Types of Betta Fish
Even for experienced betta fish keepers the sheer number of variants can be confusing.
We’ll be describing all the betta types in this guide to help you understand.
There are always new types of Bettas, so it is possible to encounter an oddball that doesn’t fit into the conventional categories. We will still cover the majority of them, with illustrations for illustration.
What are the different types of Betta Fish?
This is not an easy question to answer as there is much difference about what type of pet dog is true. Every year, a lot more dogs are selectively bred and ‘created.
Aqueon.com is the most reputable source that I found. It states that there are 73 recognized types. I’m sure there will be a few breeders trying to get a new type recognized before my ink dries.
Types of Betta Fish-By Tail Type
The differences in the tail and fin types of the different betta fish species are quite striking. There are lots of types of betta fish. They come in a variety of lengths and styles. Some have long flowing tails that look amazing, while others have short, striking fan-shaped tails.
Let’s look at the most common betta fish tails you’ll see on readily available varieties.
VeilTail, (VT)
The veiltail Betta (or VT) is the most common type of tail you will find in an aquarioum. It is also what you will see on a lot of pet shop varieties.
Due to their popularity and overbreeding, veil-tailed bettas have been deemed unattractive and not accepted by the show circuit.
This fish is still stunning and attractive. It has a flowing tail and tends to droop at the caudal pedicle. Both the anal and dorsal fins have a long, flowing shape.
Veil tails are asymmetrical, indicating that if you cut the tail horizontally in half the upper and lower sections will not match.
Nearly all specimens have a tail that droops or hangs constantly, even when flaring. This likely contributes to their being checked out as inferior to other tail types.
Combtail Betta
Although the comb tail doesn’t have a certain shape, it is a characteristic that can be found on other tail shapes. The comb tail is normally composed of a fan-shaped caudal fin that has a large spread. However, it’s usually less than 180 degrees at which point it would be considered a lot more like a ‘half moon’.
The fins of a combtail betta will have rays that extend beyond their fin webbing. This gives it a slightly spiky appearance. It is said to look like an comb but not as dramatic as the crown tail.
Although it is not recommended, the tail may have the same droop as the veil tail.
Crown Tail (CT).
According to ‘bettySpelendens.com (link removed because the site has, sadly gone offline recently):
“The Crowntail Betta was well established 1997 in West Jakarta, Slipi (Indonesia). The webbing that connects the fin rays to the body is reduced, giving rise to prongs or spikes. This is why the name “Crown Tail” was given.
The crowntail betta (abbreviated as CT) is one of the most easily recognized tail types. Their minimized webbing and extended rays give them an very distinctive, spiky appearance.
You can have ray extensions that are double, triple or even quadruple. Crowntail Bettas can spread to 180 degrees, although less is acceptable.
When describing these fish, the term “crowntail” is typically abbreviated as “CT”.
Super Delta (SD), & Delta (D).
The Delta tail betta fish is named so because it resembles the Greek letter D, but is shaped on the side and a lot more round at the ends.
A incredibly delta betta fish is different from a conventional Delta fish in that it has a tail that extends to 180 degrees (180-degree would be half of the moon) whereas a plain delta tail spreads much less.
The difference between incredibly delta and delta tails is how evenly it must be spread. If you draw a horizontal line across the middle of a incredibly or delta’s body, it will be symmetrical. There would also be equal amounts of tail above and underneath the line.
The tail must not be ‘combin’ or ‘crowned’ by the rays. It must have the webbing at the ends of its tail so it does not look’spiky’.
When going over Delta’s, incredibly Delta’s will be abbreviated as ‘D’ while they are being discussed.
Double Tail (DT).
Double tail betta (also known as the DT) is exactly as it sounds: It has adual caudal fin.
It is crucial to note that this is not a split caudal fin, but a double tail with two caudal poduncles.
Double tails may not have the same size caudal fins as their counterparts, but a a lot more even split is highly desirable. They have smaller bodies and have broader anal and dorsal fins. These normally mirror each other less or a lot more closely.
Half Moon (HM), / Over half Moon, (OHM).
A half-moon betta fish’s caudal finIt has a distinctive full 180-degree spread, similar to a capital D or, a lot more appropriately, a half Moon.
Halfmoon betta also has anal and dorsal fins that are larger than the average.
They are stunning and highly sought-after, but it is worth noting that a large tail can cause tail damage and tearing, which is typically called “blowing a Tail”.
In descriptions, half moons are abbreviated as HM.
The half-moon is overIt is generally an extreme form of the half moon. It’s the same tail except for one: when flared, the spread is greater than 180 degrees.
Half Sun
Image courtesy Daniella Vereeken, Flickr (CC-BY 2.0).
By selectively breeding half moon and crown tail varieties together, the half sun tail was created.
This type has the same 180-degree spread as the half moon but has rays that extend beyond the webbing at the caudal fin.
The rays are not extended enough to confuse with a crown tail, but they are still visible.
Plakat (PK).
Plakat betta (or PK, for short) is a short-tailed variety that is closer to the wild betta splendens than any other varieties.
Sometimes they are mistaken for females because they have shorter tails. However, males have longer ventral fins and a lot more rounded caudal Fins.
Traditional plakats have a short, rounded or slightly pointed tip. due to selective breeding, there are two types of plakat: the crown tail plakat and half moon plakat.
Half moon varieties have a shorter tail, but a 180-degree spread just like standard half moons. The crown tail style has extended rays, minimized webbing, and is similar to a regular crowntail. However, this is with a shorter tail that is normal of a plakat rather than a longer one.
Rosetail and Feathertail
Rosetails are similar to HMs or extreme half moons. The spread of the caudal Fin is 180 degrees or greater. The only difference is that the rays are a lot more branchy, giving the tail a a lot more ruffled appearance, similar to rose petals.
A feather tail is one that has a lot more branching than normal, even for rosetails. It can give a a lot more pronounced or ‘extremely ruffled effect’ with a minor zigzag look.
Round Tail
Although the round tail looks similar to a Delta, it is completely rounded and has no straight edges. This makes a lot of tails look like a D.
It is also very similar to a basic platkat but it is much longer and a lot more full than the plakat’s normal short tail.
Spade Tail
Although the spade tail betta looks very similar to a round one, the idea of its caudal fin is not rounded. Instead, it reaches a single point like a spade in a deck.
Spreading a spade tail must be equal on both ends.
BettySplendens.com speculates (again, link removed as site has regrettably gone offline).
It is safe to say that a lot of “spadetails” are just a variation on the Veiltail and can be seen quite typically on juvenile VTs and females whose finnage still hasn’t reached its full weight and length.
This is a fascinating observation!
You may also be interested:
Betta Fish care – An easy-to-follow, detailed guide.
Types of Betta Fish–By Pattern
The patterning of their fins and bodies is another crucial aspect in figuring out the type of betta.
While some types may look a lot more plain than others, some are stunningly beautiful. Some patterns are a lot more rare and as a result a lot more desirable.
Let’s stop talking and let’s look at the most frequently accepted patterns.
Bi-Colored
A bi-colored Betta fish will have one body and two fins.
It normally works in one or both of these ways:
A ‘light bicolored Betta’ must have a light-colored body. Although light-colored fins are acceptable (though they are not required), dark contrasting colors are preferred.
A ‘dark bicolored Betta’ need to have a solidly colored, in any of the six accepted solid colors. You can have translucent fins or brightly colored fins. A contrasting color is preferred.
The light and dark bicolor fishes must have only two colors. any other markings would be disqualifying if the fish is being judged.
Butterfly
A butterfly pattern is when a single color extends to the base of the fins. The color stops at a distinct line, and the rest are translucent or pale.
The fins are generally two-tone. It’s nearly like the fins have a second color on the outer fins that circles the solid-colored betta.
The optimal color split in fins would be halfway. They are as a result a 50/50 split. This is not possible and a 20% tolerance is allowed for either side.
Cambodian
Although it is a variation of the bi-colored Cambodian pattern, it is distinctive enough to be named.
This pattern features a pale body, normally flesh-colored white or light pink, and bright solid red fins. However, other colors can occur, but still with the same solid flesh-colored body.
Dragon
‘TradPK green Red Dragon M’, Daniella Vereeken by means of Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
The striking and nearly metallic appearance of the dragon pattern is relatively recent.
The base color of the fish is typically bright and rich, and the scales are opaque white, thick metallic and iridescent. This makes the body appear as though it’s covered in armored dragon scales.
In the betta community, the term “dragon” is frequently misused to indicate any fish with thick scaling covering their body and faces. true dragons aren’t just thick-skinned fish.
They also have opaque, white, metallic, and diverse finnage. He may also be classified as a “metallic betta” if he doesn’t have any of these characteristics.
Not all metallic-looking betta are actually dragons. The name is often incorrectly applied to fish that are not within the right description.
Marble
Marble betta fish are known for their irregular patterns, which can be seen all over their bodies.
The base color of the fish is normally pale, and the patterns are in a bold, consistent color such as red or bleu.
All marble types must have marbling on the body but not necessarily on their fins. Some marble types have transparent fins while others have marbling-covered fins. Both are acceptable.
Marble bettas are special in that their patterns can change throughout the course of their lives.
Mask
The mask pattern is crucial because the faces of betta fish are naturally darker that their main body.
The mask variety makes their faces exactly the same shade and color as their body, so they are uniformly one color from head to tail.
It is a lot of frequently seen in blue, copper, and turquoise colors, but it can also be found in other colors.
Multicolored
Multicolored patterns can be used to describe any betta with three or a lot more colors and does not fit into any other type of pattern.
This applies to an fantastic number of variations. I don’t have enough to list them all here but you must get the idea from the description.
Piebald
A piebald Betta is one that has a pinkish or white flesh-colored face and a completely different body.
A piebald fish’s body is usually a dark, solid color. However, it can often have a minor marbling or butterfly-like patterning on its fins.
Solid
Solid betta fish sounds exactly like it does. A fish that has one solid color throughout its body is called a solid betta fish.
This pattern is a lot more common in red people, but it can also be seen elsewhere.
Wild Type
As the name implies, the wild-type pattern type is the closest to betta splendens found in the wild.
The main color of a lot of of their bodies is a dull red or brown.
There will be some blue or green iridescent scales on fish and some red fins for males.
Types of Betta Fish-By Color
Although you might think that you are familiar with all aspects of color, it is not enough to know the basics.
Continue reading to find out about the most common colors as well as the exotic ones that are available.
What is the most popular Betta color?
The albino Betta is the rarest of colors.
The albino Betta is prone to health issues and complications. It’s very tough to breed them.
The purple betta is another rare type, although true chocolates or orange specimens are not easy to find.
Let’s take a closer look at the various colors available.
Black
There are three types of black Betta.
Melano (plain-black and infertile).
Black lace (which is fertile)
Where the fish is metallic (or copper), black, there are also some iridescent scales.
Melano is the most well-known and deepest of the three. It’s where a mutation has occurred to drastically increase the amount black pigment in the skin. Infertile Melano females can only be bred with melano gene-carrying females from other types because they are infertile.
Although the black