8 Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types

In previous articles we have discussed the different types of tail betta fish. Colorful betta fish in the body makes some people think that betta fish are ornamental fish. Betta Fish can display a number of dazzlingly beautiful and exotic patterns. The common terms that refer to betta patterns are as follows: While the colors on betta fish itself is divided into 8 types: Solid, Cambodian or Bi-Coloured, Butterfly, Marble, Piebald, Mask, Dragon, Multicolour.

1. Solid
8 Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
Solid colours are exactly how they sound, when the fish is just one colour from nose to the tip of the tail. This is often seen mostly in Reds.

2. Cambodian or Bi-Coloured
8 Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
A Cambodian Betta is when the body is pale, almost colourless, and the fins are a solid colour, often red or green. It can also be referred to, more traditionally, to red Bettas with deep red fins and a pale pink body colour. This can work the other way which is when the fish is named Bi-Coloured, when the fins are translucent and the body is one solid colour.

3. Butterfly
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
A Butterfly has a solid body colour which extends into the base of the fins finishing with an abrupt strong edge with the rest of the fins being transparent or white. May also be referred to as variegated.

4. Marble
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
The gene that creates marble patterning is becoming more common, it is usually a colour such as blue or red on a pale base. A marble Betta has irregular patterns throughout the body and fins, that can change with age. It is a partially dominant gene meaning that if a solid Betta is crossed with a marble it is likely to get many fry in solid colours that carry the marble gene.

5. Piebald
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
A piebald coloured fish has a pale flesh-coloured face no matter what the body colour is. The rest of the body should be fairly solid, some other butterfly patterning may be present. Piebald fish carry the Marble gene.

6. Mask
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
The term "mask" is mainly applied to Copper, Blue and Turquoise colours and refers to the face being the same colour as the body rather than what it would naturally be which would be darker than the body.

7. Dragon
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
A relatively new pattern that is proving to be exceptionally striking and popular. It features a rich strong base colour, often red, with the scales on the main part of the body a pale iridescent, sometimes copper colour. Both silver dragon and gold dragon strains have been created.

8. Multicolour
Type Of Betta Fish By Pattern Types
A multi Betta is that with 3 or more colours on the body that does not fit into any other pattern category.

12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types

Betta fish fan as I am still curious about the different types of betta fish in the world. Not like the old days where there are several variants of betta fish are introduced. But now, due to demand quite a lot, a cross between betta fish produce a variety of new types.

The following are the different types of betta fish are distinguished by the type of tail that is usually raised by the betta fish lovers.

1. Veil Tail (VT)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types
The most common type of tail type you will ever come across in pet stores is the Veil Tail. This type of tail is long, with a long anal and dorsal fin also, and droops down from the caudal peduncle. In breeding, a veil is dominant over other tail types and is therefore undesirable when breeding show Bettas. The term "veil tail" is often abbreviated to "VT". Veil Tails are now no longer accepted in the show Betta circuit due to their bloodlines being diluted by excessive breeding for the pet store market.

2. Plakat (PK)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Plakat
The Plakat, or Plakad, is a short-tailed Betta, and is the most closely related to wild Betta splendens or traditional fighting Bettas. Plakats can often be mistaken for female Bettas to the untrained eye, however, males will display elongated ventral fins, a rounded caudal fin and a sharply pointed anal fin. The term Plakat is often abbreviated to "PK". There are 3 sub-categories related to this tail type. There is the traditional Plakat where the tail is rounded, sometimes with a point. Now, due to selective breeding and crossing, there is also the Half Moon Plakat (or "HMPK") where the tail has a 180 degree spread when flared and the Crown Tail Plakat (or "CTPK") has the tail is either rounded or with a 180 degree spread and with elongated rays giving it a "spiky" appearance.

3. Crowntail (CT)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Crowntail
The Crowntail, abbreviated to CT, has become a hugely popular tail type variation. It is unlike any other in the sense that the rays are extended to varying degrees on all fins giving the fish a "spiky" appearance. In show standards, for a fish to be classed as a Crowntail there has to a minimum of 33% reduction in webbing. The reduction on the webbing on CT Bettas also varies vastly, sometimes it can be quite full, some times dramatically reduced so only the rays are left. There are three recognised types of crowntail, the double ray, the single ray and the crossed ray. Crossed rays are the most desirable and the most expensive to purchase. There have also been lesser known variations such as the triple ray, even the quadruple ray! Crowntails can have their tails in a full 180 degree spread, or less than a 180 degree spread depending on their breeding. CT's are prone to fin curling, especially those with little webbing, if their water is not kept immaculate. Breeders are known to "sun bathe" their Bettas for an hour or so in order to keep their rays straight. It has been found also that when breeding, CT's have a heightened amount of aggression compared to other tail types, which can make it challenging to get a successful spawn.

4. Half Moon (HM)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Half Moon
The Half Moon, or "HM" is a very desirable tail type. It is characterised by having the full 180 degree spread when flared, forming a "D" shape with straight edging. Dorsal and anal fins are also dramatically larger than those on other fin types. HMs are prone to tail-biting and fin damage, their tails are large and unnatural and HMs often feel hampered down by their fins. This also means they're one of the hardest tail types to breed as the males find it hard to successfully wrap the females.

5. Deltas (D) & Super Deltas (SD)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Super Deltas
Deltas (or "D") and Super Deltas (or "SD") are very similar to HM's but have less than a 180 spread when flared. Super Deltas are nearly an HM but not quite, Deltas are far less than an HM. Deltas and Super Deltas are differentiated from Veil Tails by the fact that if you drew a line from the nose to the tip of the caudal fin, on a Delta or Super Delta there would be an equal amount of fin on either side of the line, whereas on a Veil Tail there would be little tail at the top, and the majority below.

6. Double Tail (DT)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Double Tail
The Double Tail (or "DT") can be seen combined with Plakats, Halfmoons and even Crowntails. It is a genetic trait that causes the caudal fin to grow into two lobes rather than one. The genes that cause this also cause the body to be shorter and the dorsal and anal fins to be very broad. As the body is effectively stunted in length, DT's are more prone to swimbladder problems and this also affects fry survival rates.

7. Combtail
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Combtail
The Combtail (no abbreviation) is a cross of a Crowntail and another tail type. With selected breeding a combtail can be bred into a crowntail, but may still carry a dominant gene such as the VT. They often have the typical droop of the Veil tail but combined with some extended rays on all fins to varying degrees.

8. Rosetail & Feathertail
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Rosetail
A Rosetail (no abbreviation) is an extreme Halfmoon with excessive branching of the rays giving the tail a "ruffled" edge. If there is a huge amount of branching it can be referred to as a "Feathertail". These fish are hard to breed on as the excessive mutations that cause the branching can lead to other mutations such as poor scales and short ventral fins.

9. Round Tail
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Round Tail
Not often seen, the Round Tail (no abbreviation) can be compared to a Plakat with a large tail, and mistaken for a Delta. The fin shape is round, rather than the straight edges of a Delta, but fuller and longer than that of a Plakat. This can also be referred to as a "Single Tail".

10. Half Sun
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Half Sun
The Half Sun (no abbreviation) has come about from selective breeding of the Crowntail and Halfmoon, to create the spread of a Halfmoon with the slight crowning of a Crowntail.

11. Over Halfmoon (OHM)
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Over Halfmoon
The Over Halfmoon (or "OHM") is the extreme end of the Halfmoon where the spread when flared is over 180 degrees. It can apply to both long-fin Halfmoon and the Halfmoon Plakats.

12. Spade Tail
12 Type Of Betta Fish By Tail Types - Spade Tail
The Spade Tail (no abbreviation) has an equal spread on either side of the fin, similar to a Round Tail, but with tail finishing in a point rather than a rounded edge.
MULTI COLOUR





MARBLE




BUTTERFLY



BI-COLOUR

RED CAMBODIAN

                                                           BLUE CAMBODIAN

                                                             GREEN CAMBODIAN


SOLID COLOUR











Less common types of bettas






THE TYPE OF BETTA

VEIL TAIL

                                                                       CROWN TAIL
                                                     
                                                             SUPER DELTA TAIL

                                                              DOUBLE TAIL
                                                         
                                                                     PLAKAT
                                                                    ROSE TAIL