Varieties of Betta Fish – Existing in the veil tail, delta, super delta, Halfmoon, over Halfmoon, rose tail, feather tail, plakat, crowntail and double tail varieties, betta fish are able to delight everyone.
The Betta fish are known worldwide because of its exuberance and beauty. Without modesty, they are able to delight adults and children, as well as being pleasant presences in the most diverse environments, exhibiting themselves through different colors, sizes, and openings of their tails. Among aquarium enthusiasts, then, there is no other fish that occupies such a prominent position.
The Bettas, in their original form, have a discrete coloration (brownish color) that is confused with the environment and with some shades of red and blue on the fins. They are smaller and less aggressive than the domestic forms. However, captive breeding and crossbreeding between species enabled the emergence of Bettas of the most different shapes and colors ever more vivid and also mixed.
A very interesting curiosity about the Betta fish is that they have the peculiarity of breathing the atmospheric air, thanks to organs called labyrinths, which cause the air to pass very close to the bloodstream, providing the exchange of oxygen with the blood through diffusion. For this reason, Bettas can live in oxygen-poor, but unpolluted waters.
Due to the incredible varieties and mutations, many people are confused and often do not even know what the thousands of names given to Bettas (Betta Splendens) mean, with tails and colors of the most varied types and formats.
Characteristic common to all Bettas is that they have 4 fins: the Dorsal fin (which lies on top of the animal’s back), the Anal fin (located on the underside of the animal’s back), the “belly”, the Ventral fin or Pelvic (located very close to the animal’s head) and, finally, the caudal fin. It is because of the caudal fin that usually the “types” of Bettas are classified.
Varieties of Betta Fish
Veil Tail ( veil tail ) – This is the most common variety and most popular of Bettas. The betta veil tail features tail and long dorsal fins that slope downward. This tail is characterized by being, in general, quite long and thin. When you want to show your opponents strength or force for females, the tail has a larger opening near the base of the trunk than at the end, leaving it much like the shape of a veil.
Delta – With characteristics similar to Halfmoon, the bettas delta have the opening of their tails between the 30th to the 100th, when they do some demonstration of strength. The tail of the Deltas is characterized by having a fairly reasonable size and by having a fan-shaped opening. There are some delta specimens that have tails that also resemble a veil.
Super Delta – It is considered a “quasi-Halfmoon” because it has a tail opening very close to 180º. The opening of the super delta bettas can vary from a minimum angle of 100º to a maximum of 179º. Many times, when well developed it is quite difficult to differentiate them from Halfmoon.
Halfmoon ( half moon tail) – The Halfmoon bettas, half moon tail, or simply bettas HMare so called due to their tail opening which, when noted, is equal to 180 °. They are considered as the ultimate in beauty and harmony, both for long tails and fins and for their wide opening tail, demonstrating all their strength, size, beauty and state of perfect health. It is also possible to find a great diversity of colors in the tails, which in most cases results from the combination of solid-color males and females of various colors. Through these crosses arise colors such as marble, butterflies and exotic colors. The Halfmoon fish considered in contests as perfect specimens and deserving of prizes are those that, in the total context, the dorsal and ventral fins have the size equal to the size of the tail, forming, as a whole, a nearly full moon.
Over Halfmoon – The bettas over Halfmoon or simply bettas OHM, are those that have a tail opening greater than 180 °. In addition, the over Halfmoons have both the tail and the fins much larger and lush than the other types of Bettas.
Rose Tail – There are varying degrees of rose tails, ranging from moderate to extreme forms. The main characteristic of betta rose tailis the excess branching on all three fins. Excessive branching gives a petal-like appearance of a rose, which explains the choice of name. Other features found in Rosetails, especially with the more extreme forms, are: smaller ventral; a minor dorsal; colorful bodies but clear. Compared to normal fish, from the same spawning, rose tails exhibit poor development of scales and slower growth (deficiency in development). The extensive branching also often influences the rose tails’ ability to swim. Most of the time, the characteristics of betta rose tail can be seen very early in young developing. Especially the extreme forms that in a very short time of life already show fantastic fins compared to their normal siblings.
Feathertail ( tail feather format ) – The bettas feather tails, is not very common cases, have a type of tail with wide, well – marked recesses. These recesses are very reminiscent of bird feathers. When these recesses are soft and well marked, which happens in most cases, they bring an exotic harmony to the Betta and, in particular, it is the type of border most accepted and sought by the lovers of the species.
Plakat – The Plakats have a short tail, with a long ventral fin. They are often confused with female Bettas for having this short-tailed feature, but over time, it is easy to identify them.
Crowntail ( Crown Tail ) – The betta crowntail is well known in Brazil as Betta “comb”, by presenting a format admired by many, as the rays of its tail and fins extend taking the shape of the teeth of a comb. This type of tail gives the impression that it was shredded or even destroyed by some other fish in a fight. The Betta with the crown tail is easily recognized and differentiated from the others since it is characterized by having in all the fins (ventral, dorsal and pectoral) and tail, prolongations of the spinous filaments. These can be of various types such as double, triple, multiple, disordered, crossed rays of the Kingcrowntail, short and long.
Double tail ( double tail) – As the name says, bettas double tails have a double tail, usually divided in their middle, which gives the impression that the fish has two tails. As a rule, its division is homogeneous, existing both short and long. There are some cases with tails of different sides in both size and length, as well as width, which is also considered double-tailed.
