Finding information about rare or unique Betta Fish breeds can be frustrating. It’s not because information is lacking. It’s the opposite: there are so many betta varieties that it can be overwhelming for newbie anglers.
It’s useful to have a guide like this handy if you want to learn the differences between different bettas. For over a Century, Europeans have bred bettas to be bright and intricate in their colors.
Add in some of the more recent crossbreeds that are coming out of Thailand, and your choices for the prettiest Betta fish can be overwhelming. Here is a list of bettas broken down into color, tail type, and scale pattern to avoid confusion.
Table of Contents
Betta Fish VARIETIES:
Betta, the ever-popular freshwater fish, is the model for the industry.
Aquarists are particularly enamored of male bettas for their colorful tails and unique patterns. Female betta fish are equally beautiful but lack the aggressive nature and elegant fins.
I will include as many bettas as I can, but I am sure I’ll miss some. Breeders announce new varieties constantly, and some that were once rare are now available in pet stores.
Bettas are constantly changing, and it isn’t easy to keep track of them all.
PET Betta Fish: WHAT SPECIES DO YOU HAVE?
All About Betta Fish: A guide to patterns, colors, and more
Before diving into the topic of Betta varieties, we need to understand how bettas are classified.
In your biology classes in high school, you may have heard about the scientific system of classification. The scientific classification system is a complex and huge way that biologists explain the relationships between different organisms.
On the other end, we have categories that are very broad, such as kingdom, class, and phylum. On the lower end, we begin to break down relationships into smaller and stricter categories.
You are probably familiar with the following classification categories: genus or species, subspecies, and variety.
WHAT ARE Betta Fish SPLENDENS?
Betta Splendens is a colorful and elegant betta available in pet shops and online aquarium retailers.
Betta is the genus and splendens the species. In the same way, the genus can be used to identify your dog, while Canis familiaris is the species. You likely own a betta, which is a betta magnificent. This is the most common type of domesticated fish.
Betta splendens is a fish with a complex and long history. For hundreds of years, they have been bred in their native region for their fighting and aggressive ability. It is because of this that they are called Siamese Fighting Fish. When we talk about fancy bettas, we rarely refer to them as subspecies and instead use the term variety. However, the terms are the same.
Your Betta’s variety will be determined by its colors, patterns, and tail configurations. Red Veil Tail Betta and Bi-Colored Double Tail Betta are two examples of varieties. Although they may come in different varieties, all of them are the same species.
HOW DID PET Betta Fish BECOME SO DIVERSE?
Europeans were the ones who created the long, sleek, and brightly colored tails that we associate with “betta.” Since the 19th Century, hobby breeders and collectors on the continent have selectively produced generations with increasing diversity of traits.
LUXURY betta fish are THE DESCENDANTS OF MUTANTS
These physical traits can be passed down to the offspring of a fish. Sometimes, however, the genetic material is faulty.
Mutations or > may appear in a line spontaneously and alter the appearance of offspring. Double tail and elephant-ear bettas are two excellent examples. These fish can be prone to health issues such as swim bladder disease that could be linked to their genetic mutation.
Nature’s mutations are generally bad because they can be fatal (like when a fish is born without a jaw), or they make it harder for wild animals to reproduce and survive. The sleek male bettas, with their shiny tails, would not survive in the wild.
Humans love animals that have unusual or unique looks. It is through this that animals such as pug dogs or munchkin kittens found their way to our living rooms. We then nurture them to help them pass on their mutations to the next generations. Breeders collect and manage betta fish populations to produce a variety of colors and patterns.
It is exciting to discover a new mutation in betta fish, even though these varieties are more prone to health issues.
HYBRIDIZATION ALSO PRESENTS NEW FEATURES
Mutation is not the only way to discover new traits in bettas. Breeders have intentionally introduced new traits into their lines over the years by breeding back their fish to the wild. The dragon scale betta was created in this way.
Breeders have introduced some of the rarer traits into domesticated bettas by breeding them with wild specimens that possess the traits they want.
Hybrid offspring are expected to inherit the trait and pass it on. It is not an easy or smooth process.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BETTA BREEDING
Breeders in Thailand began crossbreeding their aggressive Siamese Fighting Fish population with wild betta splendens, which resulted in the creation of new betta varieties, including the plakat.
These hybrid Betta splendens are very popular in America. These hybrid varieties are often hard to come by and have slightly different behavior than the traditional varieties.
VARIETIES OF BETTAS BY COLOR AND PATTERN
What makes a Betta fish so colorful?
The pigmentation of fish is complex. This simplified version will help you to understand the relationship between color and scale patterns.
PIGMENT CELLS DETERMINE BETTA COLOR
The pigments that make chromatophores are classified into three types:
- red (erythrin)
- black (melanin)
- yellow (xanthine)
The color of a Betta fish depends on the pigments in the chromatophores and the depth of the cells beneath the scales.
A fish, for instance, will appear brown when black and yellow pigments combine. The darker the color will appear, the deeper the chromatophores lie below the scales.
WILD VS PET BETTA COLORS
Bettas in the wild are not as colorful as those that are selectively bred, but there are some incredible exceptions.
Wild bettas’ pigment cells are constantly changing, and so is their appearance. The color of domesticated bettas is more stable because the cells are less likely to change.
Wild Bettas will only display their brightest color when they are threatened or breeding. Domesticated varieties, however, remain colorful even if sick or under stress. This is one of the characteristics that make tame Bettas so attractive.
HOW ARE COLOR AND SCALE PATTERNS RELATED?
The color and design of a betta fish can be affected by other types of cells. They alter the appearance of fishes and create the many patterns that betta collectors are so interested in.
The iridocytes in fish give them an iridescent, shiny appearance.
The depth of the cells can make a fish appear metallic or have streaks. It may also appear white.
To make matters even more complicated, iridocytes can be combined with chromatophores to produce new colors. You can create a metallic goldfish by putting a chromatophore containing xanthine on an iridocyte.
DIETARY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS FOR BETTA COLORS AND PATTERNS
The color of the betta fish and its scale pattern is determined not only by genetics but also by their diet and environment. Fish cannot produce pigments naturally, so they must get them through their diet.
Keep your water clean and feed your Betta a varied, high-quality diet to keep it looking great. The temperature of the water is also important, so keep your tank between 75-86degF.
