Several different betta finnage and scale variations have been developed thanks to breeders around the world.
The ancestors of betta splendens and those living in the wild are dull in color and do not possess the showy fin variations we see today. Thanks to selective breeding, betta fish now come in a huge array of color combinations and beautiful finnage.
Below is a list of fin variations with an image to fully display the beauty of each betta.
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Veiltail
Veiltail bettas are the original and most common of betta splendens. They can be found at all pet stores that sell betta fish. They come in an array of colors but
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Crowntail
Crown tail bettas are aptly named for the points on their tail. Also called “fringe-tail” the tail gives off the pointed styling of a crown.
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Combtail
The combtail has been created from breeding a crown tail betta with a common veiltail. The points are less extended giving off a more wispy look.
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Half-moon
Half-moon bettas have a fan-like fin style. When the male displays his fins the tail, or “caudal fin” creates a 180-degree spectrum.
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Halfsun
Half-sun bettas were created by breeding a half-moon with a combtail. Still giving the circular range, the fins are tipped with small points or “sun rays” as portrayed in art.
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Delta tail
Delta tails are described as half-moons that do not spread 180-degrees but instead have sharp, straight edges to their tail. It gives a very angular appearance which is how Deltas acquired their name.
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Rosetail
Rosetail bettas are half-moon bettas with so much finnage the tail and dorsal fins overlap. The layering looks much like a rose.
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Plakat
Plakats have very short fins and take on the look of the original short-finned fighting fish of Siam.
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Double-tail
Double-tail bettas have a very long and predominant dorsal and fins with a double lobed tail fin.
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Dragon Scale
Dragon scales typically have very light but bold-colored metallic scales which is surrounded or outlined by more dull scales of a different richer color. The dorsal fin and tail are short like a Plakat but the anal fin is elongated like the Double-tail betta.
More to come?
The above styles are the most common bettas you will see. Keep in mind that there are breeders all over the world still developing new variations of fins and color combinations. In fact, I would not be surprised if you came across something such as a Dragon-scale Crowntail. I have heard of them existing and am awaiting to see the results. Keep your eyes open, I’m sure there are many betta finnage styles we don’t even know about yet.
Here’s a fun video I made, check it out!
