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Anatomy
I think it's important for every aquarist to learn about their fish's anatomy. It's also great to teach kids about the different parts of their bettas. With much thanks to BettaCare101, I'll explain some of the essential parts of a betta.
The dorsal fin is used for stability and allows the fish to swim in a straight line. It is the top-most fin.
The anal fin, the bottom most fin, is also used for stability much like how the dorsal fin is. It can be compared to the skeg on a surfboard, the downward-facing part on the bottom.
Pectoral fins on either side of the body are used for turning. They often move back and forth idly when the betta is still.
Like the anal fins, the pelvic fin or ventral fin is used for stability and steering.
The gills on the betta allow it to take in oxygen in the water, although they have developed what is called the labyrinth organ (located behind the gills) which allows them to breathe air straight from above the surface. Many people think that bettas don't take in air from the water since they have this special organ, but the gills do this job, just like other fish, so bettas do need oxygen in the water.
A betta's eyes are on either side of the head. Bettas are near-sighted and so they can only see things about a foot away or closer. Bettas do not have eyelids, and so they won't blink or close their eyes when they sleep. They usually sleep with their eyes wide open and close to the surface.
Internally, bettas and other fish have a swim bladder which keeps them at an appropriate buoyancy. It is filled with gases and is easily thrown off kilter by the stomach and digestive system, located next to it. This is why swim bladder disorder is very common in bettas: overeating (a.k.a., over-feeding!) will cause the swim bladder to be squished to one side, and often this means that the betta will not be able to right itself and it will float on its side. Feeding appropriate amounts will prevent SBD. See more about feeding here.
A betta's caudal fin, or tail fin, is the biggest indicator of what kind of betta you have. As well as helping to steer, the tail fin is the "propeller" to move the betta forward and can provide sudden bursts of speed. When a betta flares, the tail fin is especially spread out. Bigger tail fins can slow a betta down, although they were bred to look like that for ornamental purposes.
This is a perfect segway into...
Types of Bettas
Veiltail Bettas are the most common pet store bettas.
Plakat tail bettas, with their short tails, have the closest tail type to bettas in the wild.
Crowntail bettas have "pointy" tails.
Comb Tail bettas are a less exaggerated version of crown tail bettas.
Double Tail bettas have what looks like two tails.
Delta Tail bettas was the selective breeding step before half-moon tail bettas.
Half Moon tail bettas have a very broad tail.
Round tail bettas have rounded edges, unlike half moon and delta tails.
The Super Delta Tail is an enhanced version of the delta tail.
Spade Tail bettas aren't quite as common anymore but have a unique tail shape.
Rosetail bettas have voluminous finnage in every fin.
Now may be a good time to talk about...
Betta Colors and Patterns
Before I go into some of the color and patterns that you will see in bettas, let me tell you a little bit about the layers of color pigment (you had no idea it could be this in-depth, did you?). Here is a great explanation that I found on Blue Betta USA.
In our domestic brightly colored betas the distribution of these layers is a bit different from the wildtype Betta splendens:
1. Iridescent layer (top layer):
This layer is also known as the blue layer and controls the amount of blue pigments. The iridocytes (also called guanophores), which are the blue/green cells in this layer contain the following traits:
- Iridescent colors
- Spread iridocytes
- Non-blue
Iridescent colors: Turquoise or Green, Steel and Royal blue
Turquoise, steel and royal blue are called the three iridescent colors. Iridescent colors make up the top layer of the betta and are caused by cells called iridocytes. These cells form a dense color layer which can cover all other colors.
2. Black layer:
The layer black layer contains melanophores or black cells which control the amount of black pigment in this layer. They contain the following traits:
- Cambodian
- Blond/Bright
- Melano
3. Red layer
The red layer contains erythrophores or red cells which control the amount of red pigment in this layer. They contain the following traits:
- Extended red
- Reduced red
- Non-red
- Variegated fins
4. Yellow layer (bottom layer)
The yellow layer contains xanthophores or yellow cells. So, far no genes have identified that control the yellow layer of pigmentation.
- The absence of the red layer, black layer and iridescent/blue layer.
Each of these color layers has its own genetic code which is determined by series of genes which combined eventually determine the color of the betta. The different genes either increase of decrease the pigment in the different layers.
Here are some of the colors that you'll find on solid-colored bettas. Truly solid-colored fish will have no impurities, or evidence of other colors.
Red bettas are quite popular and can range from a nice cherry red to maroonish, browner reds. They are a more common strain but have remarkable beauty.
Orange bettas are a newer string and appear more red than what might be considered traditional orange.
Yellow bettas are interesting in that the yellow layer of pigmentation in bettas is the bottom-most one. This means that yellow bettas lack what are known as the red layer, the black layer, and the outermost iridescent layer. For this reason they are often called "non-red" bettas.
Green bettas are really part of the iridescent color dominance. At first they will look dark blue, royal blue, or black, but under a flashlight their true green color will be visible.
Turquoise bettas are also dominated by a the strong green iridescent layer. They are best described as being the color between blue and green.
Royal blue bettas are also iridescent colored. The blue is almost purple in nature and is a richer blue than the turquoise. It is also best seen under a flashlight.
Steel blue bettas have the last of the three iridescent colors. This blue is a more muted, grayish blue.
Purple bettas are controversial right now in that many breeders don't think that this color actually exists and can be bred, but that it is instead a lighting trick or a mix of red and blue.
Celophane colored bettas have see-through white-ish finnage. The skin itself has no pigmentation but the body appears flesh colored because of the colors of the internal organs.
Opaque white bettas are very rare and usually are not completely white. They are a much more saturated, true white than their opaque cousins.
Melano black bettas are truly black bettas but can't be bred from other melanos because female melanos are sterile.
Black lace bettas are more easily bred than melanos, as black lace females aren't sterile. The black lace color is a less saturated version of the deep, melano black.
Copper colored bettas are a newer strain of iridescent colors and have a brownish-gold look to them, especially in the light.
Now let's talk about mixes of colors, or the patterns, on bettas.
Patterns on Bettas
Cambodian bettas have a flesh-colored body and reddish fins or blue-ish / green-ish fins. They are classified as popular bicolor bettas in that they only have two colors.
Butterfly bettas have two- or sometimes three-colored finnage, where the fins have almost stripes of the colors. Many times they have flesh-colored bodies like the Cambodian.
Marble-patterned bettas have splotches of color over the body and fins rather than more organized stripes.
Piebald bettas have colored bodies and/or fins but a white face.
Chocolate-patterned bettas have a dark body, usually black, dark blue, or dark green, and light-colored fins. They are the other type of bicolor betta.
Mustard-Gas bettas are very difficult to define, as they began as one thing and have taken on new meaning. When they were first bred, they were defined as having a green body with yellow fins and green or blue trim. Nowadays you mostly find them with purple or green bodies and yellow fins trimmed with another color. They are sometimes called "salamander."
and last but certainly not least,
Multi-color bettas are non-solid bettas that don't really fit into other color categories. While some attribute multies to bad breeding, they can be some of the most beautiful!
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