From the team at Byrkley Aquatics & Aquascaping, Burton on Trent. Selling Bettas since 1987.
Betta fish come in a huge range of colours, patterns, and morphs, from striking blues and reds to intricate leather designs. When the shop first opened, we could only get red or blue standard tail males. Over the last 10 to 15 years, as we've sold more and more Bettas, the choice of colours and tail types has grown hugely, and new varieties are still appearing all the time.
Different varieties have varying prices and availability depending on where you live, so it's worth researching your options before making a purchase. In this article, we'll go through the different types of Betta colourations to help you choose the perfect one for your tank, along with the different tail types and what we see most of in our own shop.
What Are the Different Types of Betta Fish?
When people talk about types of Betta fish, they usually mean one of two things: the shape of the fins and tail, or the colour and pattern. The two are separate, so you can find most tail types in a wide range of colours. A red halfmoon and a red plakat, for example, share the same colour but have very different fins.
Betta Tail Types
These are the tail types you're most likely to come across.
- Veiltail. A long, flowing tail that droops down behind the fish. For many years this was the Betta most people saw in shops.
- Halfmoon. When the fish flares, the tail spreads to a full 180 degrees, making a D shape.
- Delta and Super Delta. The tail spreads out in a triangle shape, but not as far as a halfmoon. Super deltas spread wider than deltas, getting close to a halfmoon.
- Crowntail. The rays of the fins extend past the webbing, giving a spiky, crown-like edge. King crowntails are a larger version.
- Double Tail. The tail is split into two lobes, and the dorsal fin is often larger than usual.
- Rosetail and Feathertail. The fin rays branch many times, giving the edges a ruffled look. The heavy fins can make swimming harder work for the fish.
- Dumbo (Elephant Ear). Named after their oversized pectoral fins, which wave like ears as they swim. You'll find dumbos with both long and short tails.
- Plakat. Short, rounded fins, closer to the wild fighting fish. Plakats are active, strong swimmers. Halfmoon plakats (HMPK) combine the short fins with the halfmoon's D shape.
The tail types we sell most
We sell all tail types, but our main seller by far is the long-finned halfmoon. We also sell plenty of halfmoon plakats and a few crowntails.
In the shop, plakats are probably the team favourite. Their shorter fins make them a bit more versatile, as they're active swimmers and cope well in a wider range of setups. Koi plakats are a personal favourite of ours. That said, we like all of them!
You'll find a range of tail types in our Male Betta collection.
Betta Colour Morphs and Patterns
Betta fish come in an array of fascinating and beautiful colour morphs, patterns, and elements. These can be combined to create a variety of fish with unique personalities. Colour morphs are often broken down into two groups: solid-coloured Bettas and patterned or multicoloured Bettas.
Solid coloured Bettas have one colour all the way through their bodies, sometimes with additional highlights or freckles. With mixed patterns, there is often a combination of various colours, as well as stripes and spots.
In our shop, the pinky and rainbow-type colours are always popular, and butterflies sell especially well, particularly pink or red butterflies.
Betta Colours
Solid Colour Betta Fish
When it comes to solid coloured Bettas, there are a variety of shades to choose from. Some common colours include black, blue, red, green, yellow, pink, white and purple.
These can range from soft pastels that give off a subtle hue to rich deep colours with intense saturation. Additionally, different hues of each colour may be available, such as royal blue or cobalt blue for example. Orange and purple are probably the 2 rarest colours you might find, if you are lucky.
With solid colours, you will also find Bettas with highlights and freckles, which gives the fish an added bit of flare!
Variations of Red Betta Fish: Chocolate, Wine and Copper Red
Red Bettas are some of the most popular and eye-catching fish, coming in a wide range of shades.
Chocolate reds have an almost brown or beige colour combined with dusky red shading and often have solid dark edges to the fins, while wine reds tend to have deep, rich burgundy hues.
Copper reds have light golden tones with lots of orange splashed across their bodies. All three variations can produce show-quality specimens with deep, vibrant colours that catch the eye from any angle.
Copper Betta
Copper Bettas can come in various different colours, but there is always a coppery metallic sheen across the body.
Steel Blue and Black Bettas
There are also combinations both between and within solid colours, such as steel blues (mixing blue, silver and green) and the different types of black Betta, such as black orchid and black lace.
One of the most memorable fish we've had in the shop was a black orchid king crowntail. He was a really nice fish, quite expensive and a bit different from anything else we had at the time.
Betta Patterns
Panda Bettas
Here we have the more unusual morphs of Bettas. Panda Bettas are black and white, just like their namesake.
Whether you're looking for something subtle or something spectacular, the array of colour morphs and patterns ensures that there is an option to meet everyone's personal preferences.
Marble Betta
The Marble is a unique Betta with one very frustrating quality. The marble trait doesn't show up right away. It's activated suddenly during the fish's lifetime, at random.
It causes their primary colour to darken and splotchy pale patches to develop on the body and fins. You'll start out with a fish with one colour or pattern of colours, and suddenly they change. It can be a very dramatic shift, too.
We see this regularly in the shop. A marble can start off mostly white with just a tiny bit of blue and end up very blue. Others just get a little more blue and keep some of their white. It's tricky, because you never know exactly how they're going to end up.
Koi Betta
Koi patterned Betta are related to marbles. This trait is most commonly seen in plakat type Bettas. Koi Betta have been bred to look similar to the koi fish often seen in Japanese ponds. They are usually 3 colours: red, white and black.
Bicoloured Betta
Bicolour is often used to describe any 2 colour male fighting fish, however a true bicolour Betta will have the body one colour and the tail a second colour. Marble Betta are quite often blue and white. Mustard Gas Male Betta are usually blue and yellow.
Tricoloured and Multicoloured Betta
Tricoloured Bettas have an uneven mix of 3 colours along their body and fins. Multicoloured Bettas have a mix of at least three colours and can have more than 3. The mix tends to be random and unpredictable. Possibly the most commonly seen of these is the Thai Flag.
Multicolour Bettas: Butterfly, Galaxy and Dragon Strains
Multicolour Bettas come in a wide selection of morphs, such as Butterfly, Galaxy and Dragon.
The Butterfly strain has a clear band of colour on the fins. The body colour runs part way into the fins and then stops in a sharp line, leaving the outer edge pale, white or clear, a bit like the wings of a butterfly.
The Galaxy strain is often a red and blue marble, with added iridescent speckles across the body that look like stars.
Finally, the aptly-named Dragon strain has thick, metallic scales that cover the body like armour.
Dragon Scale are often metallic, and you can see a distinctive outline to the scales on the body. They can be quite a show stopper.
New Colours and Special Bettas
There are some really stunning fish available with lots of other variations not mentioned above.
- Hellboy. The name refers to the patterning on the body and tail. The original Hellboy is red and blue, but you'll now also find red and white metallic and yellow and white metallic versions.
- Ironman. Very similar to koi, but generally red with lots of gold and yellow colouring.
- Avatar. Deep blue/green random metallic scales, a bit like sprinkled glitter.
- Black Star. Along with avatars, these are some of the more unusual fish we've had in.
There continue to be new strains created all of the time, so this article will be updated regularly as new Betta colour strains are developed.
Male and Female Bettas
The colours and tail types above are mostly seen in male Bettas, which have the longer fins and the strongest colour. In our shop, each male is kept on his own.
We also sell female Bettas. We don't have lots, but we always have a mixture, for example blue marble, fancy koi and dumbo females. The stock changes all the time.
If you have a small tank, you can still only keep one female. To keep more than one, you need a tank of at least 80 litres. If you're thinking about a group of females (sometimes called a sorority), bear in mind they can still be quite nasty to each other. Two together is not a good idea. In our experience, one or lots works better than two or three, and generally it's easier not to keep too many together.
How to Choose the Right Betta
When customers are trying to choose a Betta, we ask them to think about:
- The size of the tank
- The decoration they have in there
- Whether it will live with other fish
If you'd like to keep your Betta with other fish, we suggest choosing one that is already living alongside other fish, or asking us about the temperament of that individual Betta. They are all different.
Keeping Your Betta's Colours and Fins Looking Their Best
To keep the colours looking really good, we always recommend a high quality, high protein food, mixing up what you feed rather than using the same food every day, with bloodworm only as an occasional treat. Lots of foods contain colour enhancers, and some get theirs from crustacean carotenoids, which help keep the colours looking good. Our Betta feeding guide goes through exactly what we feed our own Bettas.
If you notice any damage or nibbles to the fins, plenty of protein will help with healing and repair. Catappa leaves can help too, as they are antibacterial and help stop infection.
Our Honest Summary
- Betta "types" can mean the tail shape or the colour and pattern, and most tail types come in a wide range of colours
- Long-finned halfmoons are our best seller, while plakats are the team favourite
- Marbles can keep changing colour, so you never know exactly how they'll end up
- Before choosing, think about the size of your tank, the decoration and whether it will live with other fish
- More than one female needs a tank of at least 80 litres, and one or lots works better than two or three
- A varied, high-protein diet helps keep colours and fins looking their best
Before You Make a Special Trip
We keep a good selection of male Bettas in store, but stock changes regularly. Before travelling to see them, check our current tropical fish stock list, or browse our male Bettas for sale.
Come and See Us
We're at Byrkley Garden Centre, Rangemore, Burton on Trent. If you'd like help choosing a Betta, or have a question about colours, patterns or tail types, come in and have a chat with us. We're always happy to help.
If you would like to know more about fish keeping, Bettas, new deliveries, tips etc. please join our mailing list. We have other articles that can help you too, including our tips on keeping your Betta active and happy.