Web hosting Custom Email SiteBuilder

Contents

1. Basics of keeping a betta

2. Betta types

1. Basics of keeping a betta

You might be familiar with the bettas in a bottle situation. Where a betta (full grown) is kept in a small bottle or even plastic bags. This however, is not the best way to keep a betta, I can assure you.

I will list down some things for you to take note of when you keep a betta.

a. Bettas are bubble blowers and air breathers. There is a scientific name for bettas, which slipped my mind. Thus you would want to put them where there is some fresh air flowing across the surface.

b. They prefer clean water even though you might have seen them in dirty water. They can survive but they do not thrive, especially those strains which have been inter-bred/cross-bred too often to get beautiful fins and colours. Change water often, every 2-3 days is good. Daily is best but too demanding a routine unless you are retired and you have a prize betta! :)

c. They love live food, like bloodworms or daphnias. You can even use frozen food which they simply gobble up. These are frozen bloodworms or brine shrimps. They do not respond as well for some of the processed food, like pellets or flake food. Clear up after feeding as leftover food rots and give rise to a lot of problems like algae, disease, bacteria bloom etc. Do not overfeed. Feed only enough for them to finish within a few minutes.

d. They do not like loud noises and bright lights. Make sure their environment do not have this. Or too much of it (try to reduce if you live in such an environment) These 2 factors stress them out and they will fall sick easily.

e. They like large bodies of water even though they can survive in a small jar or container. I like to give them more room whenever I can. A foot tank is given for my prize bettas. Other are given smaller containers as I do not have much room in my house.

f. Another note on water is to use de-chlorinated water. This should be common knowledge for people who keeps fish. Chlorine is harmful to all fish.

2 Information on Betta Splendens

The following article was extracted by me for my own perusal and I have found it to be very useful. Author of this article is Ethan Wheeler.
 

Betta types

Here is a list of all, or most of the known, and IBC recognized Strains of Betta Splendens.

I will try to give you brief but complete descriptions of the different Betta Strains.
I will use some information I have out of the IBC Standards along with my own knowledge to the best of my ability as a Betta breeder, however, I will only use small amounts of information out of the IBC Standards because I feel that this info should be available to those who are members of IBC. In short, if you want it all, pay for your membership to IBC and get the books!!! (You couldn't make a more intelligent decision if you want to breed Bettas!!!)
 

Betta Splendens Colour Strains:
 

Dark Coloured Bettas:

Red

A Brilliant "Cherry" Red is desired in Bettas with quality genes. Slight appearance of iridescence, or Opaque colour is a serious deficiency in colour quality.
 

Black

The Ideal colour of a true beautiful quality Black Betta is of very dark "Black Mollie" colour. Other than green, Black is the least fully set of the dark single colours. This is largely due to the requirement to breed for Black without using the normally infertile Black (Melano) females. Some Black Lace lines are producing fertile Black females. Crossing of the fertile Black Lace lines to the infertile Melano lines has not shown to produce anything other than infertile Melano (and Normal Black) females. Many lines have used Steel Blue females extensively, while other lines have used Royal Blue females and thus, not surprisingly, have led to Blacks with considerable iridescence present. This is particularly unfortunate since Black, by IBC category definition is a non-iridescent colour. Like Red, the presence of iridescence (or Opaque) is serious.
 

True Black/Melano

A true dark "pitch" Black is preferred!
 

Black Lace/Normal Black

Black Lace is an almost translucent type of Black.
This type of Black is much less desirable.
 

Royal Blue

Royal Blue Bettas are set in the Iridescent category in the IBC Standards.
This Strain , and many, or should I more correctly say, all of the dark iridescent colours do have a problem, that of anal fin wash. Visible wash can be seen just by looking at the fish. It is usually red although you may sometimes find green, and /or steel blue wash on other fins such as the ventrals. It usually is at the base of the Anal fin from the front to the back of the fin. "Invisible" wash, is seen only by shining a Flashlight through the fins from the opposite side from the person looking at the fish. This type of wash is ignored in the IBC Standards Handbook, and by IBC judges, however, I like to eliminate it out of my line, or lines completely. I think that if invisible wash is gone than so will Visible wash!! Wash is usually red, but it is sometimes green, or Turquoise, both of which are major faults. Steel Blue is also sometimes found on fish but that is only considered a minor fault. Like I said I don't like ANY colour on my fish other than the colour they should be. I think that clean Bettas are a very good sign of a good breeder with quality Bettas.
Most of the time young fish will have red when young, then they will lose it. This is called, red loss. Usually the red will come back when the fish gets to be around 10 or so months old. Red loss occurs in Royal Blue, Steel Blue, Turquoise, and Green.
 

Steel Blue

Steel Blue is also sometimes called "Gunmetal Blue". This colour has a silver iridescence when compared to the Royal Blue Betta. Perhaps slightly "Greyer" in appearance to some. A "greyer", less bluish colour is desired.
 

Turquoise

Ideally, a darker shade of the colour of the mineral Turquoise. This colour Strain of Betta has had a stormy past as it has sometimes been confused with the Green type of Bettas.
The colour preference is closer to the lighter "Aqua" Turquoise tones of Blue rather than the darker Green/Yellow shades. There should be an even spread of this colour all over the body rather than blues and greens. This colour, or fish with colours close to it are often found in Royal Blue and Steel Blue spawns.
 

Green

A good green Betta would have nice dark, grass, or forest GREEN colour. Darker is desired over brighter. Unfortunately Green is the least fixed single colour Strain because of its tendency to vary in colour from fish to fish, or line to line. Turquoise has a much more distinct blue hue and therefore should not be confused with Green.
 

True Green

Bettas have a Beautiful forest green and are much more highly desired over the Common green type.
 

Common Green

Most Green Bettas unfortunately are of this colour that is much less desired. It is a bluish green fish though it does have less green than a Turquoise -- an often difficult hue distinction
 

Light Coloured Bettas:

Yellow

A brilliant lemon Yellow is desired. Colours, which tend to be either very pale Yellow, or a brown tinted Yellow are not desired. Yellow results from a trait (gene) which transforms red. Therefore the presence of red (except the red vein line) is a serious error. WATCHOUT out for Yellow Cambodians, They are not desired, and are disqualified, if not reclassified.
 

Clear

Transparent body and fins are ideal. Colour from the body organs however, cause the fish to look "Pink" (other people call them "Flesh-coloured", or "Creme" to describe the same colour. The presence of any other colour is a serious error.
 

Cellophane

A colourless Bettas body (flesh coloured) with transparent fins. Eyes are dark, not red. Occasionally the Cellophane is thought to be a bicolour: Pink/Clear. While that view is understandable , it is not correct in the Standards definition of Cellophane. The Cellophane is considered a single colour. The name of that colour is "clear". the pink of the body is due to the flesh and organs of the fish.
 

Albino

Like Cellophanes, these are colourless Bettas both in the body and fins. The eyes also show no coloration and are therefore red in appearance. Albino is the rarest Betta colour known! Some experienced breeders have said that there is only one True Albino in 10,000 spawns!! The few Albinos that have been found were very weak, and were short lived. Little is really known about this Strain. It is a highly prized Strain because of its extreme rarity. We will find more, it is bound to happen, the questions is when? At this point no one can answer that question but perhaps, one day the Albino will become a reality in the Betta world to such a point that there will be a strong number of True Albinos in the World. Enough to establish them as a strong, true strain, instead of a faded one.
 

Pastels:

Pastel Colours include, Pastel White, Pastel Green, and Pastel Blue, etc.
All of these lack the dark undercoloration. Therefore green for example is considerably different from the definition of green used when referring to a single dark colour Betta. Opaque Bettas (described below) may be accepted as Pastels when they are young and later be accepted as Opaques. This is because Opaque Pigment increases in Opaque Bettas over time as the fish ages, though on true Pastel fish, the Opaque pigment is limited.

White Pastel

A light pale White colour is desired. Though Pastels do have Opaque, they do not have as much as Opaques, and therefore are not as White. It is easier to see through the fins of Pastel Bettas than it is to see through the fins of Opaque Bettas, this is because of the lesser amounts of Opaque pigment covering. A Pastel with heavy Opaque, let alone any at all, would be severely faulted.

Blue Pastel

A light sky blue is ideal in Pastel Blue Bettas. Pale Blue coloration which appears to lack the typical "Black" or dark undercoloration of dark coloured Bettas.
These Bettas must not show Opaque, however slight!
Its presence in a non-Opaque IBC show category makes the absence of all Opaque an essential trait! Any presence no matter how common it is, is a fault in this Strain.

Green Pastel

A light pale green is ideal. Pale green coloration which appears to lack the typical "black", or dark undercoloration, just as with White, and Blue Pastels. That means that there are no layers of dark coloration under the light layers. As with Blue, and White Pastels green Pastels must not show any Opaque covering, or Pigment.
Just as Blue Pastels must not show any green tones, Green Pastels must not show any Blues tones no matter how small the amount.
 

Opaques

Fish of these colours are by common practice called Opaques!!
Opaque colours just the same as Pastels include Opaque White, Opaque Green, Opaque Blue, etc. All of these strains also lack dark undercoloration.

White Opaque

I take a particular liking to this strain!!!
Brilliant dense White coloration is desired in White Opaques, or more correctly referred to as Opaque Steel Blue.

These fish also appear to lack the typical "black" dark undercoloration. White Opaques must be Opaque . Though common, The presence of non-white tones is a fault. Fin wash is a very serious fault that is a very common problem with this Strain. It can be hard to get rid of fin wash. You can only do so many Opaque/Opaque spawns without out crossing to Steel Blues because the amount of Opaque pigment decreases over so many spawns. By doing a Steel/White spawn you will increase the amount of Opaque in the resultant fry though fin wash is usually a bit of a problem after doing a spawn like that. The only way to remove the fin wash from the line again is through about 3 or 4 successive generations breeding only the cleanest fish possible.

Usually the colours of fin wash are red, blue, or green. Many times older fish end up looking like light coloured Cambodians!!! Many people will do Steel/White spawns, using a Steel Blue male, and a White Opaque female because the female is Snow White!! People think that because their females are Snow White, they will produce Snow White "kids". The problem is that White Opaque females "Lie". Meaning that they are the ones that are always Snow White but, the females will throw "kids" with red fin wash!! Males usually "tell the truth" and throw what they are so to speak. Meaning that if they are Snow White, they will most likely throw "kids" that are Snow White, and vice versa.(of course there will be some fish in the spawn that have red that will have most likely come from the female).

Unfortunately, most males in top lines are Snow White (or close), up to about 7 or so months of age at which point they start to develop red fin wash, though sometimes Blue and green wash also develops. By that age you've probably already used him in your breeding program and are kicking yourself for it!! (Just kidding!!). It happens a lot with all breeders. The goal is to produce males that stay completely Snow white for a longer time. Eventually we will have White Opaque males that stay Snow White all their life!!

Blue Opaque

A light powder Blue is Ideal in Blue Opaques. A sort of light Blue fin wash is present in the fins. Basically containing the same colours as the Pastels, however, the fish is covered by a coat of Opaque pigment. This Strain also lacks dark undercoloration of dark coloured Bettas. these fish must show Opaque. Though the presence of green tones are common it is a fault and should be bred out of the line.

Green Opaque

A light powder green is ideal in Green Opaque Bettas. This Strain, as with all of the other light coloured Strains lack any dark undercoloration from dark coloured layers.
This Strain is much like Pastel Greens however these fish are covered by an Opaque pigment.
 
 

Here are some new, Highly sought after Colour Strains:

Orange

Orange Bettas are probably the newest Strain of Bettas so far. Orange Bettas should show thick Orange colour. Orange Bettas are a very new strain and therefore not a lot is known about them. Over the past few years Oranges have been improved greatly both in colour, and in finnage. Many Oranges are reaching the point of Half-moon (described below) size finnage.
 

Purple

Purple Bettas are also a very new, and very rare strain. I believe them to be more rare than Orange Bettas. Not much is known about these fish either because of their rarity but I do believe that they come from certain breeding of Blacks carrying a Gene to produce a Purple colour.

These fish have not yet been recognised in the IBC though they are highly sought after, and most likely someone someday will develop a strong line of Purples that will grow in popularity and become a recognised Strain.
 

Blue Berry

Blue Berry Bettas are a very new, and very rare strain of Bettas. Blue Berry Bettas are actually Butterfly Bettas.
They are actually Chocolates (described below), with a Blue Berry coloured band around the edge, or around the base of the fins, hence the name Blue Berry.

From what I know of them, they are quite beautiful, and are being bred in larger numbers though still rare. Perhaps one day they will be recognised in IBC under the Butterfly category!!
 

Lemon Merengue

Another new colour Strain of Bettas is the Lemon Merengue Strain.
Lemon Merengues are Basically Yellow Butterflies. The difference between Yellows, and Lemon Merengues, is that Lemon Merengues have a Clear butterfly band around the base of the fins just like a normal Butterfly. Although the object of a breeding program would be to develop Lemon's with Clear at the base of the fins and Yellow at the edges of the fins.

Though this is a new strain, which is not actually recognised in the IBC Standards, they were shown quite a bit in the Butterfly category by a few breeders and did very well in both 1997 and 1998.
 

Bicolored Bettas:

These are two coloured Bettas. The body of a Bicolour must be one colour, and fins must one single colour, but it must be different from the body colour. Technically a Bicolour is one of the patterned Bettas, but by common practice they are considered a separate entity in the Show Standards.
 

Dark body, Light fins

Here is the general basis of the Dark Bicolour Bettas:
Body colours, which are not one of the six (Recognised) Dark colours described earlier, are not permitted. The fins can be one of the other Dark colours also, or it may be one of the described (Recognised) light colours. If these fish do not have the described dark undercoating they will be disqualified.

Contrast is important, The body and fin colours should be strictly separated at the body/fin junctions. There should be no other colours present other than the two colours of the Bicolour. If there are other colours present it should be considered a fault and should be bred out of the line, meaning don't breed any fish with unclean colours or unsharp separation between the body and fin colours.

If additional colours are present on the body or fins that is treated as a fault by the IBC Standards. For example, a Red body (with iridescence on it) is treated in accordance with the Correct Standard for good Reds. If the fins are Black for example, they are "Scored" as presented in the above Black colour Standard. Meaning that if the Black on the fins of a Bicolour Betta has iridescence on it, it should be faulted to the degree of which it is inadequate.
 

Black/Yellow
Chocolate

Chocolate Bettas as they are commonly called, look Brown to the eye, but are actually Black/Yellow Bicolour. Chocolates can be bred to Yellows, which will help to improve colour, of both Yellows, and the Chocolates.
 

Light Body Dark fins

As with dark bodied Bicolour, here is a general basis of faults for Light Bodied Bicolour bettas:
Body colours, which are not one of the (recognised) light colours described earlier, are not permitted.
The fins can be one of the other light colours also, or it may be one of the described dark colours.
Contrast is important, therefore dark coloured fins have preference over light coloured fins. The body and fin colours should be strictly separated at the body/fin junctions. There should be no other colours present other than the two colours of the Bicolour. If there are other colours present it should be considered a fault and should be bred out of the line, meaning don't breed any fish with unclean colours or unsharp separation between the body and fin colours. If additional colours are present on the body or fins that is treated as a fault by the IBC Standards. For example, a Yellow body (with iridescence on it) is judged in accordance with the Yellow colour standard guide. The fins for example, if the fins are Black they are Judged as presented in accordance with the Standard for Black colour.
 

Red/Clear:

Traditional Cambodian

The Cambodian Betta is a Betta with a flesh coloured body, either Red fins, or fins of AOC (any other colour). this Strain or something like it is often found in pet stores across the country.
 

Patterned Bettas:

There are actually five colour patterns. The first two are: The single colour (pattern one), the Bicolour (Pattern two). So, usually when someone hears the term "Pattern", they are usually thinking of the last three of the five patterns:
Butterfly Bettas, the Marble Bettas, and the Multicolour Bettas.
Usually when Judging Patterned Bettas, Judges do not pay attention to the colour of the patterning as much as they pay attention to the patterning itself.
 

Butterfly

The Butterfly is a variegated Betta with a very specific fin pattern. The key is in the fins, which display a banded pattern. Emphasis is placed on the contrast and crispness of the band, not the colouring of the body and fins.
The band should be crisp - not a lightening of opposing fin colour (meaning a Yellow with a lighter Yellow outer band is not a Butterfly, but a Yellow with a clear band is a Butterfly).

The bands should scribe an even oval around the fish. There are two forms the banding may take: A two band fin pattern, where the fins are divided equally between the number of bands. the multiple band pattern is sometimes difficult to identify since two of the bands, though distinct, may be subtle but different shades of the same colour. In this case, shining a flashlight from behind the fins may aid in detecting this trait but lack of definition between bands is considered a fault.

The Butterfly body and the colour in the first fin band may be either a single colour, Bicolored, Marbled or Multicoloured.
The general basis of faults of the Butterfly Bettas:
The principles, which determine the arrangement of the fault charts found in this portion of the text, are:
1) For two band fins, the bands should occupy 1/2 the fin area on all fins.
2) For multiple band fins, the bands should occupy 1/(number of bands) of the fin area on all fins.
3) The dividing line between fin bands should be straight and scribe an oval around the Betta.
4) The degree to which a second colour intrudes, lack of crisp definition, also affects the degree of severity of the fault.
 
 

Red/Red-White

Red/Red-White Butterflies are Bettas with a red body, Red at the base of the fin, and White at the outer edge of the fin, hence the name Red/Red-White. In this kind of Butterfly the body of the Betta must be one colour. The inner band on the fins must be the same colour as the body. The outer fin band should occupy the appropriate percentage of the fin/fins and maintain single colour within the band.

Bettas of the IBC category are named in the following sequence:
Body colour/Inner band - Outer band. Though only one type is talked about here, there are many Bettas with Red/Red - Other (etc...) With the colours for the outer band being anyone of the recognised single colours described above.
I believe that this type is the most commonly seen of the Butterfly types.
 

Clear/Red-White

This type of Butterfly is commonly called the Cambodian Butterfly.
Clear/Red-White Butterflies are Bettas with a "Flesh" coloured body (like Cambodians), with a Red inner band, and a White outer band. the Body colour to the inner band colours are much like a Bicolour.
 

Clear/White-Red-White

This is a very special type of Butterfly - The Tutweiler Butterfly.
While all multiple banded Bettas might be impressive, it is the unique contrast of the central band that made the Tutweiler Betta so famous!
This type of Butterfly has a Clear, or Flesh coloured body, a White inner band, a Red centre band, and a White Outer band. This type of Butterfly is quite rare compared to the other types Butterflies, because of the difficulty in getting fish that have a perfect centre band.
 

Marbled Bettas

The Marble Betta, like the Butterfly, is a patterned Betta. However, it is variegated in a different manner. The key differences are the lack of fin banding, and the presence of other colours on the body in a "Marbled" effect.
Two types of Marbles exist, the "Traditional Marble" (or Piebald) which is a dark bodied fish with a white head or face, and the newer "Coloured Marble" which may have many other colours than the Black/Flesh/White combination. Though Cellophane is sometimes considered to be a genetic Marble variant, it is not classed as a Marble Phenotypically. The fins and the body must show at least two colours. These must include a light and dark colour mix. Fish exhibiting sharp 'edges' to the Marbling pattern are preferred over those with blended colours
A mixing of colours is a must otherwise, how can the fish be Marbled?

Piebald

This is the type of Marble known as the Traditional Marble. It distinctly lacks the colours of Red, Green, Blue, and Steel Blue that appear on Coloured Marbles. The fins also do not contain those colours.

Coloured

The face/chin area retains characteristic Marble flesh-colour (or White) but the body and fins may show a mix or Red, Green, Blue, and Steel Blue.
The body of these Coloured Marbles may include any of those colours, but must include Flesh-colour. Coloured Marbles with colour mixes of greater contrast are preferred. A mix of only Green and Red for example is not sufficient.

Red Marble

This Subtype shows the same colours of the Piebald, but includes Red of which the Piebald does not.
Other subtypes include the colour of their name.
 

Multicoloured Bettas

This designation is for Bettas with two or more colours, which do not fit into any of the other patterned categories.
Ideally the colours should be in high contrast with each other. The colours are those normally seen in Bettas. However, simply having the head alone a different colour, or having a different colour of on the tip of the ventrals is not sufficient to be designated a Multicolour. IBC Judges should be particularly cautious of Bettas shown as Multicolour that show as a second colour only a fin wash -- Such as a Blue with bad Red wash, Or a White Opaque, with bad red, or Blue fin wash -- which is not sufficient. Fish like that should not be shown or bred.
 
 

Betta Splendens Fin Strains:

Fins are, for the most part, what show all of that beautiful colour off!
There are 12 plus Fin Strains of Betta Splendens.
The Tail fin, or Caudical (or Caudal) is the largest and most variable of all of the Betta's fins. Over the past five to ten years, the size of the Caudal has grown much larger. Now bettas are getting to have tails as large as 200 degrees. Though a Betta with a tail that large is definitely extremely rare, there are many Bettas with tails that are as large as 180 degrees, Half-moons (described below) as they are called are the newest and in my opinion the most beautiful of all of the Betta Strains. All Bettas no matter what Caudal type should have rays evenly distributed above and below the fin centre line. Roundness and fullness are the ideal. Though there are some lines out there that produce females with long male finnage, such finnage is not desired, and should not be encouraged in show lines.
 

Single-Tail

Single-Tailed Bettas were the first type of Bettas to be developed after the short finned type.
Normal Single-tailed Bettas with minimal width as they are commonly seen in pet stores are virtually non-existent in show lines. I say this because Delta and Half-Moon Bettas are technically Single-tailed Bettas, and they are the most commonly seen (Single-tail) type in show lines. Today’s "Normal" Single-Tail in a show bowl is about the size of a Veil Tail and no smaller. Basically, Small is out, wide is in!!
 

Veil Tail

A Veil Tailed Betta is a Betta with a tail that is a bit larger than the normal Single-tail, but is not as large as the Delta tail. With the size of Caudals being as large as they are today. A Veil Tail is the smallest size caudal a breeder should use when breeding for show quality fish because the size of the competition's caudicals will out weigh it in any class. A Veil Tail is anything Larger than a normal Single-tail, and anything smaller than a Delta Tail.
 

Delta Tail

Delta Tailed Bettas have been around for quite a long time. I would venture to say probably around 10 years or so. A Delta Tailed Betta is a Betta with a very large tail. As far as the width of the Delta itself, since there are no set standards for caudals that include the regulation of a certain kind of caudal. I will say that a Delta is anything larger than a Veil Tail (above), and anything smaller than a the straight 180 degrees of the Half-moon (below) Many, or should I say, most Half-moon Geno-types are pheno-type Deltas.
 

Half-Moon

A somewhat new, yet somewhat old Fin Strain is the Half-moon Strain.
Half-moon Bettas are, in my opinion the most beautiful of all of the Betta Splendens' Fins. A Half-moon is a Betta with VERY large finnage. The Caudical fin is the largest and it is the fin that gives the Half-moon its name.
True Half-moons are Bettas whose tails spread out one hundred and eighty (180) degrees, with perfectly STRAIGHT edges, and a perfect ARCH, forming Half-moon, hence the name. Any Betta owner/breeder with a Betta that has a tail under 180 degrees is NOT, I repeat, NOT a Half-moon! A Betta, with a 179 1/3-degree tail, is NOT a Half-moon. (Sorry!) It is a very large Delta, and with a tail that large, chances are it does carry the Half-moon gene and can produce Half-moons, especially if it is out of Half-moon (or even Half-moon geno) parents but it, itself is not a Half-moon. Half-moons also exhibit very large amounts of beautiful wide finnage in all of their fins. Very large, long dorsals, anals, and ventricals are common, and preferred with
Half-moons.

If you are interested in getting a pair of true Half-moons expect to pay for them! A pair of Moons can sell for $75.00 to $150.00 or more. Geno-type Half-moons, (meaning they carry the gene for Half-moon) usually sell for much less. Half-moons have been around since 1994 when three breeders got together to develop Bettas with larger finnage. What they developed were Half-moons. The available Colour Strains of Half-moons is somewhat limited though growing.

Half-moons have been developed into the following colours:
Royal Blue, Steel Blue, Turquoise, Green, Marble, Butterfly. The latest colours developed into Half-moon are: White Opaques, Reds, and Blacks (Melanos). Normal Black (Black Lace) Half-moons are still being developed but should be fully developed in the near future. Orange Bettas are getting very close to being fully developed into Half-moons. Yellow Half-moons have been under development along with Reds and should be fully developed soon since we now have Red Half-moons!! Half-moons are becoming some of the most popular of the Betta Splendens Strains in the world and more beautifully coloured Half-moons are guaranteed to be developed in the future!! Half-moons will continue to Flare their beauty and grace for many years to come!!
 

Double-tail

Double-tailed Bettas have been around for a long time!!
Double-tail Bettas are expected to differ in several ways from Single-tail:
1)Double tail Bettas must posses two distinct 'tails' or Caudal lobes instead of one, with a complete separation to the base of the Caudal peduncle. Overlapping lobes are desired and should always be a factor in any breeders breeding program.
2) Possess a wider Caudal peduncle to support the Double lobes.
3) Possess a larger dorsal fin, more nearly the size of the Anal fin.
4) Their bodies are usually more "chunky" and often a bit shorter than Single-tailed Bettas.
Breeders should strive to produce Double-tail Bettas with the largest lobes possible.
Many people use Half-moons in the Double-tail lines to increase the width of the lobes. I have heard of breeders trying to produce Half-moon Double-tails, or as they have sometimes been called, "Full-moons". Though a few tries to produce them have produced two Bettas that I know of who had two one hundred and eighty-degree tails!! The problem with those fish was that they were very weak, and only lived for a short time. Further attempts to develop other "Full-moon" Bettas have not been carried out. Part of the reason for that is because it is sometimes hard for Bettas to carry very large Half-moon tails, but it is almost impossible for them to function completely normal when having to carry the "weight" of two 180 degree tails. Another reason for that is that in order for the fish to have two tails of such width, they would need to basically have two separated Caudal peduncles to support such a volume of finnage.
 

Hearttail

Hearttail Bettas are actually a type of Double-tail.
They are Bettas with tails that are right in between true full Double-tails, and Fuse tails. The split of the  double-tail is incomplete to the point where all there is a tiny split, like a notch in the tail to make it look much like a heart, hence the name Hearttail!! This is a rare "strain" or should I say (Double-tail) variation. Even though it is just a bad Double-tail, it is highly sought after and many people try to develop this but end up with true complete Double-tails.
 

Pla Kat

Pla kat Bettas are true fighting stock. They were the first strain developed in Thailand (Siam), as fighting Bettas. These are the fish that the long finned Bettas we have now originated from. Pla Kat Bettas are usually very aggressive.
They have been bred into many of the usual Betta colours. Pla kats in their own right are Half-moons because of the width of their tails, but unfortunately they aren't very useful in contributing Half-moon genes to long fin Bettas, because all that results from a Half-moon/Pla Kat breeding is a bunch of Veil tails, no Half-moons, and no long finned, or short finned Half-moon genos from the Pla Kat side, only from the Half-moon side. Genetically, Pla Kat's serve Pla Kat's, even when bred to long finned bettas.
 

Round Tail

Round Tail Bettas are just as their name implies, Round Tailed!!
Sometimes, Round Tails are found in Half-moon spawns. Though they are not an actual strain, they are a type of single-tail and can be shown in Single-tail classes.
 

Tripletail

Triple-tail Bettas are just as the name states. They are Triple-Tailed!! Only a couple, if any, have ever been found or developed, I believe it would be possible to develop this strain into a strong type using Double-tails, and a lot of inbreeding and out crossing to other Double-tailed lines. Obviously there is a gene that produces the Double-tail in our Bettas, so why can't there be a gene that produces Triple-tails as well??
 

Fusetail

Fusetail Bettas are actually Double-tails whose lobes are fused together. This is a rare type of Betta that is highly prized and bred for. Because breeders strive for even, complete splits in Double-tails in their lines, the chances of getting Fused Double-tails are low. I believe that this type of Betta carries a gene for fin fusion and may be very useful in developing a Fuse Fin Strain (below).
 

Fuse Fin

Fuse Fin Bettas are a very unique and rare Strain of Betta Splendens.
A Fuse Fin Betta is a Betta with it's Dorsal, Caudal, and Anal fins fused together to form a single fin!! As I said above Fuse Tail Bettas may hold the key to the development of true Fuse Fin Bettas. Fuse Fin Bettas have shown up in the past in spawns around the world though their have only been very few in number.
They are a strain I personally plan to work on developing in the near future!
I believe just as Half-moons are the present kings of the Betta world, The Fuse Fin will rule in the future with vigour and beauty.
 

I hope that this list of Betta Splendens' beauty has helped you to know a little more about your brightly hued, and beautifully finned friends!!
Good luck with all of your Betta experiences!