Male Betta Fin Types

🐟🐠Male Betta Fin Types🐠🐟

(Including a handy chart to save and use!)

To begin with, encourage your betta to flare by holding a mirror up to the tank. This will enable to gauge his fins properly. It may help to take a photo of him flared, and then comparing it to the diagrams in this list.

Here are some of the common fin types, along with a bit of info about each.

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🐟#1: The Halfmoon Plakat (HMPK).

The term 'plakat' refers to short fins, and these fish are the closest to the wild type ancestors. 'Halfmoon plakat' simply means a short finned betta with a tail that's a 'D' shape, and has a 180° spread.

Plakats aren't weighed down by heavy, excessive finnage, so tend to be active, feisty little guys with a ton of energy. They're fun to own, but plakat varieties do have an increased risk of jumping, so make sure those lids are secure.

🐟#2: The Crowntail Plakat (CTPK).

Similar to the above (a plakat variety, so short fins), but with reduced webbing between the rays, giving them a spiky appearance.

🐟#3: The Doubletail Plakat (DTPK).

Another plakat variety, but with a few added issues. The gene that causes the double, split tail and prominent dorsal fin can also be responsible for a shortened body. This can cause internal issues and health issues, so take care to avoid DTs with an overly short body when buying.

🐟#4: The Dumbo/Big Ear/Elephant Ear (EE).

Unlike others in this list, the EE refers to the pectoral fins rather than the tail. The flashy napkin-like pectoral fins on these fish are very obvious, and it's not hard to see why they're named after the famous Disney elephant. These big 'ears' can make swimming a little trickier, especially in longer finned fish, and can be torn and become ragged looking easily.

🐟#5: The Veiltail (VT).

This is one of the older varieties of bettas, and tends to be a little more hardy than some of the newer, fancier varieties. They're characterised by long, flowing tails, and are often people's automatic impression when the term 'Betta' is mentioned. A classic!

🐟#6: The Halfmoon (HM).

These fish have become more and more popular over recent years, and are now a firm favourite with hobbyists. Halfmoons have a large 'D' shaped tail, which has a 180° spread. However, these large fins can cause some problems. Halfmoons are far more likely to bite their own tails, and many will find swimming very tiring. Imagine swimming in a long skirt. It's not surprising they can struggle!

🐟#7: The Crowntail (CT).

Like their plakat counterparts, long finned crowntails have reduced webbing between their rays, giving them a spiky appearance. They come in various forms, such as single ray, double ray, cross ray, and so on, which relate to the structure of the points on their fins. Although less weighed down by their fins than halfmoons, some suffer from a narrowed body and seemingly weakened immune system.

🐟#8: The Delta and Super Delta.

The delta looks very similar to a Halfmoon, but doesn't possess a full 180° tail spread. Rather than a 'D' shape, the Delta has a tail shaped more like a large slice of pizza, with a spread up to around 120°. A Super Delta has a wider still tail spread, but which doesn't quite reach the 180° required to be classed as a Halfmoon.

🐟#9: The Doubletail (DT).

These are the long finned version of the DTPK. Their distinctive split tails are further accented by an often elongated dorsal fin. However, these massive fins can cause real problems with swimming, leading to exhaustion and fin biting. On top of this, they still have the short body issues associated with their short finned counterparts.

🐟#10: The Rosetail (RT).

Although undoubtably beautiful, these are the heaviest fins of all our listed types. The excessive branching creates a ruffled, full look, but weighs the fish down massively. Rosetails often struggle to swim, and can also have a genetic issue known as 'X-Factor'. This is often noticeable in the form of uneven, messy scales on the body, and can have nasty side effects like a very weak immune system and early death.

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Although some of the warnings here sound scary, it's important to remember that not all bettas will have problems related to their fin type. Not all DTs will have too short bodies, not all halfmoons will bite their tails. Just be aware that their tail type can potentially be an important factor in health and longevity.

Feel free to save and share the chart, as a handy infographic to help others! :)