Welcome to the homepage of our Betta fish care website.
There are useful articles on caring for Betta fish if you follow the links. First, we thought we’d provide a short glossary of terms in case you come across a word on our site that you’re not familiar with.
Double Ray Crowntail Betta
| acclimate | gradually getting a new Betta fish used to the water of the fish tank he is going to live in |
| anal fin | the large fin that is beneath the body |
| BF | stands for ‘Butterfly’ – describes a Betta fish with fins that are half one colour & half a different colour |
| BBS | stands for ‘baby brine shrimp’ which is a live food essential for raising Betta fry (see ‘Fry’) |
| bubble nest | a foamy floating mat of bubbles blown by a male Betta for supporting the eggs after laying |
| combtail | a type of Betta fish that has fringed fin margins resembling a comb (see ‘Crowntail’) |
| condition | In preparation for mating, both male and female Bettas are fed on a highly nutritious diet and extra vitamins |
| community tank | a community fish tank contains fish of different species or several female Bettas |
| crowntail | a Betta fish with fringed fin margins like a combtail only more so and can resemble a crown |
| delta | this signifies a Betta with a triangular tail with 2 straight edges and the third trailing edge is curved |
| deportment | this means the overall behaviour of the Betta fish ie flaring, movement and balance |
| display | (see “flaring”) |
| dorsal | Large fin on top of the fishes’ back |
| DR | stands for ‘Double Ray’ and refers to the double ray extensions on the tails of Crowntail Bettas (see photo above) |
| DT | stands for ‘Double Tail’ and is a Betta with a tail developed into 2 distinct parts |
| F1 | First generation offspring of a breeding pair of Bettas |
| fishroom | what it says – a room only used for keeping fish |
| flaring | The display posture of a male Betta who spreads his gill cover and fins either to a potential rival or mate |
| fry | fish offspring |
| four branch finnage | a double ray extension (see DR) that branches into 2 again to become 4, also called quadruple ray |
| grow out tank | fry transferred to a larger tank where they can continue to grow |
| halfmoon | a Betta with a tail shaped like a capital D; these are an exaggerated delta tail (see ‘delta’) and are rare |
| jarring | when you segregate young Bettas into separate jars to prevent fighting |
| juvenile | a young Betta 6-8 weeks old with fins that are not full-grown |
| labyrinth | the means by which Bettas can breath air at the water surface |
| melano | an all-black Betta caused by melanin pigment in the skin |
| opaque | a genetic trait that produces a milky-white coloration in Bettas |
| outcross | introducing ‘new blood’ into a breeding strain to prevent inbreeding and possible genetic defects |
| pectorals | small fins at the front of the body just behind the head; used for steering |
| piebald | this betta has a solid body color but has a contrasting flesh-colored face |
| plakat | a Betta that is the wild ‘fighter’ type of fish with short finnage |
| ray | spines that support the fin rather like the ribs in an umbrella |
| ventrals | paired fins that are long and thin situated between the anal and pectoral fins (see ‘pectorals and ‘anal’) |