signal hinge
Hey! It would be cool to see some of the wild type bettas and have a bigger range of fin types for the domestics.
Wild type species that would be cool to have:
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Betta hendra: What I'd consider to be some of the most commonly kept TRUE wild bettas. Generally displays cooler colours like teal/green shades and blue with brown. Again able to be kept in small pairs or groups, species only recommended. Can stay very slightly smaller compared to your average domestic betta (min size 4cm). Bubble nesters, like most bettas.
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Betta persephone: Little guys!! Only reach around 3cm (though can get a bit bigger), which is tiny for a betta. Generally display cooler colours like blues/greens with dark, duller bodies. Can be kept in groups or pairs but is another that is thought to do well solo. Definitely would not suit a community tank. Another bubble nester. Personally I would think they do better in quite shallow tanks, but this could be debated. A favourite of mine since they're so little.
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Betta macrostoma: Generally quite peaceful (for bettas anyway). Characterised by their rather large mouths and unique shape (in respect to bettas generally). Usually displays reds or oranges on the body, with varying degrees of vibrancy. Some suggest these work well in community tanks but I'm of the opinion all bettas are best in species only. One of the mouth brooding species, Macrostoma have the males caring for the eggs in their mouths. Very sought after amongst betta keepers (also insanely expensive). Can get quite large for a betta, sitting around 10cm.
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Betta channoides: My personal favourite of the wild types. Generally a red or maroon colour over the body, characterised by their snakehead like appearance (big mouth, flat head). Decently territorial in their tanks like all bettas, but can be kept in pairs or small groups in larger tanks. Around 5cm, quite similar to a domestic betta. They're bubble nesters.
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Betta imbellis: Debatable whether this can still be considered a true wild type as they've become more popular in the aquarium trade and been somewhat selectively bred for aggression similar to splendens (despite being known as "peaceful bettas"). Put them here anyways as some fish keepers do still consider them to be wild type bettas despite my personal disagreements. Very very similar to domestic splendens in colouration and size but doesn't possess the same range of fin types. Generally recommended to be kept solo but has been controversially kept with multiple of the same species in very large, densely planted tanks. Bubble nesters.
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Betta falx: Another one of the paternal mouth brooding species. Not as popular as other kinds of wild types. Somewhat dull looking compared to most bettas, generally displaying lighter brown, striped bodies with some blue on their fins; their appearance kind of reminds me of licorice gouramis. Stays around 4-5cm. Sometimes thought to be a bit hardier than other wild type species. Can be kept in pairs or groups but is thought to do well solo.
Types of domestic bettas that could be added:
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Halfmoon: Tails that form a "half moon" shape on the end of the betta. Pretty popular.
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Crown tail: Fins where the rays go past the membrane, forming a kind of spiked look to the tail and body fins.
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Veil tail: Arguably the most common kind of betta, everyone who's looked at bettas in stores has seen a red or blue veil tail. Long, tapered fins that come to a point at the ends.
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Double tail: Exactly what it sounds like. Has a split tail fin that gives the appearance of two tails. Can be combined with fin types resulting in halfmoon double tails etc.
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Spade tail: Generally shorter fins, tapered to a point similar to veil tails. Kind of an in-between length from veil tails and true plakats respectively.