How to Understand Betta Fish Color Choices

Betta fish are a favorite aquarium fish. They can thrive in large or small tanks and even small fish bowls which can only house one pet. An interesting dilemma that many people face when they go shopping for betta fish is deciding which color of betta fish to choose. Since betta fish come in almost every color you can imagine, it would be impossible to cover every color that is available. However, if you are just beginning your search on betta fish you should know that you will have a choice of solid betta, bi-colored, patterned or multi-colored betta. Each is unique and everyone tends to have their favorites.

Instructions

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      Solid-Color Betta Fish
      A pure solid color beta fish will have no impurities. This means that the fish is one color from nose tip to tail. Pure solid color beta fish can be hard to find because most fish will have a slight impurity. If you do find a pure solid color betta fish consider yourself fortunate. You have found clean stock. A few of the more popular color choices of solid betta fish include cellophane, white opaque, yellow, orange, red, steel blue, royal blue, green, turquoise and black. A cellophane betta fish will have no color. This means the fish will have translucent fins and a flesh-colored body. The flesh color of the body is not truly a color, but it is a result of the flesh colored organs inside the fish. White Opaque betta fish are solid white. It is very hard to find a white opaque betta fish that has no impurities. If you do luck up and find one consider yourself lucky!

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      Bi-Colored Betta Fish
      A bi-colored betta fish simply has two solid colors. The fins will be one solid color and the body of the fish will be another color. The most common bi-colored betta fish combinations include the Cambodian - which has a flesh colored body and either red, blue or green fins - and the chocolate betta. The chocolate betta will have a dark body that is either black, dark green or dark blue. The fins on the chocolate betta will be either yellow or orange.

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      Patterned Betta Fish
      These fish should not be confused with multi-colored fish. A patterned betta fish will have several colors that are in an organized pattern. Patterned betas are very desirable and rare. The two main patterns you will run across are the marbles and the butterfly patterns. The butterfly pattern is where the fish has a solid body and the fins have the body color along with another color. The marble pattern is where the fish has a flesh body with blotches of color on the body, tail and fins. A fish can still be classified as a marble pattern if it only has blotches on its body.

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      Multicolored Betta Fish
      A multicolored betta fish will have washes of different colors with no specific pattern. Narrowing down which color of beta fish to choose can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. But it will not take long for you to decide which your favorites are. No matter which color you prefer, just remember, if you stock many bettas in a tank, you should watch for fighting. Protect any weaklings you may have from bullies.