What Type of Female Betta Fish for a Crowntail Male?

The crowntail betta was developed in West Jakarta, Indonesia in 1997. In this exquisite betta strain, the webbing between the dorsal, caudal and anal fin rays is reduced, creating the appearance of spikes. The ideal crowntail betta possesses a 50 percent webbing reduction, but fish that exhibit at least a 33 percent reduction are still considered to be crowntails. The striking crowntail trait can be produced in many types of bettas, by breeding a crowntail male to a betta female of a different strain.

  1. Crowntail Females

    • Male crowntail betas can be bred with females of the same strain. These crowntail females can be unrelated to the male fish or may be bred back to his own daughters. This type of breeding is termed "line breeding" and normally consolidates many of the physical characteristics of both parents. Line breeding will typically produce fin rays that extend well beyond the webbing, but undesirable physical characteristics are equally enhanced. Although female crowntail bettas are as colorful as the males, they have less-dramatic fins.

    Wild Type females

    • The wild type betta resembles the original betta, native to Thailand. Although wild betta females do not possess the vivid colors that have been developed through selective breeding, they are nevertheless attractive fish. Inbreeding, as occurs when the various strains of bettas are produced, can weaken a species; for this reason, breeding a crowntail male to a wild type female, will produce strong offspring.

    Double Tail Females

    • This betta strain possesses a dorsal or tail fin that has two distinct lobes and is equal in length to the anal fin. These bettas tend to have thicker bodies than the other strains. Betta breeders frequently cross double tail fish with single tail strains, to produce offspring with wider tail fins. The combination of the double tail female and crowntail male will make for stunning offspring, particularly as the gene that is responsible for the reduced webbing in the crowntail strain is partially dominant and will appear in the first generation of babies.

    Halfmoon and Rosetail Females

    • The halfmoon is a very popular strain, as the visual effect of its flared tail is astounding. Halfmoon bettas possess huge tails that spread straight up and down. The best examples of halfmoon bettas have tails with the ends 180 degrees apart. Rosetail bettas were developed from the halfmoon and exhibit excessive branching in their dorsal, caudal and anal fins. Breeding females with these genes back to a crowntail male will produce magnificent tails.