Bettas are also known as fighting fish or betta splenders (scientific name). Bettas are one of the most popular pet fish simply because it is easy to take care of them, and they have beautiful colors and finnage. There are different types of bettas such as Halfmoon, Crowntail, Fighter and Wildtype.
Halfmoon(HM) - has a caudal spread of 180 degrees no more and no less. Bettas that have a caudal spread of anywhere from 120 -179 degree are known as Super Delta (SD). 90-120 degree are known as Delta (D). Over 180 degree are known as Over Halfmoon (OH). Halfmoon and Over Halfmoon are the most expensive betta and usually sought after by many breeders and hobbyists.
Crowntail(CT) - has a tail that look like a crown of a king or teardrop. There are Single Ray (SR), Double Ray (DR), and Double Double Ray (DDR) crowntail. You will need to be very familiar with crowntail to be able to differentiate between a SR, DR and DDR. Single Ray is basically one branch. Double Ray is one branch which tears into two rays at the end. Double Double Ray is one branch which tear into four rays at the end. The picture below illustrates a Double Ray White Opaque Crowntail. If you look closely, you can see that at the end of the tail each main branch has torn out into two rays or double ray.
Fighter - has a short stubby body and finnage, and is also know as Plakad. Fighters are very aggressive and usually have broad shoulders and big mouths. The picture below illustrates a cherry red plakad which is not a true boodline champion fighter. Real fighters usually come in colors such as blue/red, blue/purple and green.
Wildtype - originated from the wild and has a long and slender body. There are many different wild types such as betta macrostoma, betta imbellis, betta coccina, and betta enisae. Of course, there are many more types but we will only list the most popular types here. Below is a picture of betta macrostoma.
