Hello! New member, and new little betta fish! - Could someone help me identify his exact type?

Hi! I am Laura. I am new to the forum!

I wanted to introduce you to my little guy, and also ask for help in how to precisely identify him.

Initially I thought he was a White Delta Betta. Then I saw some forums describe his color and texture as Marble? Other forums describe it as Iridescent. Most of the pics I found that look like him, call it "Cellophane Betta."

His tail is a puzzle to me. It doesn't look like a Delta, nor a Half Moon. It's something strange in between? I am not an expert.

His body is milky white, and you can see his little red blood vessels a bit. His tail and fins are practically transparent. They look full-blown iridescent under certain light, or when in the shadows, they look creamier/milkier.

STRANGE FACT!: about 3 days after I got him, his gorgeous transparent tail started developing black stripes! Most websites talked about "stress color change" or even, "now that he is NOT stressed in the tiny box at the pet store, he will naturally change colors." There were SO many pics of Transparent Bettas that had gone basically zebra style... and yet, MYSTERIOUSLY as of yesterday, those black stripes now started disappearing! in less than 24hrs they are now almost completely gone, and he is back to 100% transparent/white/marble?

What is thiiiss, haha he is so mysterious!

I am attaching a bunch of pics. I am sorry for the reflections, and if you see little sparkle things or white shiny specks, that's my phone case which is rainbow sparkle lol.

HE IS A JOKER, he is SUPER active. Every time I saw him be still for like a half a second, he would start moving like crazy again. Difficult subject to photograph. I don't know if he recognizes me when I am close to his vase, and he thinks we are playing.

Anyways! Here he is! I took pics from different angles, and under different lighting: some are when the soft afternoon light is directly on him, some are when he is on the other side, and in shade.

I look forward to reading your thoughts, meeting this guy, and any advice you can give me on what kind of betta he is!

Thank you!
Laura (new to this)

Gorgeous!
Sorry I can't help with your question.

Naughts said:

Gorgeous!
Sorry I can't help with your question.

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Thank you!! He really is

That is very strange! He looks like a completely different betta! He is a beautiful betta, and you should enter him in the next FOTM contest (Fish Of The Month).

(Please go vote for the current TOTM (Tank Of The Month) contest, by clicking the banner at the top of your screen, Thanks!)

PheonixKingZ said:

That is very strange! He looks like a completely different betta! He is a beautiful betta, and you should enter him in the next FOTM contest (Fish Of The Month).

(Please go vote for the current TOTM (Tank Of The Month) contest, by clicking the banner at the top of your screen, Thanks!)

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Oh, wow! I had no idea I could submit this little guy for fish of the month! I will try and take better photographs - I am looking into the Tank of the Month right now! I am not an expert... but I can cast a vote about the general aesthetic and landscape composition of the tanks thank you kindly for replying to me!

while on the subject, the next fish of the month contest in mid October will probably be for catfish only..from dwarf cories to large plecos.

He is lovely, I would say he is a super delta if he is in between a delta and halfmoon will need to see him flare to be sure, also looks like a marble, the colours are light but with age should get darker and appear on his body too sort of like a sky blue and red, very pretty.

betta fish said:

He is lovely, I would say he is a super delta if he is in between a delta and halfmoon will need to see him flare to be sure, also looks like a marble, the colours are light but with age should get darker and appear on his body too sort of like a sky blue and red, very pretty.

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Oh thank you!! I am looking up Super Deltas right now. In order to see him flare, should I place a little mirror in front of him for a bit? And ahhh! I thought Marbles were only the ones that looked like Koi Fish. Sky blue and Red, imagine that!

Marbles can be any blotchy colours, and they tend to change colour and patterning over time. I once had a blue and white marble betta that became plain blue after a few months. To be honest, yours doesn't appear to have the marble gene as his body is a solid colour. He's more of a bicolour - body one colour, fins a different colour. And perhaps a cellophane, which just means his fins are see through.

As for tail type, he does need to flare to see that. Most male bettas will flare if they see their reflection, but don't leave the mirror there for more than a few minutes. From your photos he looks to be either a delta tail or a half moon. When he flares, if his tail makes a complete half circle, he's a half moon; if it's less than a full half circle, he's a delta tail.

Welcome! Beautiful fish! I would say he is possibly a halfmoon

WinterSoldier. said:

Welcome! Beautiful fish! I would say he is possibly a halfmoon

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thank you!!!

essjay said:

Marbles can be any blotchy colours, and they tend to change colour and patterning over time. I once had a blue and white marble betta that became plain blue after a few months. To be honest, yours doesn't appear to have the marble gene as his body is a solid colour. He's more of a bicolour - body one colour, fins a different colour. And perhaps a cellophane, which just means his fins are see through.

As for tail type, he does need to flare to see that. Most male bettas will flare if they see their reflection, but don't leave the mirror there for more than a few minutes. From your photos he looks to be either a delta tail or a half moon. When he flares, if his tail makes a complete half circle, he's a half moon; if it's less than a full half circle, he's a delta tail.

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Ahh thank you for your detailed response!! the more I learn

But after days of trying to study his fins and tail, I noticed today -and now I am really worried- that his top fin is looking ragged towards one end of the tips (it looks like little splits, as if the end tip now looks like what Crown Tails have). And on another end tip of his bottom fin, he has like curls? like curly tips.

He seems fine and happy and hyper active- but the bubble nests he was making on week 1 are now gone... and now this fin issue. Not sure what should I do!!

Any advice?

Water changes. And then more water changes.

Fin rot is usually caused by poor water conditions, so a daily water change will help keep the water nice and clean.
Do you know the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

essjay said:

Water changes. And then more water changes.

Fin rot is usually caused by poor water conditions, so a daily water change will help keep the water nice and clean.
Do you know the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

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I dont know at all about ammonia and nitrite I am heading to the pet store right now. It is strange, as the water seems very clean. Since I've had him (2 weeks) I've done 2 water changes. Pet store guy told me to do only one a week, and not throw away all the water, but keep half. Which seams to defeat the point of cleaning the water no? He told me not to clean the whole vase... but I was like, no, there's impurities, food bits, and poop on the bottom, I gotta clean that.

It sounds as though you didn't know about cycling before you got him. Cycling is the process of growing bacteria which 'eat' ammonia made by the fish, uneaten fish food etc in the tank. The water looks clean because ammonia, and the nitrite made from it, are dissolved in the water so you can't see them.

Make sure the shop gives you numbers for ammonia and nitrite, don't let them get away with some vague words!


Once the tank has grown all the necessary bacteria, weekly water changes are fine. But until they've grown, you need to do water changes as often as necessary to keep ammonia and nitrite at zero. And it can take a few weeks for the bacteria to grow enough of them. A test kit of your own would make it easier to keep a check on the levels.