This isn't Halfmoon!

[StingrayKid]

Okay, I special ordered a Half Moon male Betta from a very reliable and knowledgeable LFS. I was very exited that I was getting a Hal Moon because they are so hard to find in my area and I didn't want to py the insane shipping prices on Bettas on the internet. I called them up and they said the could order one for me for $8 U.S. dollars in total. So I was very exited. I come to find today, after my mom went out to get it, (of course she didn't know what it was supposed to look like) she showed it to me and to my knowledge, it's a Double tail! I am so mad. I really wanted a Half Moon. But his color is really nice though.

Here he is:

Is he just a juvinile Half Moon or is he a Double tail?

EDIT: Sorry about the relection of the camera and my arm!

 

[cation]

He's a doubletail. Nice fish, though.

 

[StingrayKid]

From what you can see, is he full grown? He is pretty small. The picture makes him look big.

 

[f250fisherman]

HM would be the total degree of the caudal spreading. It looks like a DT that is not a full DT, because the split does not happen at the peduncle area. It splits halfway out the caudal. You would have to do a closer look at the branching to determine if it is a split tail or a DT.

 

[firemouth]

very nice fish but if your not happy with him cant u take him back and ask for another one to be orderd 4 u?

 

[StingrayKid]

No, I mean, he's really great, it's just it's not what I was expecting. I'm going to keep him, and probably go back to the LFS to talk to them about it. I'll ask them if I can get a real Half Moon.

 

[cation]

Stingraykid,I should have been more clear. The spread of the tail is what determines half moon, as fisherman said. A half moon can be a single or double tail, or even a crown tail, as long as the tail arc = 180 degrees (a perfect half circle). Your fish looks like a double tail super delta to me - the dorsal fin is indicative of a double tail as it is so wide. If you can get some clearer pics of him flaring, I'd bet someone here could tell you more definitively.

 

[StingrayKid]

Really? So he is a Super Delta tail? I like those. My camera is pretty crappy so, I'll try to get some better pictures.

 

[cation]

Can't say for sure until we see him flare, he looks like he's got more tail to spread but he may only be a delta. He's lovely, either way.

 

[JoKeR]

To me it looks like a VT with a Splt tail

And the ray went over the cut and created a Twin Tail

He doesnt seem like a Double Tail since his Dorsal fins arent long like real DTs

 

[cation]

He might be a veil actually, joker. I think you may be onto something there. However, It looks to me as though the dorsal is significantly wider along the base of the body, one of the distinguishing characters of a double tail. Is that what you mean by longer? Maybe we just need a clearer picture, oh well.


Edited to add: oh, I just don't know. I don't have any doubletails, so what do I know anyway? Thinking back on the doubletails I saw at the show, I would say that Joker's probably right - It's probably a veil. And looking at it again, the tail lobes do not look individually large enough to be a double tail. However, the dorsal looks too wide not to be.

 

[GuppyDude]

no doesn't look much like a halfmoon, u cant realy judge age by size really, i have my full grown male ct here hes probably about 6 months and hes a puny little guy, iv seen females bigger he is. the fish u got is very pretty but its definately not what u orderd

 

[Sandusky]

This is what a true DT betta tail should resemble. There are many exceptions though, but like Joker and Cation say, it looks much like a DT but doesn't quite fit veil exactly.

 

[StingrayKid]

Here's one of him flaring. Its not very good but try to figure it out.

 

[cation]

Looks like a veiltail to me. But that dorsal looks wide - he still may be a double and not a split tail, or maybe he's just carrying doubletail gene in a weird way, what do I know?