# exactly what is a dragon betta?...



## Neecy (Feb 15, 2014)

Can someone please explain to me exactly what makes a betta a "dragon" ?....Ive read several threads and even googled it....and all definitions are a lil different :roll: ...Id love to know for sure!....thanks!!


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## shyanne (Mar 5, 2014)

I think is a betta with a thick, silvery/white metallic layer on the body. Correct me if I am wrong. 
Check this out: 
http://www.bettaterritory.nl/BT-AABDragons.htm


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## Neecy (Feb 15, 2014)

hmmm interesting....so the thick metallic would have to be a white to make it a dragon right??


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## shyanne (Mar 5, 2014)

If you look at the pictures on the link some of them have a tint of blue.. So i guess if you wanted to see if one was "Dragon" just see if it has a thick metallic like layer on its body. I'm a newb haha,so hopefully somebody will come and give a better answer for you.
If you look through some pictures of dragon bettas, you can sort of understand what i'm talking about.


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## Neecy (Feb 15, 2014)

haha! thanks! I'm a newb also!....I've been reading and learning so much, I'm in Betta overload!! addiction is a scary thing! :shock: but I'm so enjoying it! ....I'd love to find a betta breeder in my area...but I haven't had any luck :-( ....I'm not too keen on ordering and shipping, I'd worry too much lol ....But thanks for your response!! ;-)


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## shyanne (Mar 5, 2014)

You're welcome.. I know what you mean, I just got my first betta about a month ago and i'm already wanting another one, but that's probably not gonna happen!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ooh, one of my favorite things to explain since I get to use pretty pictures!!

Okay, so the term dragonscale comes from the armor that used to be used way back when. It was called "dragon scale" because it mimicked what we believe dragon scales would look like. Here's a dragon scale arm warmer lol http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/5432389/il_fullxfull.345944850.jpg?ref=l2 And another! http://img0.etsystatic.com/015/0/5432389/il_570xN.410754812_i9hv.jpg Notice how it looks like...dragon scales!

So in the Betta world, these are fish with very thick scales, they can be almost any color not just metallic (Copper). This boy here would be called a Red Dragon as his fins and under coat/color are red and his thick scaling on top is white. Most of the time when you see a Yellow Dragon or an Orange Dragon they are describing a fish with Yellow fins and white scales or Orange fins and white scales. But just notice how thick those white scales look on this boy.


Also that red stripe going up his back is called a Skunk Stripe, common on Dragon Scales, sometimes it will fill in as they get older. Here is one of my boy's; Aero who used to have a partial skunk stripe but it filled in as he aged!



Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish what is a dragon and what isn't a dragon when you aren't being told. Here is a Salamander coloration who is not a dragon, his scales look like it's on the thick side but he is still not a dragon. 


Another note with dragon's, their scales will cover all the way up to their face as well where this Salamander boy up there did not. Sometimes when you get a fish that is only half Dragon (only one parent was a dragon and the other a normal scaled type) or partial dragon, the face isn't fully covered as the first boy and my boy are. You can see it here in one of my late girl's; Jewel


You can see it better here were Lady Deathstrike was flaring at her sister Jewel, both were partial dragons. Note the "holes" in the thicker scales where you can see the under color peaking through.


And remember when I was talking about the Skunk Stripe? Well when the face is fully filled in, it is called a Full Mask because...well that's what it is! lol Here is an example of a Red Dragon:


EDIT: also, you want to be careful if you ever buy Full Mask Dragon's, be sure that their eyes are clear like the above boy's. You could end up with a blind Betta because with Dragons sometimes their scales keep growing and they end up growing over their eyes, rendering them blind. Sometimes it only happens to one side and sometimes both. Steer clear from Dragons labeled as: Snake eyes, Dragon eyes, or Diamond eyes, those are the ones that will have scaling already starting to grow over the eyes so the seller tries to make them look appealing by labeling them something fancy to lure people in.


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## Neecy (Feb 15, 2014)

Awesome thank you! Beautiful pictures there and you explained it all perfectly! thank you again ! :-D


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

You're welcome! Glad it all made sense to you, I know sometimes it can be a bit confusing ^_^


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## shyanne (Mar 5, 2014)

See lilnaugrim explained it perfectly, much better than I could!! That even helped me out. :lol:


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I'm glad to help! :-D


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## Dakieda (Mar 3, 2014)

I think this should be stickied. It explains dragon so much better than what I was able to find on my own.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I can make a different thread just explaining it and you can request to have it stickied. That way people can see it at the top, I'll copy and paste it over to a new thread for all to see ^_^


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## shyanne (Mar 5, 2014)

Do that lil!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Posted here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=4062865#post4062865


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