# Which domestic betta color looks the least like a wild splenden or imbellis?



## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

What is your opinion? Out of any color variety of betta you can think of...


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Anyone?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Well a wild has that sorta blueish red color, and they are very dark, so I have to go with platinum white.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Well a wild has that sorta blueish red color, and they are very dark, so I have to go with platinum white.


I agree with that! Are there any other you can think of that you think are still very different?


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Cellophanes


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Yeah white would probably be the least natural colour. Anything pale is going to make you stick out like a sore thumb even in heavily stained water.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

My wuole point of asking this is that when I get my next betta, I want it to be as domestic looking as possible, and veiltail. So can we think of maybe some more common ones that I would be able to find at petsmart?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Well VTs look pretty domesticated anyway. I think anything pale and perhaps anything marbled would be the least 'wild' looking bettas you could pick.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Well VTs look pretty domesticated anyway. I think anything pale and perhaps anything marbled would be the least 'wild' looking bettas you could pick.


Yeah VTs look very "ornamental" lol. But not only do I want that, I want a color thats as far from the wild ones as possible...So by pale you mean white, flesh colored, yellow, and orange?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Well I would assume most white animals tend to be the first to get eaten/killed in the wild because they stand out. 

Wild betta colours tend to be red, darker shades of blue/black and shades of copper/brown. 

Anything that is on the opposite end of the spectrum to these are going to be the least natural looking colours.

It seems an unusual request, so was just wondering why you wanted the most domestic looking betta you could find?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Well I would assume most white animals tend to be the first to get eaten/killed in the wild because they stand out.
> 
> Wild betta colours tend to be red, darker shades of blue/black and shades of copper/brown.
> 
> ...


Well, I am (most likely) autistic (undiagnosed), and my special interest is pets!  (my favorite pet being the betta ) and being autistic means that my brain makes strict rules within my special interest, and one of the rules is that the pet has to be signifigantly different from his wild counterpart. For example, I like my terrier mix, who has floppy ears and a curly tail, I likr fantail goldfish, black and white cats, and veiltail bettas that are _____ color. The only thing is I would like to know of a betta color that is as far from a wild as possible but still not too hard to find at the store (maybe yellow or orange?) so that I can feel secure that I will be able to find one when I need to. I don't really like whites though, because they tend to marble out on people, and I don't like marbles because I just don't like them changing colors...

Sorry for the rambling....Does that all make sense?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

That makes sense. Orange and yellow are pretty far from wild.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks  thats what I was thinking too...But then I saw this http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=137970 and was completely confused and a little upset...could anyone explain this to me?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Thanks  thats what I was thinking too...But then I saw this http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=137970 and was completely confused and a little upset...could anyone explain this to me?


Does anyone else see my confusion here ^?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yes. That might just be the flash or something. Orange dalmation is pretty far from wild.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Yeah I agree about the orange dalmatians...I love those!

I hope iot was just the flash...That really bothered me.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Butterflies are also quite far from their wild counterparts. What about salamanders or big ears? You surely don't see big ears in the wild. Their big ears also make it harder to swim. Does the betta have to be a VT? HM seems to be the farthest of the wild splendens. Even CTs.

Just get the spazzy bettas. lol

My sister is autistic, and she's the only sibling I have. She pretty much likes red toys, no matter what they are. I understand.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I guess I'm a little confused myself as to why it confuses and upsets you to see a wild splendens?

This offers you what they look like in the wild, so now you can decide what' you feel is the farthest from it. I agree that EE's are very far from wild bettas, and something like a salamander too. ^_^


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Skyewillow said:


> I guess I'm a little confused myself as to why it confuses and upsets you to see a wild splendens?
> 
> This offers you what they look like in the wild, so now you can decide what' you feel is the farthest from it. I agree that EE's are very far from wild bettas, and something like a salamander too. ^_^


What confused me is that every other picture or video I have seen of a wild splenden had a dark body....But then the one in the video I linked has a pale looking body!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> Butterflies are also quite far from their wild counterparts. What about salamanders or big ears? You surely don't see big ears in the wild. Their big ears also make it harder to swim. Does the betta have to be a VT? HM seems to be the farthest of the wild splendens. Even CTs.
> 
> Just get the spazzy bettas. lol
> 
> My sister is autistic, and she's the only sibling I have. She pretty much likes red toys, no matter what they are. I understand.


I think VTs and CTs have the least wild looking tails. I wouldn't get a EE because it looks like it's very hard to swim like that and I feel bad for them 

I get the red toy thing. That sounds like something I would have done when I was a kid. How old is your sister?


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> I think VTs and CTs have the least wild looking tails. I wouldn't get a EE because it looks like it's very hard to swim like that and I feel bad for them
> 
> I get the red toy thing. That sounds like something I would have done when I was a kid. How old is your sister?



Oh, okay then. I feel bad for most, too. :\ 
She turned 6 in February. Her main problem really is speech delay. Let's talk more about you instead. Besides, the more I talk about her autism, the more I feel bad for her.


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## Artemis (Mar 9, 2013)

I think a crowntail is furthest away from the wild however they look like the fins might be some sort of camouflage and in my mind look like they _could_ be a different type of betta.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> Oh, okay then. I feel bad for most, too. :\
> She turned 6 in February. Her main problem really is speech delay. Let's talk more about you instead. Besides, the more I talk about her autism, the more I feel bad for her.


Oh I'm sorry ...Don't feel too sad. I am autistic and wouldn't trade it for anything! Because of my autism, some animals get a great home


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

So...Even though the wild betta splenden in the video looked light....wild betta splendens have dark reddish bodies?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yes. Vts are technically closer to wilds then halfmoons. Ee definatly do not have trouble swimming, I own them and really like them.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

No, it's alright.  I think her case is worse, though. 
Yes, they should be dark. Even the majority of wild bettas have dark bodies for camouflage and other reasons.

Matts - I meant the ones with HUGE ears. Like this, even bigger! If they don't have trouble swimming, they should take more effort into swimming and in a filter current.. Oh.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Honestly, in a unfiltered tank (what I keep most of my males in) they would do fine.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

As I said, the ones with huge ears.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

That's what I'm talking about.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Yes. Vts are technically closer to wilds then halfmoons. Ee definatly do not have trouble swimming, I own them and really like them.


Yes to the dark body thing?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yup^


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

SO you are pretty sure it was the camera flash?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yes. Or a weird variation.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

There was a little light beam on the right so yerp. Also, the plants and the hardscape was a little highlighted, too.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Yes. Or a weird variation.


Okay lol. Sorry if I hurt your feelings about the EE thing. You have them so you would know better than me, and if you say they are fine, then they are fine!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> There was a little light beam on the right so yerp. Also, the plants and the hardscape was a little highlighted, too.


Okay. Thanks for the peace of mind from you and Matt lol


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

No, problem. Glad to help. ^.^


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> What confused me is that every other picture or video I have seen of a wild splenden had a dark body....But then the one in the video I linked has a pale looking body!


Are you sure those weren't Imbellis that you were seeing? they are dark bodied.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

It was Setsuna's wild splendens male. I think in the video he was a little washed out making him look slightly paler than what he was.

Oops I see you are asking whether the dark-bodied fish she is seeing are imbellis.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Whenever I look up wild splendens, they're not black, they're usually light to medium brown.
like this pair:









Not trying to add to the confusion, just trying to help.

Unfortunately, if you google wild Betta splendens, a majority of the results are imbellis, or the other betta species like simplex (which are also brown).


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Skyewillow said:


> Whenever I look up wild splendens, they're not black, they're usually light to medium brown.
> like this pair:
> 
> 
> ...


I think in that picture, they have extreme stress stripes XD

But I'm pretty sure I am looking at splendens. In fact, I was looking through Setsuna's album and there is a picture of a splenden that had a dark body. Wild splendens look really close to wild imbellis.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I had a female with stripes as a natural part of her markings.

Either way, there is still a variety in nature, some may be lighter or darker because they're individuals.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Skyewillow said:


> I had a female with stripes as a natural part of her markings.
> 
> Either way, there is still a variety in nature, some may be lighter or darker because they're individuals.


Yes, some females do have stripes all the time. I really think it was just the camera flash now....and maybe that individual was slightly lighter that others....

But having an orange body is not natural for a splenden or imbellis, right?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> But having an orange body is not natural for a splenden or imbellis, right?


Like this one?









Definitely not going to find one that color while wading through Thailand!!

I also think some of the brighter colors aren't what you'd find either, like a solid red, a light blue, yellow, cellophane, white, salamander, "green", blue bi-color, butterfly, and the list is pretty extensive.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

There is solid red in some of my wild betta species. 










Those fish pictured are displaying pretty extreme stress stripes so not really a good example of their natural colouring.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> There is solid red in some of my wild betta species.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


^ is that a splendens though?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

No but it is still a wild betta so just saying that red is a natural colour for some species. Not sure how 'unnatural' looking the OP wants to go.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

They were asking specifically about splendens though, as beautiful as your fish is, it's not the same species that the OP was looking for.

However, is there much color variation in that species? (and which one is it?)


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Yes, but I was just clearing up the point that red can be a natural colour because you had stated that it wasn't. I just wasn't sure if it would bother the OP to get a red betta and even if it wasn't a splendens, come across wild bettas that are coloured that way. But if it is only the splendens look that the OP is interested in getting away from it shouldn't matter. 

Also that is a rutilans. Most are pretty red although there is strain with heavy green iridescence on the sides that I also have.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

wild splendens have red on them, just not this much.









I really like your rutilans, very pretty!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Yes, but I was just clearing up the point that red can be a natural colour because you had stated that it wasn't. I just wasn't sure if it would bother the OP to get a red betta and even if it wasn't a splendens, come across wild bettas that are coloured that way. But if it is only the splendens look that the OP is interested in getting away from it shouldn't matter.
> 
> Also that is a rutilans. Most are pretty red although there is strain with heavy green iridescence on the sides that I also have.


That doesn't bother me very much because domesticated bettas are mostly bred from imbellis and splendens, so I just concentrate on them not looking like wild imbellis or splendens. I knew there were red wild species 

I don't like red anyway though, because often they have iridescent scales on the upper half of their body and iridescent tail rays, like the wilds often do...

But there aren't wild orange splendens or imbellis, right?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

nope!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Here's Setsuna's picture of a pure splendens 

http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx20/chongvang916/Splendenmale-1.jpg

It's not as pale as the one in the video. I think it was either a trick of the light or the colour of the fish in the video was slightly washed out making it appear paler than what it truly is. 

The body of the splendens in this picture still has a reddish hue but is also much darker along the head and topline. 

I think if you went out and purchased a bright orange or yellow VT betta Finnfinnfriend, chances are it is not going to bear much similarity to the linked to fish.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Here's Setsuna's picture of a pure splendens
> 
> http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx20/chongvang916/Splendenmale-1.jpg
> 
> ...


Thank you. lol  Well based on that picture, even a darker orange would be okay, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWT1B0QBDBg

In that ^ video, it looks like there is a wild splenden in the tank closest to the camera and a wild imbellis in the background. Am I right?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I am not sure what is in the back compartment. I've found Pibk sometimes has hybrids for sale on AB that can look very pure and I am not knowledgeable enough on the various nuances to say whether it is imbellis or not.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> I am not sure what is in the back compartment. I've found Pibk sometimes has hybrids for sale on AB that can look very pure and I am not knowledgeable enough on the various nuances to say whether it is imbellis or not.


ooh okay 

Aaaannnyway the conclusion here seems to be: Yellow, orange dalmatian, orange, white....Right?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

For what you seem to want I would say those colours are your best bet.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> For what you seem to want I would say those colours are your best bet.


Okay. Thank you


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