# Spadetail betta?



## Fish 4 sale ¢50 a fish. (Sep 30, 2019)

Does anybody have experience with a spadetail betta? I have looked for a spadetail betta for sale and nobody sells them, a few sites says they have all but disappeared. Some say they were popular in the 90s. Does anybody know who sells spadetail bettas, or what combination of fish breeds with result in a spadetail?


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Spade tails should be returning because to my knowledge shows for VT, has to be spade shaped.

Sorry, I have no experience with spade tails.
. . . . . . 
I asked a friend, she says the best spades are from Thailand. I didn't bother to ask further because I heard it's risky to ship from Thailand at the moment. No US breeder she knows of.

It is believed that spades are the second generation of HM x VT cross. Those that become spades will start off with round tails then the center will grow faster and become spade shaped. The trick is keeping ray count low to avoid tail becoming delta.

Spade tails are juvenile VTs. Tail will eventually grow and droop. However those that carry the genes that shape the tail, will pass it on.

Females are harder to achieve spade shaped tails, but should be carriers if from a spade tail spawn.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I’ve noticed while looking online for wild betta types that the betta imbellis has a spade tail in half the pictures. Isn’t the “alien” betta splendins coloration when you breed a splendins to an imbellis? I’m not 100% sure on that but it think it’s worth looking Into if you want to find a spade tail to add to your collection. Try searching alien betta splendin or the betta imbellis?


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

I got really interested in spade tails a while back, and discovered that they're actually just immature veil tails. The body gets up to show size before the fins finish growing, so it looks like a distinct type when it's really just a stage of development they go through. Bummed me out since I tend to favor shorter fins in my bettas and would have wanted one (But VTs _are_ my favorite of the long-finned type so the news wasn't all bad).


But what I did see recently which was exciting and which I think/hope is a distinct mutation as opposed to a stage of growth, was this-









TRANSLATION: "Update the spades, day by day to see the development"
(SOURCE)

Wouldn't _that_ be a fun version of the "spade" tail to see become available! It looks like the rest of this breeder's bettas are plakats, so I'm crossing my fingers it's _not_ just a growth stage of a longer-finned variety.


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## Fish 4 sale ¢50 a fish. (Sep 30, 2019)

Can a plakat develop a spade tail?


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## Fish 4 sale ¢50 a fish. (Sep 30, 2019)

I found a spadetail! Alien Hybrid Green Betta ( Male ) | eBay

I think he's a plakat, but because of the high price I won't buy him. Thanks for the info guys!


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I guess that answers your last question. . . . Yes, you can get spades on PKs. I've had them once or twice (not sure how) but bred them out.


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