# Fin? Type? Turquoise little fry. Dragon? *pic heavy*



## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

He is really tiny. He's just a little over an inch long. Any info on him or comments will be greatly appreciated. 

Sorry for the blurry ones... I didnt have the time to make sure to nail a sharp shot.
He's also SO tiny its hard to get a full focus on him. He swims like a bullet

He's exactly what I needed to heal some of the pain I have losing all my other bettas at once.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

He's very metallic... so his color varies with the lighting. His mouth and top of his head go black when he flares


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## mattoboy (Feb 4, 2012)

Halfmoon Super Delta..?


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## Boikazi4o9 (Jan 24, 2012)

Look like steel blue.


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## bettasusa (Nov 1, 2011)

very beautiful guy and awesome photography!


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

thanks Bettausa


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

he looks dragon, am not quite sure, but beautiful though


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

He looks like a metallic to me


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

copperarabian said:


> He looks like a metallic to me


Thats what I was wondering about. He's very metallic... and the pattern and the way he colors up made me curious about what he will be like when he grows up. I've never seen a dragon type this young... so I didn't know if that developed as time passed. HE'S JUST SO TINY ... I love it.

What would you call his fin type?


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

he is either a dragon copper BF HM/DT male
or just a copper BF HM/DT male


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

RayneForhest said:


> Thats what I was wondering about. He's very metallic... and the pattern and the way he colors up made me curious about what he will be like when he grows up. I've never seen a dragon type this young... so I didn't know if that developed as time passed. HE'S JUST SO TINY ... I love it.
> 
> What would you call his fin type?


He has a lot of rays, if you let him flare at least once a day he should become a HM.

They can develop dragon scales pretty young, this guy was tiny when I took this 









In this photo the scales are just starting to form and look metallic. It took about a month for the scales to look like a dragon. The scales had been small at first but would get bigger until they eventually pressed up against one another.


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## Boikazi4o9 (Jan 24, 2012)

He does look very metallic, with dragon geno. Still lovely nonetheless.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

I started his flare sessions today... but not for too long. 

I went thru my pictures I took today to see if I could get some alternate views on his coloring. The other pics I selected were because of his fins and stuff.

Copperarabian, You have such awesome fish!
Thanks for including those pictures as a point of reference.

These may or may not help... I hope it does though


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Metallic with a dragon geno... that sounds about right.
Thank you


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

I can't wait to see him all grown up, he's fantastic! In the last photo definitely looks like he has some dragon genes but it still doesn't look 100%. Are you able to take a video of him sometime? Or take some photos without using flash because they make his iridescence go haywire.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

What's a 'metallic?'
What's a 'copper?'
What's a 'dragon?'
What's a 'dragon geno?'


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

copperarabian said:


> I can't wait to see him all grown up, he's fantastic! In the last photo definitely looks like he has some dragon genes but it still doesn't look 100%. Are you able to take a video of him sometime? Or take some photos without using flash because they make his iridescence go haywire.


I will see what I can do. I dont think he's dragon... but has the genes. The pictures make him look all normal sized and gigantic... but he's so tiny. I am going to have to take a picture where I add an item for scale. He's barely over an inch incl his fins. 
I cant wait to see what he's like when he grows up too.

Thanks for sharing your opinion and optimism


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Hallyx said:


> What's a 'metallic?'
> What's a 'copper?'
> What's a 'dragon?'
> What's a 'dragon geno?'


Do some searches. You'll learn a lot. There's a wealth of knowledge contained in these forums.


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## TheJadeBetta (Mar 31, 2010)

He is very beautiful! Where did you git him?


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

I got him from a local pet store. They had about 7 bettas... all of them were NICE... but he was the only one like him... and he really wanted to come home with me!!!


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

Pretty!


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Thank you


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

RayneForhest said:


> Do some searches. You'll learn a lot. There's a wealth of knowledge contained in these forums.


I have spent an inordinate amount of time on this forum, entirely too much for my partner's comfort, in fact. That's why you rarely see me asking stupid newbie questions that are covered in the stickies and other obvious places.

Perhaps you can direct me to posts, stickies or other places where I can get definitive answers to these questions?


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

Hallyx said:


> I have spent an inordinate amount of time on this forum, entirely too much for my partner's comfort, in fact. That's why you rarely see me asking stupid newbie questions that are covered in the stickies and other obvious places.
> 
> Perhaps you can direct me to posts, stickies or other places where I can get definitive answers to these questions?


This is a good place to start 
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=29868


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Thank you, Copper. Been there, read that....twice...all 36 pages (and with my slow dialup, that's quite a chore). I've read the posts that you and Rayne posted when you first joined...about the same time as me.

I still don't know the difference between a Dragon and (just) a Copper. (I've often read it just this way and wondered why.) Is it tone or hue or color or value? Does "metallic" refer to scale refractivity or is it a generic description of Dragons/Coppers which have *refractive* scales? Most Betta scales are reflective; _refractivity_ is the light-shift displayed by those thick-scaled fish in question. As a custom-motorcycle painter, I make that distinction.

I infer that dragons are described by their base color; "red dragons" are white-scaled over a red body. How about Coppers? I had a turquoise refractive fish. Was he a Copper, or merely metallic? He changed color radically according to the angle of light. Is there a separate term for this phenomenon? The custom-paint term is "flop."

But how much dragonscale coverage is required to call a fish a Dragon? Is there a percentage or will any small amount of refractive scales suffice? What if the scales are only partially covered?

By the way, what is a "red Devil" (or black or blue)? Is that one of the refractive types? How does it differ from a Dragon or Copper?

As a painter and photographer, as well as a committed Betta enthusiast, these are not trivial questions to me. And I have spent a considerable amount of time researching. I would be most humbly appreciative if someone would take a few minutes to answer these questions. I'm sure I'm not the only member here who would like to know.


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## Marlboroack (Jan 30, 2012)

copper BF HM/DT male


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Hallyx said:


> Thank you, Copper. Been there, read that....twice...all 36 pages (and with my slow dialup, that's quite a chore). I've read the posts that you and Rayne posted when you first joined...about the same time as me.
> 
> I still don't know the difference between a Dragon and (just) a Copper. (I've often read it just this way and wondered why.) Is it tone or hue or color or value? Does "metallic" refer to scale refractivity or is it a generic description of Dragons/Coppers which have *refractive* scales? Most Betta scales are reflective; _refractivity_ is the light-shift displayed by those thick-scaled fish in question. As a custom-motorcycle painter, I make that distinction.
> 
> ...


I am proud of you for asking. My motto is ... there are no dumb questions if you really wanna know the answer.

I dont know the difference between a copper and a metallic or if they're the same or not. 

What would the paint job be called if you mimicked my betta's color? I know you said flop but more specifically I am curious of the actual colors. I *think* that's what I'm going to name him. 

From what I gather about the dragon scales... they look iridescent even in lower light where as metallic iridescence shows up under a brighter light. THAT .. and the scale thickness


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

See what I mean? I've seen Dragons at Petco in dim store light. Looks like a grainy mostly-white fish which needs more light to "flash." My colorshifting turquoise "flop," on the other hand, I spotted from ten feet away in the lower row of cups, because he glowed. And that appearance doesn't even begin to show up in photos.

In my business, color names were marketing tokens, names given by the OEM for their color. Sometimes we used the common color-code number and generic color, or year/model ("'99Taurus dark-green"). Not very romantic. ;-} 

If your fish were a car, I say lavender/salmon ghostfade grey. But I really can't comment because I don't know the lighting setup, color temp, contrast or saturation. And the degree of iridescence (or refractivity) doesn't show well in pictures, as I've mentioned..

BTW, I never considered mine a stupid question. In fact, I thought it rather erudite and sophisticated. And I'd still appreciate an answer from someone who knows. Thank you in advance.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Hes beautiful! looks better than mine  lol


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

Pog, what does yours look like?


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## Sandrilene (May 21, 2011)

Goodness! what kind of camera do you have??? These pics are amazing! Your betta is so pretty.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

I have a Canon EOS 60D with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens

Thanks for the compliments


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

I took this one today. I think he looks a little livelier today.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

I grabbed the wrong lens with me the other day...So the pics leave a lot to be desired.

he's grown quite a bit... but not sure if he's changed all that much.
He doesnt like to flare that much... but his tail spread is improving.


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## RayneForhest (Apr 22, 2011)

He has dried oak leaves in his water (I had just dropped a couple in there. They hadnt been soaking very long)... that's what's making him look so green.
His body is filling out and getting a better shape. 

He loves mosquito larvae.


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