# Who Has a Halfmoon With Ragged Fins?



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

This is interesting. I've read on Petco.com that halfmoon bettas have the most fragile tails of all the betta tail forms, possibly because of its huge spread. This would account for so many HMs with ragged looking fins and tails. Maybe not every supposed HM is biting his tail. Maybe the tails are so brittle they shred on their own. I know that gradually my HM's fins have gotten more and more ragged, including his dorsal which I imagine he can't bite very easily. But no signs of fin rot at all. They just seem to tear on the slightest thing. What does everyone think?

This is from their webpage for the HM.
"Male Betta Halfmoon

Also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, Combattant (Canada), Trey kroem phloek (Cambodia), or Cá lia thia (Vietnam).

The Male Betta is well known for its jewel-bright colors and spectacular fins. Bettas are anabantids (Derived from the Greek Verb anabaino, meaning "to go up") which physiologically means they have two methods of breathing. Bettas breathe from their labyrinth organ which enables the fish to breathe from the surface. Bettas also breathe through their gills like other fish.

As the name suggests, the Male Halfmoon Betta has a large tail in the shape of a halfmoon. The angle is from 170° to a perfect 180° tail span. *This tail variation is one of the most beautiful, yet fragile of the Bettas that has been bred within the past decade or so.
*
Bettas will "flare" their fins when disturbed or threatened. The male Betta will attack another Betta and have been known to attack similar-looking fish. It is recommended that only one male Betta is housed in an aquarium with plants and very little current."


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

I recently got a HM from petco & a DTHM. My DTHM has beautiful fins while my HM has horribly shredded fins. But it seems to be from stress in that lil cup he was in. about half of his tale is missing. But the rest of his fins do seem to ba a lil ragged. Gonna fix the filter situation & hope it helps.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Petco tells people that HMs have fragile tails and then they go ahead and keep them in water that will ruin those tails, the hypocrites. Hope fixing the filter helps.


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

Well putting a baffle on the filter didn't help much cuz he keeps going behind it & gets tossed around. So I took him out & put him in my 1.5 gallon hospital tank. Medicating him with melafix & maroxy, hope it helps. No filtration, just an air stine. Gonna do 100% daily water changes for a week while he's on the meds & 75% every 3 days after that until he's better.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Bettas are too curious for their own good.  "What's this big plastic thing? I think I'll go behind it and get buffetted by the water. Waaah! I'm never doing that again." Five minutes later. "What's this big plastic thing?"


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

LMAO! That's exactly what he does too! U would think after the first few times of being knocked around they would stop. But I guess not. At least my male VT doesn't mess with it.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Maybe veils are the more serious type than HMs. They just sit back and learn from observation and think, "What's that stupid HM doing again, going by the filter?"


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

LoL! Ya my VT is def more of a serious fish, so is my CT. But the DTHM & HM males are a lil on the crazy stupid side!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yup. My guy wiggles all over the place, never keeps still. I swear he has insomnia, too, I never catch him sleeping anymore. And half the time when I wake up, he's gone and tried to build a bubblenest under the filter so I know he was awake at least part of the time I was asleep. My female veil, on the other hand, just floats serenely here and there and never makes a big fuss over anything.


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

Haha mine are exactly the same way!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

So we've determined that DTHM and HMs are crazy nuts, CT and VTs are serious and calm. I wonder what the Delta tails and plakats are like?


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

I don't kno we should ask around or go buy some & find out! LoL!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, wish I could buy some - they'd have to be female though, no room for another guy in his own tank.


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## Bettalover22 (Jun 7, 2011)

Don't I kno it! I have 4 males & 2 females as it is. That's not even including my 55 gallon with fish & turtles! If I get anymore fish tanks I don't know wehere I would put them!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yup, I'd have to get rid of some furniture and start sleeping on the floor (darn, why do beds take up so much space?).


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## Tisia (Mar 15, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> So we've determined that DTHM and HMs are crazy nuts, CT and VTs are serious and calm. I wonder what the Delta tails and plakats are like?


my delta seems to be trying to make himself into a halfmoon, or a doubletail. when I got him he had a clearish line down the middle of his tail that I figured was new growth that he's managed to split apart now with all his flaring. so yeah, he's definitely a bit nuts, lol


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, so DTs are on the crazier side too. That's funny. It seems to have something to do with the fuller tails.


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