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What is a Doubletail? By: Victoria Parnell Submitted: 5/7/2006 The Doubletail has been an object of adoration ever since it first appeared on the betta scene. The Doubletail, or DT, betta, as it's name would imply, has two distinct caudal lobes, or tails. They are not arranged side-by-side like the Wakin or Jikin Goldfish, but one on top of the other. In addition, the dorsal is greatly increased in length, and the bodies are typically shorter and stouter than that of a Singletail (ST), as this makes the fish better able to carry its extra finnage. The DT phenotype is controlled by one gene which, when double-recessive, produces a betta with two tails and a greatly increased dorsal fin. There are likely other factors involved in the appearance of the DT since not all have the same degree of the split in the caudal fin. The gene also seems to be variable in expression, producing some specimens with perfectly-balanced lobes and others with lobes that are dramatically disproportionate to one another.               Very balanced doubletail male betta I was unable to find an accurate account of when the DT betta mutation appeared and who first introduced it. Some say the first known DTs came out of the fishroom of Warren Young (breeder who popularized the "Libby Betta"), while others say naturally-occuring DTs arrived in a shipment of bettas from Southeast Asia and were seized upon by the excited betta enthusiasts of the time.                   Example of early DT betta bred by hobbyists (J. Sonnier) It is known that the DT mutation is produced by a process called ventralization, whereby the dorsal fin differentiates from its normal pattern to one which reflects the anal fin and lower caudal of the singletail. In other words, the mutation replaces the top part of a fish with the bottom part, but is restricted to the anal and lower caudal. You won't find a DT betta with two ventral fins poking out in front of his dorsal. It has been proven that ultraviolet radiation can stimulate ventralization in betta embryos, but whether that is apposite to the spontaneous appearance of the DT mutation in nature is unknown. Breeding DTs can be a tricky business, since the mutation is prone to spinal problems and deformities. Breeding DT x DT will produce 100% DT, but these pairings also produce a higher likelihood of bent spines and other faults. The usual procedure is to breed DT to ST, which reduces the occurance of spinal problems in the offspring and also serves to lengthen the dorsals of the ST fry produced from the pairing. A first generation spawn of a DT betta to a betta which does not carry the DT gene will produce all ST bettas, most of which will also be heterozygous for DT. The designation for a ST betta which carries the DT gene is ST/dt. Spawning ST/dt x ST/dt will produce approximately 25% DT. Spawning a DT to a ST/dt will produce a higher (approx. 50%) yield of DT offspring. It is common practice today among breeders of show bettas to use the DT to improve their ST lines by increasing volume of the finnage and width of the dorsal fin. This can be accomplished as early as the F1 generation, but with selective breeding can be enhanced so that the ST betta has a dorsal nearly as wide as the DT! Singletail betta with greatly increased dorsal fin, evidence of the                               DT gene at work! A new and pleasing development is the HM DT, with full, overlapping caudal lobes that can spread to a full 180 degrees or better. This, combined with the symmetrical ratio of the dorsal vs the anal, produces a very impressive betta, indeed!

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HEJSAN FROM SWEDEN EVERYONE! Everything in Sweden is going well, although I'm still busy learning the language and coping with a newborn, so it will be a bit before I'm as active as I'd like with the fish. This is a Facebook update! I have created a new BettySplendens Facebook page that will be used exclusively for betta-related networking. On the 16th of August I will be going through and deleting most of the people on my personal Facebook page who are not actual friends or family (many of you have become friends through the course of the hobby, and of course will not be deleted). If for any reason you wish to remain on my personal page, please let me know by emailing bettysplendens@yahoo.com, or FB email. Otherwise, go to the new BettySplendens Facebook page and click the 'like' button for more betta-related news and updates :).

Tack så mycket (that's ''Thank you very much'' in Svenskie-land ;))! ~Victoria~

Slight change of plans! I have decided that, instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm going to create a personal FB page and use the old one purely for betta stuff. So if you're on the original page (now called BettySplendens Bettas), please stay put! :P

For all the betta inquiries:
Just a reminder, I am not selling bettas in the US at the present time. I may begin to supply a few select bettas throughout Europe sometime in late Spring 2011. Cheers!

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