[Tourmaline]

I finally got it when I looked at my other Bettas. I was having trouble because every time I saw someone saying a Betta was spoonheaded they looked normal to me, but most of my Bettas are spoonheaded, so I didn't know the difference. I didn't think to sit there and compare two side by side, I was being dumb.

 

[BettaTalk]

Moved to "Learn How to Critique" sticky

Hello,
So I don't plan on showing bettas any time soon because I already show enough animals (lol! ) but I was just wondering if anyone could help teach me how to critique bettas? I know that there are some other threads already dedicated to this but they are way too far into it for me to pick up on. So I just decided to start my own! So here is a picture that I found online that I'm going to post as an example for us to use. I thank you all in advance for your help! I always love when people go out of their way to help me learn something new! Thanks guys!

***IMAGE***

***IMAGE***​

Hope that I chose a good one! I know literally NOTHING about showing bettas...

 

[Olivia27]

What I do is throw around guesses on the critique thread just so the real experts can come up and correct me that way I never stop learning.

As for that little dude, I see a minor spoon head and a smooth topline. Broad, forward dorsal, strong peduncle, all overlapping fins, knife-shaped ventrals and an anal with a nice length (same as longest point of ventral, same length as caudal). Color wise... I don't know. He's a marble so technically his color can be whatever. But I don't remember there's a marble category in IBC shows. If this guy is showing in the bicolor group though he'd be kicked instantly because of his blue bleeding all over the fins. Not enough white to be a triband either. He's pushing to a butterfly but I don't want to say he's one. To be a BF one needs a clear separation between the two colors on all the fins. Whether or not his blue/yellow separation is "clear" is debatable. So yeah.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Please note this is not critique thread. It is a thread for those wishing to learn to critique. Let us know what you do or don't see in your Betta and others will let you know what you hit and what you missed.

Posts asking for straight critiques of their Betta will be moved to "Pictures."

Thank you.

 

[jadaBlu]

Interesting I guess I have some spoon headed bettas. I have always found it cute and natural because fish that eat insects off the surface as they would in the wild would have this type of face shape.

 

[Hallyx]

Spoonheads are also preferred among fighting Plakats. Said to improve the angle of the grip.

But, if you look at wild species, you won't see spoonhead as a feature.

Seems Betta form judging is all about geometry, some of which is detrimental, or at least contrary, to good genetics.

 

[Bettabirdlover]

Just finished reading the whole thread! Learned so much! I will prob try to critique Finn for practice once I get a flare pic.

I do have a question about abbreviations for tail types.

I know these

VT veiltail

HM halfmoon

PK plakat

DT double tail

RT rose tail

If I'm wrong please correct me.

I don't know these

EE
HMPK

 

[Olivia27]

Just finished reading the whole thread! Learned so much! I will prob try to critique Finn for practice once I get a flare pic.

I do have a question about abbreviations for tail types.

I know these

VT veiltail

HM halfmoon

PK plakat

DT double tail

RT rose tail

If I'm wrong please correct me.

I don't know these

EE
HMPK

Bolded parts answer the question :lol:

EE is Elephant Ear, sometimes also known as Dumbos or Big Ears. I'm sure you've seen at least one example.

I think we have a thread somewhere that lists all the abbreviations but here are some more anyway:

MG - Mustard Gas (body of any shade of blue, fins of yellow or orange, plus black or white banding)
BF - butterfly (you will see me saying this a lot LOL)
FT - feather tail
CT - crown tail
DeT - delta tail
S DeT or Super DeT - super delta tail
OHM - Over Half Moon (over 180 degrees caudal). Similarly, OHMPK is just over half moon pla kat.

There's got to be more. I just can't pull it off the top of my head right now.

 

[Bettabirdlover]

Bolded parts answer the question :lol:

EE is Elephant Ear, sometimes also known as Dumbos or Big Ears. I'm sure you've seen at least one example.

I think we have a thread somewhere that lists all the abbreviations but here are some more anyway:

MG - Mustard Gas (body of any shade of blue, fins of yellow or orange, plus black or white banding)
BF - butterfly (you will see me saying this a lot LOL)
FT - feather tail
CT - crown tail
DeT - delta tail
S DeT or Super DeT - super delta tail
OHM - Over Half Moon (over 180 degrees caudal). Similarly, OHMPK is just over half moon pla kat.

There's got to be more. I just can't pull it off the top of my head right now.

Oh thank you!!!

 

[nhgoalstop2003]

Thoughts on this guy before I make a bid?

 

[Olivia27]

I have a poor eyesight. Is that fish just turning when the camera snaps, or is that one of the most arched back ever? I think he's just turning? Well either ways I think he still has a bit of a hump back. Some bent dorsal rays (the first four), but I like how the first one is nice and long. The fin edges are messy. Some spikes on the anal, too. Excessive branching, weak peduncle (maybe?) and... I can't see his vents but they don't look split. No spoonhead either. All in all, he's pretty awesome. I saw that you're looking to breed. If so, please read as much as you can BEFORE getting any fish. Form is important to learn. You need to know which fish is okay to breed and which should just be kept as a pet. Good luck!

 

[BettaBoy11]

Bolded parts answer the question :lol:

EE is Elephant Ear, sometimes also known as Dumbos or Big Ears. I'm sure you've seen at least one example.

I think we have a thread somewhere that lists all the abbreviations but here are some more anyway:

MG - Mustard Gas (body of any shade of blue, fins of yellow or orange, plus black or white banding)
BF - butterfly (you will see me saying this a lot LOL)
FT - feather tail
CT - crown tail
DeT - delta tail
S DeT or Super DeT - super delta tail
OHM - Over Half Moon (over 180 degrees caudal). Similarly, OHMPK is just over half moon pla kat.

There's got to be more. I just can't pull it off the top of my head right now.

Here's that thread:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=641377

 

[nhgoalstop2003]

Thank you guys for the responses. Yes he's turning.in the pic. I tried to screen capture it.from a video. I've been reading everything I can about the beeeding side of betta keeping to better prepare myself for everything to expect and what I need on hand to feed and take care of the fry.

 

[Bettabirdlover]

Here's that thread:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=641377

:-D thanks!

 

[Nova betta]

This is a really nooby question but what is a peduncle on a betta? And what is the difference of a weak and strong peduncle. Thanks!

 

[lilnaugrim]

Peduncle is the end of the body where the tail meets. A strong peduncle should hold the tail up strongly, it shouldn't droop down (though, that's rather rare) but it also shouldn't curve upwards.

Here's an anatomy pic first:

This is a good peduncle

 

[BettaNard]

I want to do one of Castor! I cannot get a full flare, because once he's fully flared he darts all around the tank like a maniac so these photos are all I have to work with

Here is what I see:

- No spoonhead
- Anal and dorsal fin good lengths, meet up with Caudal
- Weak penducle?
- Smooth topline
- Ventrals are messy, not clean and knife shaped
- Dark discolouration on anal and ventrals
- Caudal has smooth edges
- Little stair stepping on dorsal?
- Rays look bent on anal fin?

How did I do? I suck at this ><"

 

[lilnaugrim]

Why don't you try to sort them into pros and cons instead of just listing them; it will be easier. Explain the good versus the bad. Such as: Not spoonheaded, however the nose is slightly blunt which is not desirable.

His peduncle isn't weak actually! He has a very nice one. Why did you think it was weak or were you just guessing?

Yes, caudal has smooth edges but his caudal doesn't make the perfect D shape, he has short rays on the very edges of his caudal which make him a Super DeT.

 

[BettaNard]

Okay gotcha! Oh I just realised the nose, I thought something was odd about that part of him.

I just thought the peduncle should be straight and kinda curl on both ends but Castor's look crooked-ish? I'm not sure sorry.

Oh damn, the person who sold me this fish sold him as a HMEE, I think he does reach HM though when he's properly flaring but it's so hard for me to get a shot, because he doesn't sit still when he flares :/

 

[Olivia27]

It's only crooked on one of the photos. If you look at your avatar it's all good got nothing else to add, Lil's got it all.