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Should Betta Fish Breeders Stop Breeding Veil Tail Bettas?

Do you think betta fish breeders should stop breeding veil tails? Up until a few short years ago, the only betta fish you could find at the large commercial fish stores like PetCo, Petsmart and Walmart were the standard veil tail betta. Double-tail, Crowntail, Delta and Halfmoon bettas were an oddity shared only by breeders. Today all those options and more are available to anyone who wants one. The latest craze is the King Betta which I will get to another day when I’m feeling less cynical.

Of course, if I had the means to start breeding today I would not consider, even for a second, breeding veil tail bettas. Why would I? There is no profit in it and certainly no glory. I don’t attend betta shows (not for lacking of wanting) but I doubt very much that veil-tails are being shown anymore or have been for a long time for that matter. Plus I can completely understand the appeal of the fancier Bettas. Breeders, by definition, are meticulously detail oriented, pushing the envelope and always striving for perfection. They don’t look back. I don’t blame them for abandoning the veil tail betta because I would too.

That said; part of me is sad to see them go. The day I walk into PetCo and see only fancy bettas is soon approaching and I can’t help but feel like I’m loosing an old friend. Maybe it’s because the veil tail betta was the first betta I had… and I had many of them over the years. They are familiar, like an old shirt… but like an old shirt they have fallen out of fashion and must be put away in the backs of our minds as nothing but a nostalgic memory.

What do you guys think? Is it time to move on and put the veil tail betta behind us?


Orange Betta Fish, originally uploaded by sponytales2000.

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Categories: Breeding Bettas
Maddy: Christie F is a Betta splendens hobbyist that enjoys spending time caring for her fish and helping new betta keepers learn the ropes.

View Comments (99)

  • i had a young veil tail i bought a long time ago at petco fed him right and exercised him daily he made the a true perfect circle that shows look for i belive the veil tail is the best and will come back!

  • I really like the veil tail, I want to keep them! They are pretty, and in all honesty, I don’t like to see any breed go out of fashion.

    • One of my bettas is a veil tail and I love watching him swim. His tail moves like a piece of ribbon in the water -- so beautiful and so graceful. I think he's more interesting to watch swim than the others.

  • any living creature should not be driven out of existance because they no longer give glory to the people who breed them. a living creature should not go out of style like clothes or old tecnology.
    my favorite betta was a veil tail. he lived for 4 years. his name was Pish and i loved him.
    what if later after all the veil tails are gone, we decide we want them back because the other “fancy bettas” have lost our interest? we wont be able to get them back.
    SAVE THE VEIL TAIL BETTAS!!!!!

    • I strongly agree with you! my veil tail betta, Dragon, lived for 5 years. Never had one health problem with him, he was the best kind of betta i’ve owned. Also, he grew very, very big, not just his fins, but his whole body size.

      • OH WOW that is so cool you named yours Dragon. That is the name of mine as well. I love him so much. I think they should keep the veil tail. I love love love mine. Hope mine lives that long.

  • I still think that the Veil tails are desirable… They are common and yet unique in their own way. My first betta was one I picked out in a Petco as a child. I had never seen them before and my father bought me one my favorite one as a gift. As a child I considered him my best friend, he lived a good 5 years. Getting rid of them would feel like loosing that old friend, I would hate to see them go, even if I prefer the crown tails and half moons now.
    (Personally I don’t see the attraction to the King Betas. I saw them yesterday in fact, when I was purchasing my newest addition to my betta family. I am not really all that impressed, or at least with the few they had in stock. They were actually quite ugly to me.)

  • The IBC is actually working on a new show standard for veiltails, they are being shown again and many breeders are working on show lines of veiltails, so trust me they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon

  • The number of veil tails I have seen in fish stores has greatly reduced so the fact that the IBC is reevaluating their standards for veil tails is good news for these fish.

  • I love veil tails I have two of them and they are charming :) Keep breeding those veil tails.

  • my veil tail is sooo dope. ive had him for 5 years and hes still chillin.

  • I breed veiltails as well, and i dont understand why breeders stick their noses up at them. Sure the halfmoons and deltas are pretty, but Veiltails are still my favorite.