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Veil-tail Betta

Veil-tail Betta | Photo by Rae134

The veil-tail betta has traditionally been the most popular tail type kept in ornamental aquariums. Its popularity has declined in recent years with the commercialization of what the industry calls “fancy bettas;” fish with unique tail forms like the crowntail, halfmoon, or rosetail, just to name a few. Though breeders have been developing fancy bettas for decades, the veil-tail has remained a popular pet store fish because of its ease of breeding and availability.

Veil-tail bettas are easily identified by their long, asymmetrical caudal fin, which naturally droops downward. The long tail gene, commonly designated as

VT by breeders, is dominant and easy to breed. These fish are considered common by breeders and there are no longer categories for showing veil-tail bettas competitively. While the show circles have all but abandoned the veil-tail there is strong resistance among betta hobbyists to let this tail type disappear. Many betta keepers claim that standard veil-tails have a more outgoing personality, often wiggling their tails and moving around the aquarium to get a better view of their owner. Like mixed breed dogs, they often have a pleasant demeanor, are generally healthy and because they aren’t heavily inbred, don’t suffer from the deformities that some fancy bettas do.  Of course it’s purely conjecture to say that veil-tails have a “better personality” but one thing is for sure… loyal betta keepers love their veil-tails and will continue to buy them despite what show breeders are doing.

Veil-tails are known for their outgoing personality | Photo By Gabblebee

Want to read more about veil-tail bettas? Check out our popular and controversial article: Should Betta Fish Breeders Stop Breeding Veil-tail Bettas


View Comments (119)

  • question can the veil-tail bettas spread there fins like the ones u have in ur pictures? cuz i had one for a month in a 3.5 gal tank and i havent seen him do it.. i have 2 mollies with him also.. and he has his own hiding spot and a very quite marina internal filter.

    • Yes, veil-tail bettas can spread their fins too. When a betta holds his fins next to his body for long periods of time (days) we call this “clamped fins“. It can be a sign of stress.

      • what is my beta fish um jumped to the other side of the tank I have 2 male veil tailed betta and I just got them today and one of them jump to the other side but I lower the water in the tank and he hasn’t jumped I tried to jump again do you think that would help

        • I have another question do blood worms have to be just for a treat or can you give them to last for normal food

          • Blood worms can be given as normal food but it is always good to add variety to their diet.

        • Make sure you don't have 2 Bettas in the same bowl or where they can constantly see each other.

      • my fish aren’t making bubble nests I see a couple bottles here near the top but I won’t see like a nest of bubbles is that normal

        • Bettas don't alway make bubble nests. They make them when they are extremely happy. Make sure the water is warm and that you aren't over feeding them. Also make fire the have a plant to hide in then they should start making a bubble nest.

    • Um, don't put mollies with bettas, mollies are nippy and will chew off the finnage of the Betta. I'd suggest neon tetras instead of mollies.

  • hi i have a veil tail, very similar in color to the one in the photo here. my question is i think his gills are inflamed, he is healthy eater, i try to make sure his water is changed often he lives in a gallon tank. also i think he nips at his tail because it is a little ragged looking, i have been using a fin/tail rot solution everyday to help his tail. but there is not a difference with his gills is there another thing i could do for his gills

    • i have a Betta fish and he is fine. i feed him blood-worms twice a day and do a 50 percent water change every week. He is in a one gallon aquarium and it is not heated. for the past few days he has swam back and forth a lot in the same place over and over. is he okay and is there anything i am doing wrong?

      • I don’t see much of a problem with your care for your fish but there are two things you might want to consider. First, try and find a bigger tank, I know many say that 5 gallons is a must but a three gallon is plenty of space. Second, try a 20% water change twice a week instead of 50% once a week.
        Hope this helps, and isn’t too late.
        ~Maryann

      • You should do a complete water change because he has fungus. mine suffered the same and so he dies three night ago.

        • I always do a complete water change for my betta. They can’t be healthy living in their poop and urine.

      • Please don't feed them twice a day. They can be over fed this way. Feed them about 2 blood worms or 3 pellets every other day.

    • pick up a water conditioner and i also recommend a larger tank he is probably stressed from being in that small tank. most water conditioners contain special enzymes that replenishes the slimy coat of the fish and reduces stress.

  • i have a veil tail beta and i recently got a black mystery snail and my beta has been literally “lovey dovey” with the snail and wont leave his side! should i be concerned? is this normal? any thoughts?

      • i dont think so… It’s either my betta is abnormal, or he follows ME around everywhere. He will not try to eat me though. And he shares his snacks with my snail. So obviously my betta and Nathan Jackson’s betta are both very selfless… :D

  • Dear Christie,
    I just got a new veil-tail betta and I have no idea how to take care of one. The last time I had a fish, I was 4 and it was a goldfish. Please explain some things to me! I would also like suggestions for a name. He is maroon in color. Thank you so much.

    • go to petco and buy freeze dried blood-worms. twice a day put them in and once he finds them let him eat for two minutes. then scoop them out. to change the tank water, fill a bucket up with water wait 24 hours for water to chlorinate and then slowly pour in.you should do the water change once a week or so

      • I feed my Betta fish dried tubifex worms and the colour of the water changed. Should I change the water?

  • I had a two betta fish and the first one just layed at the top of the water and it would sometimes swim around but then it died his name was Oscar. My second betta fish was named Amos and he was doing great then all of a sudden i noticed a little white bubble spot thing on his side and then he died. I have no idea why could you help?

    • It is called ick and if not treated properly fish will die from it you should read up more on it on the Internet

      • they have drops you can put in the water to get rid of it if you get it right away.

  • Oh yea one more thing about Amos he lost his color he was a dark blueish purple and it turned grayish brown

  • Luci, I know I am not Christie F. But I have a few suggestions
    FIrst, you should buy him hikari freeze-dried betta pellets.
    If he spits them out for the first couple of days that is fine. If he continues, buy him a different type of food like bloodworms or brine shrimp. Clean out his tank every week and I think you should name him Ketchup. Hope I helped, Julie

  • this is my 3rd time trying to raise a betta… i have a veil tail and he fans out his fins completely and is a beautiful red. I named him dancer bc he dances all over his 1 gallon tank. I feed him a mix of freeze dried bloodworms and betta pellets and so far have had no problem with constipation like ive heard about from others. I change his water completely and clean his tank once a week and change part of his water every 4-5 days. The two i had before died and from what ive heard it was probly due to just feeding him one type of food and not changing his water enough. I also use a water conditioner for bettas when i change his water and have done my research online on this site as well as ehow.com I hope this helps Julie

    • You should only change Dancers water about 1a week and never do a full change unless the water is starting to turn a nasty green or brown if you don’t already buy a small filter that you can get at moats pet stores and when changing water only change about 20-25% hope this helps

    • for me i’m not that king of fan that likes veil-tail betas because i put my veil tail beta fish with my Plakat king beta fish and my veil tail beta fish died.

  • ive recently noticed my veil tails gills seem to be slightly inflamed and hes been a bit lethargic today. he keeps going to the same plant and just laying against it but is still occasionally active and surfacing to breathe… ive had him for 2 weeks now and not been able to notice his gills at all other than when he flares at his reflection occasionally… is this normal or a sign of sickness?

    • If a betta’s water temperature is too cold it could cause him to be a bit slow and inactive. The tank should be around 78 degrees. Heaters are a very good addition to a betta tank though I know that a lot of people don’t want to use them. Also, in your first comment you said that you do complete water changes once a week. It’s better not to do complete water changes unless totally necessary because it does not allow the beneficial bacteria to grow in your tank. A product I use is called Stress Zyme. It contains live bacteria which is good for your betta plus it also helps the tank stay clean. Good luck with your betta and I hope he gets better! :)

  • thanks lindsey… the other issue has resolved itself… now he has a white spot on the top of his head so ive been doing water changes more often and that seems to be helping but i dont know what could have caused it. im keeping his i temp at least 74-76 ive been doing complete water changes because his tank is only a 1 gal but i plan on getting a 5 gal next month. i also dont have the test kits yet to monitor his water but hes acting like he normally does and is still eating normally…

    • It sounds like Ick to me. The white spots…unless it’s less white spots and more like a cloudy spot on it’s scales, then I’d say a fungal infection. Bettatalk has a lot of info on how to treat them :)

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