As with their wide variety of tail types, bettas or beta fish can be found in an array of colors and patterns.
This is what I love about Betta fish as each one is slightly different and you are spoilt for choice.
Betta fish in the wild generally exist in more toned down shades but thanks to selective breeding we now have access to almost any color under the sun.
Aside from a variety of colors, betta fish can also be found in many different patterns.
From solid to multi toned to marble, we’ve covered the most available different colors and patterns of betta fish.
First we will discuss the many different colors that Betta fish can be found in and then we will move onto the different patterns that are available.
Let’s dive in!
Betta Fish Colors
From pink to black, every color under the sun can be found in Betta fish.
A lot of times they have combinations of colors that make them even more striking.
Blue Betta
Blue is one of the most common betta fish colors.
There tend to be three main distinctions between bettas which are; steel-blue, royal blue, and turquoise.
Steel-blue bettas aren’t as vibrant as the royal blue and have a more gray tone to their scales.
Turquoise bettas will have a hint of green to their blue color, as the color suggests.
Red Betta
Red bettas are another common find but this doesn’t make them any less striking.
Ideally, betta breeders want their red bettas to be solid in color with a real vibrance to their scales.
This can be hard to achieve and red bettas will often have darker parts on their bodies.
Purple Betta
Moving on from two very common colors, we have a color on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Purple bettas are extremely hard to come across and pictures depicting purple bettas are often photoshopped.
A true purple betta will be one of the most expensive and sought-after colors.
Mustard Gas Betta
Mustard gas betta fish are bi-colored and feature a dark body with translucent orange fins.
This is one of my most favorite betta fish colors.
Their bodies are usually blue or green which creates a nice contrast with their orange fins.
This is another commonly found betta color.
Yellow Betta
Non-red is often the term used by betta enthusiasts to describe yellow betta fish.
These guys can be found in shades ranging from a pale to a deep yellow and you can even get a variation known as pineapple betta fish.
Pineapple bettas are yellow but have darker edging to their scales which makes them look like pineapples, hence the name.
Black Betta
Black bettas are common and can be found in three types; metallic, melano, and black lace.
Melano bettas come with the deepest color which makes them the most popular of the three.
Breeding them is tricky, though.
The recessive gene that makes them that rich color also makes the females infertile.
Black lace females, on the other hand, don’t have the same problem which makes them more readily available.
Metallic black bettas come with a metallic sheen to their scales.
Albino Betta
We’ve already covered purple bettas but there is an even rarer colour, the albino.
Albino Betta fish have no pigment anywhere, meaning they are completely white.
It is easy to distinguish albino bettas from cellophane bettas, who are next on the list, by simply looking at their eyes.
Albino bettas will always have reddish/pink eyes.
Breeding albino betta fish isn’t viable for most as UV light often leads to the fish becoming blind early on in their life.
There is no doubt that breeders will continue to strive towards making albino bettas a viable possibility.
Cellophane Betta
Not to be mistaken, although they regularly are, for albino bettas, cellophane bettas have translucent skin that holds no pigment.
They are not completely see-through though and have a pale pink color that comes through from the inside of their bodies.
Sometimes it will seem like cellophane bettas have green or blue tails but this isn’t the case.
That is the result of colors being seen through the tail from their surroundings.
White Betta
The white opal betta fish is not as popular as the other colors.
These bettas are completely white from the tip of the nose to the end of their tails.
They have black eyes which is striking against the white body.
They can have a slightly pinkish body but if there are very dark pinkish streaks then they could be sick or in distress.
Orange Betta
Goldfish aren’t the only fish that rock orange scales.
Orange bettas are sometimes confused with red bettas but this can be because of low-quality aquarium lights that aren’t picking up their true color properly.
A solid orange betta is a rare find with most of them being a tangerine color with varying shades across the body.
Green Betta
Green bettas come in a range of shades from a brighter turquoise green to a deeper green that can sometimes appear black.
Regardless of shade, all green bettas carry a metallic sheen to their scales that reflects beautifully in the light.
Pastel Betta
Pastel bettas, sometimes called opaque bettas, result from a recessive gene that gives the fish’s base color a white overlay.
This is another of my favourite betta ‘colors’ and it can be found in almost all other base colors.
Most common are pastel pink and pastel blues (most likely due to red and blue being such common betta colors).
Chocolate Betta
Chocolate bettas aren’t officially classed as a betta fish color.
The term ‘chocolate’ refers to a variety of betta fish that come with a brown or tan body.
This interesting color is generally complimented by bright orange fins.
That contrast with their body and fins means they would traditionally be referred to as either bi-color brown or bi-color orange.
Be careful to not mistake these guys for mustard bettas as the two can sometimes be confused.
Betta Fish Patterns
Besides all the different colors that betta fish can be bred with, they can also have different patterns.
The patterns are made up of different colors creating spectacular looking fish.
Butterfly Betta
Butterfly bettas have one color on their body that extends out to part-way onto their fins and tails.
The color then stops abruptly in a sharp line with the rest of the tail and fins being pale and translucent.
Betta aficionados would like butterfly betta’s primary color to stop halfway through their tail.
This is not easy to come across though.
Sometimes butterfly bettas can be found with some marbling in their tails.
While this is beautiful, it isn’t considered ideal for betta shows.
Grizzle Betta
Grizzle bettas have two (or sometimes more) colors that seamlessly blend together.
These colors are usually only shades apart which create a beautiful finish.
Where these shades meet, it almost appears as though they have been blended by a paintbrush.
Mask Betta
Most bettas will have a face that is darker than their body.
Mask bettas, on the other hand, have faces that match the rest of their bodies.
A mask betta will have the same shade across their entire body with their fins and tails coming in a different shade or color.
This contrast results in a striking appearance.
You can also find half mask bettas which have half of their face matching their body and the other half a different shade or color.
Dragon Scale Betta
When it comes to betta patterns, the dragon scale betta has got to be at the top of my list.
Dragon scale bettas’ have bright red or orangey bodies with white shimmery scales that make them appear metallic.
Unlike the other variations mentioned, they are a relatively new variety.
Their metallic appearance isn’t the only thing that makes these fish unique.
That comes with their accentuated scales which have been achieved by selective breeding.
There are other heavily scaled bettas that aren’t classed as dragons.
They can only be considered a dragon scale betta if they have those metallic scales covering their bodies.
Marble Betta
Marble bettas are fun fish with colored patches spotted across their bodies, tails and fins.
Marble bettas will often have lighter bodies with darker marbled patterns, though the reverse is possible.
Interestingly, marble bettas aren’t born with their unique patterns.
As they age, the marble will come in and it isn’t uncommon for their pattern to change and evolve during their lifetime.
Koi Betta
Koi bettas are a variation of marble bettas.
They can also be called Galaxy Koi Bettas.
They resemble koi fish and will have more than two colors featured on their bodies.
Typically, koi bettas will have a cellophane body with speckled red and back spots covering their body.
Bi-colored Betta
Bi-coloured bettas are extremely common.
Most of these fish have multiple colors on their fins or bodies which is why a bi-colored betta with just 2 colours (one solid colour on the body and something different on the tail and fins) is highly sought after.
For betta shows, bi-colored bettas are expected to have just 2 colors, regardless of how it appears on the body.
Piebald Betta
A piebald betta has either a white or a pale face and a darker body.
Their bodies can be almost any color but their face will always be light.
Final Thoughts
We weren’t kidding about bettas (Beta fish) coming in every color under the sun.
Any one of the colors can be combined with any one of the patterns to create a truly unique betta.
To take it one step further, any tail shape can also be added to the mixture.
Betta breeders are constantly moving towards exciting new colors and along with that, making the rarer colors more common and accessible.
You never know, maybe we’ll be seeing true purple bettas in stores in the coming years.
Now that you know which color and pattern you would like, have a look at the different types of Betta fish there are – Betta Fish Types
