Half-moons

Half-moon bettas are beautiful. And aside from their veil tail cousins, they might just be the most recognizable of betta tail types. This is because their huge, fan-like tails are stunning to look at, popular to photograph, and award-winning at betta fish shows. Breeders can get a pretty penny for a half-moon because, while everyone knows what they look like, they're actually rarer than you'd think.

Half-moon bettas originally come from their more common delta tail cousins, and have been specially bred into their very own breed. Still, breeders and show hobbyists are strict on what constitutes a true half-moon.

Credit: aquariumlife.com.au

For one, the fish cannot have any abnormalities to the edges of its tail. Second, all of said edges must be clean, crisp, and symmetrical. In nature, these necessities are nearly impossible to find. Which, of course, only drives the half-moon price and popularity higher.

There is, one tiny problem with half-moons, however. Because of the staunch rules on what makes a half-moon, there are very few of them, and hat makes a very small breeding pool. This inbred pool, some say, is the cause of the fin-nipping behavior  often seen in the breed. It's said that the betta is more prone to anxiety due to a small, selective gene pool. And a lot of times, breeders will breed the nippers more so that they don't have to risk harming their show bettas. This behavior only perpetuates the nipping gene, however, making it harder to breed out of the fish. While this is only one theory of many when it comes to  nipping, it does explain a lot.

Half-moons probably won't go away any time soon. They're too pretty, too popular, and lots of people will shell out the money for one. I know I have--even if he's a nipper.
I'd do it again, too. I just love half-moons.