Colour Layers in Betta :
Iridescent layer (top layer) Iridocytes/guanophores are blue/green cells demonstrating Iridescent colour, Spread iridocytes and Non-blue
Black layer (after iridescent layer) Melanophores are black cells, demonstrating Cambodian, Blonde, Melano
Red layer (after black layer) Erythrophores are red cells, demonstrating Extended Red, Reduced Red, Non Red and Variegated fins
Yellow layer (bottom layer) Xanthophores are the yellow cells demonstrating absences of the other layers
Types of Black
Melano Black is the darkest black pigment with a mutated gene (such as the Extended Red) where the appearance is opaque black. The melano female is infertile, and is often crossed with blue or steel to retain the colour, this increases the presence of iridescences since blue or steel has iridocytes layer (iridescent layer). This gene is recessive to the normal black.
Black Lace describes a dark fish with clear or cellophane edges, often not dark enough to compete with melano in the black class and will often be shown as a dark bicolour.
Melano Butterfly is not to be mistaken with Black lace, the body is particulary dark and often shows iridescence, with white or clear variegated fins. The colour behaves as it would normal Melano.
Normal/Marble Black is the result of a marble spawn, this black is dominant over all other blacks, but is not as dark as the melano. This colour is difficult to breed with as with the marble gene the outcomes can be unpredictable
Red & Extended Red
As we know, the 4 colour layers in Betta Splenden are ordered as such : iridescent (blue layer), black, red, and yellow layer. The only colour that can cover red is either iridescent blue or black.
The Extended Red gene demonstrates a thick red colour that often covers the face, eyes, gills, body and fins. In show standards the ideal red should demonstrate no black edges to scales, along with as little iridescence as possible, and he most vivid colour.
The Red layer also demonstrate the following traits :
Extended red
Reduced red
Non-red
Variegated fins
For the latter point, there are often black lace butterflies that come out of solid red spawns.
Cambodian
Cambodian are classed as a light bicolour fish, where the separation light body and dark red finnage, there are also other bicolours known as “blue, green or black cambodian”. This colour is where the red gene is demonstrating the Reduced red traits.
Yellow & Orange
Yellow also known as Non red, the Yellow layer not only demonstrated Non red traits, but Non black and Non blue.
While this is the last layer, it is clear that the vibrancy of colour is not as strong as that of the more surface layers such as red and blue. There are many variations of betta demonstrating the Non red traits (yellow) such as Mustard Gas, Chocolate, Yellow Salamander, Pineapples, Yellow Dragons, Yellow Armadillo, Marbles, Butterflies and Pastels.
Orange is relatively new evolution in betta colour, and as with the yellow, is most desirable with as little black scaling as possible, it is a notoriously difficult colour to breed true, as orange X orange colour washes out rapidly.
Metallic Colour
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