How To Care For a Veiltail Betta Fish [complete care guide, tips & tricks]

If you’ve been admiring the beautiful flowing tails and magnificent colors of the Veiltail Betta fish at your local pet store, this is the guide for you!

Bettas, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are a long-established very popular fish in the hobby, and for good reason! These hardy, beautiful fish, with distinctive tails that are relatively easy to care for. The Veiltail varieties have longer and more flowy tails which make them stand out from other fish.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about caring for Veiltail Betta fish!

What is a Veiltail Betta Splenden?

Most betta fish in the fish-keeping hobby are scientifically called Betta Splendens. In the hobby, they are sometimes called Siamese Fighting fish. 

This one species of fish has been line-bred for decades to produce hundreds of color, fin, and tail combinations. 

This selective breeding has produced the  Veiltail variety, which can come in many different colors, but their key identifier is their long, solid, flowing tails that drape and flow in the water. 

This popular tail type makes the bettas look truly elegant as long as they are given the right conditions

Veiltail Betta Natural Habitat

Where Do Veiltail Betta Fish Come From?

These beautiful fish naturally occur in slow-moving or still waters in central Thailand and Southeast Asia. Waters can include rice paddies, ditches, wooded swamps, ponds, and slow streams. 

There are many misconceptions about how to care for a betta. Many people think that because they are found in these slow-moving waters they can be kept in plain unfiltered, and unheated bowls. 

This is not the case! Betta Splendens’ natural habitat is highly filtered because of all the live plants which are found in their natural habitat. Bettas use these plants as hiding places. 

These natural habitats are also fairly warm year-round, about 78 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Veiltail Betta Fish Characteristics

A Veiltail, also known as a veil tail or veil-tail is the most popular kind of Betta Splendens on the market. 

This variety is characterized by long flowing fins which face downward with their dorsal fin, caudal fin, and anal fin being incredibly beautiful and flowing. 

These Bettas can come in a variety of colors from blue to red to pure white! These magnificent fish are also the most popular kind of Betta fish that are sold in pet stores and fish stores. 

In fact, you’ve likely seen them on the shelves before!

Veiltail Betta Males vs Females

The typical Veiltail Betta Splendens you find in your local pet store will be a male. Male Bettas have long-flowing fins that bettas are known for and give Veiltail Bettas their name! 

Female Bettas on the other hand tend to be muted in color and are a little smaller. That’s no reason not to get one though! Female Bettas can still be beautiful in their own right. 

There is a common misconception that even though male Bettas are aggressive and females are not, that means you can keep multiple female Bettas together. 

This is not always the case, and these so-called “Betta sororities” can quickly lead to disaster! But be sure to be very careful and do your research if you decide to do this. 

Veiltail Betta Fish Lifespan

Bettas can live for three to four years but there have been cases of them living even longer! 

In order to make sure your beautiful Betta lives as long and healthy of a life as possible, it is important to keep your Betta in a good living environment with good water quality. 

Make sure to use a test kit (not inaccurate strips) to check your nitrate, ammonia, and nitrite. It is vital that your nitrogen cycle is completed before you add your betta to your fish tank. 

Veiltail Betta Fish Temperament

As you might have guessed by two of their names, Siamese Fighting Fish and Japanese fighting fish, Bettas may not be the nicest tankmates in your aquarium! 

This is one of the reasons Bettas are typically kept alone in aquariums. Male Betta Splendens tend to be more aggressive than female Bettas, but female Bettas can be mean as well. 

Male Bettas tend to go after other fish with long flowing fins as they think these fins look like another male Betta which he thinks might compete with him. 

For this reason, you have to be wise in your Betta tankmate choices. 

Veiltail Betta Fish Tank Requirements

Your Veiltail tank should not be a small bowl, unlike the common stereotype. Bettas require a heated tank with adequate filtration. 

The flow should not be too strong as Veiltail Bettas are weak swimmers because their magnificent flowing tails cause drag in the water. 

In general, a slow-flowing air stone works as great filtration, just make sure to keep up with regular water changes!

Veiltail Betta Tank Size

Betta fish tend to prioritize swimming areas rather than vertical space, so an ideal Betta tank would be wide and long rather than tall and narrow. 

Another important aspect of Betta aquarium consideration is the amount of water. It is generally considered that five gallons of water is the minimum for a Veiltail Betta. 

In general, a Betta should be in at least a five-gallon tank and about one foot by one and a half feet for surface area. 

Veiltail Betta Tank Water Parameters

Domesticated Betta Splendens are incredibly tolerant of many different water parameters, but that doesn’t mean you should subject them to poor water conditions! 

Make sure you keep your beloved pet fish in water with 0pp ammonia, nitrite, and less than 20-50ppm of nitrate.  

Siamese Fighting Fish are originally from acidic dark tannin-rich water but can thrive in water that ranges from soft to hard and acidic to basic.

One of the most important water parameters to consider is heat. 

The absolute minimum your tank should be is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, but the water temperature can be as warm as 85, although this may decrease the lifespan of your Veiltail Betta.

Live Plants For Your Betta Fish Tank

Live plants are a great addition to almost all home aquariums and Betta tanks are no exception. Bettas thrive with live submerged and emergent plants. 

Live plants also help decrease the amount of nitrate in the water by using it as fertilizer.  

Bettas also appreciate the cover provided by many floating plants, just make sure to leave some space for them to breathe the air. 

Below is a list of many different plants you can add to your aquarium that are easy to grow. 

• Amazon Swords
• Anubias
• Bucephalandra
• Cryptocoryne
• Ludwigia “Super Red”
• Rotala rotundifolia
• Amazon Frogbit
• Duckweed
• Salvinia minima
• Dwarf water lettuce
• Red root floaters

You can even keep some plants that you typically think of as houseplants with your Betta, just make sure only the roots are in the water otherwise the plant can drown! 

A popular choice for this is Pothos. Adding a pothos to your Bettas tank will not only provide more filtration for the water, but the roots will also make your Betta feel more secure! 

Veiltail Betta Tankmates

It is a common misconception that Bettas must be kept alone. Although it is generally easier not to have any tankmates with your Betta, it is far from impossible! 

If you are to keep tankmates with your Betta, make sure you have a larger enough tank so your Nitrogen cycle can completely deal with all the fish waste. 

You also need to make sure the tank is large enough to make sure your tankmates can hide from your Betta and vice versa. 

If you want to keep other fish with your Betta, make sure your tankmates are fast swimmers, non-aggressive, and don’t have long-flowing fins for your betta to nip on. 

Tetras, Cory Cats, and Rasboras are great choices! It is a bad idea to keep dwarf shrimp with your Betta because Bettas may naturally snack on your little shrimp, and that would be an expensive meal for sure! 

Food for Veiltail Bettas

There are many different foods that are specifically made for Bettas and not made for Bettas. Here I’ll break down many of the most popular kinds to help you decide which one is best for you! 

In general, variety is key when it comes to foods so more than one kind is recommended! 

Just make sure when you feed your Betta they eat all the food, so the food doesn’t break down and cause poor water conditions. 

Flake Foods

Flake foods are perhaps the easiest foods for Bettas keepers to find in stores. 

There are not many Betta-specific flake foods on the market, but most flake foods for tropical fish with a high protein content will do. 

It can be very easy to overfeed flake foods, so make sure there’s none left floating on top of the tank when you are done. 

Pellet Foods

There are many Betta-specific pellet foods on the market which have been specially formulated for your Betta’s diet. 

These specific Betta pellets would be the best choice if you were to only feed one kind of food as they are easy to find, fairly cheap, and pretty healthy too. 

Frozen Foods

Frozen foods such as bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, and cyclops can be a great addition to your Betta’s diet and can even enhance the coloring. 

The one thing to consider when feeding frozen foods is the cubes they come in are often much too much food for a single Betta, so you will likely need to break the cubes down unless you have your Betta with many tankmates. 

Live Foods

Live foods are bar-none the absolute best foods for your Betta. If you want to watch your little fishy friend hunt and display natural behaviors then these foods will serve you great. 

There are many kinds of live foods. Some live foods you can breed yourself (brine shrimp, daphnia, and grindal worms) while others you will likely need to buy as they are difficult to culture yourself (black and blood worms). 

If you are interested in breeding your Veiltail Betta, live foods are a must. 

Even if you are not interested in breeding your Veiltail, it still might be worthwhile to try your hand at raising live foods for fun for you and your Betta. 

Veiltail Betta Varieties

There are wide varieties of Betta fish but this article is discussing the veiltail type. The “Veiltail” of Veiltail Bettas just refers to their fin and tail shape! 

They can come in a variety of colors and patterns too. Below I put together a list of various colors and patterns you can find and choose from!

Veiltail Betta Colors

• Blue Betta
  • Perhaps the most popular color, blue bettas are a classic for a reason. 
• Black Orchid Betta 
  • Although they are not pure black, these Bettas are a stunning addition to any tank, especially with white gravel!
• White Betta
  • Although white Bettas look pure and beautiful you have to be careful, they sometimes completely change color. 
• Purple Betta 
  • There aren’t many purple fish, but if you have a craving for one then a betta is a perfect fit!
• Clear/Cellophane 
  • These interesting bettas are almost clean in the outer reaches of their fins, they look delicate and silky.

Veiltail Betta Patterns

• Cambodian Betta 
  • These Bettas have a pale pink body with flowing red fins, almost like a rose. 
• Dragon Scale Betta
  • These Bettas look like they are metallic with striking glistening scales. 
• Dalmatian Betta
  • Just like their name implies, these Bettas have spots on them like the dog breed.
• Bicolor Betta 
  • This is a general term for any Betta that has one color on its body and then another contrasting color on its fins. 

Veiltail Betta Health Issues

The Veittail Betta has several possible health issues to be on the lookout for. 

NOTE: Remember that poor water quality in your betta’s tank is often the cause of an unhealthy Betta fish! For a fish to have good health it must have good water!

Related Veiltail Betta Questions

Can Bettas Breathe Air?

It may come as a surprise but the answer to this is actually yes! Bettas are labyrinth fish which means they can breathe in air from the surface of the water. 

For this reason, it is important to make sure some of the water surface is exposed and not covered with anything so the betta can breathe. 

This is part of the way these fish have evolved to thrive in still waters such as swamps and roadside ditches. 

What Other Species of Bettas Are There? 

Fish Base, a database of all documented fish species, lists 73 different species of Bettas. Most of these Bettas are not readily available in the aquarium hobby, but many are! 

Although most other Betta species have not been selectively bred to be very colorful fish, they can still be beautiful in their own right! 

Many of these species prefer dark water tanks so it may not be the most visually appealing tank if you decide to jump into other Betta species. 

All that being said, their biology can be very interesting and it is worth it to research them if they interest you! 

How Much Does a Veiltail Betta Splenden Cost?

Because of how common they are, Veiltail Bettas are generally pretty cheap. You can walk into most pet stores and buy one for less than $15. 

When considering the price of your new pet, it is important to also consider how much their heater, filter, tank, and food will cost. 

Although Bettas are very cheap to buy, the other costs to give them a great life start to add up, so make sure you consider it before bringing your new pet home!

Surprisingly, you can also purchase Veiltail Betta fish on the internet and have them shipped to your door although I recommend visiting your local pet shop instead.

What Are Halfmoon Betta Fish?

Halfmoon Betta fish are Betta fish that has a tail that is able to spread 180 degrees around the body of the fish. This gives the approximate shape of what some people (incorrectly) call a half moon.

Is the Word Tankmates One or Two Words?

The word tankmates is generally spelled as one word but you may often see it spelled as tank mates.

Conclusion

Veiltail Bettas are one of the most popular freshwater fish for pets and for good reason! Their care is reasonable and they do not cost much money to buy or maintain.  

As long as you feed them well (but not too much!), give them good slow filtration, and keep up with regular water changes you can’t go wrong! 

So why not give an iconic fish a try, the Veiltail Betta won’t disappoint!