Shops grade crowntails on how far the webbing pulls back and how even the spikes are. Single, double and cross ray combs all get sold under the one name. Bare rays snag easily, so keep sharp decor and stiff plastic plants out of the tank. Ray tips can curl with age, which is normal rather than a sign of fin rot.
In the wild
The first combed tails came out of Slipi, a district of West Jakarta, in 1997. Achmad Yusuf is generally credited with fixing the form. It was called cupang serit in Indonesia, and the name crowntail came later, when the fish reached international shows. Nothing like it occurs in the wild.
Good to know
The look comes from reduced webbing between the caudal rays, so the rays project past the membrane. Rays branch once, twice or more before they extend, which gives the single, double and quad ray combs. The reduction behaves as partially dominant: a cross to a single tail gives the intermediate combtail, while crowntail to crowntail gives an all crowntail spawn. The International Betta Congress shows the form as fringe finned.
Did you know
When the first combed fish appeared, other breeders wrote them off as deformed culls rather than a new form. Within a few years the same shape was being entered and judged at international shows.
Common questions
Is a Crowntail betta a different species from the Betta?
No. A Crowntail betta is a variety of the Betta, Betta splendens, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a Crowntail betta need?
A Crowntail betta needs at least 7 gal (25 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
How big does a Crowntail betta get?
An adult Crowntail betta reaches about 3 in (7.5 cm).
2.4 in (6 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
3.9 in (10 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
3 in (7.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)