Dragonscale Male Betta

Dragonscale Male Betta About the Photo: The image shown is a representative example of this betta variety — it illustrates the tail type and an idea of the coloring you may receive. Bettas are living animals and each one is unique; color intensity, pattern, and fin development vary naturally from fish to fish. To choose your exact fish, see our WYSIWYG program below. Dragonscale Male Betta (Betta splendens) carries the Dragonscale trait — a genetic mutation that thickens and raises the scales into a metallic, plated texture reminiscent of armor, quite different from the smooth scaling of a standard betta. Dragonscale is a scale-type trait rather than a single color, and shows up over many different base colors — red, black, blue, copper, and multicolor Dragonscale fish are all common in the hobby. This individual's specific base color and tail form are best confirmed on the video for the exact fish in our WYSIWYG program below, since both vary from one Dragonscale fish to the next. Select Your Exact Fish — WYSIWYG: Each betta is individually filmed in their container and video previews are available. Browse the videos, find the fish you want, note the container number in the bottom right corner, place your order, and include that number in your order notes. You will receive exactly that fish — not one like it. People in Thailand have kept and selectively bred Betta splendens for at least 1,000 years — one of the longest domestication histories of any fish. The breeding tradition focused increasingly on color and fin development over the centuries, producing fish of growing beauty long before they reached the rest of the world. In 1840, King Rama III gave specimens to Danish physician Theodore Cantor, who published the first Western scientific description. Bettas arrived in France in 1892, Germany in 1896, and reached San Francisco in 1910 via importer Frank Locke. It was not until 1927 that the first brightly colored, long-finned specimens reached the United States — transforming the fish from a foreign curiosity into the spectacular ornamental varieties the world knows today. The scientific name Betta splendens, given by Charles Tate Regan of the British Museum in 1909, means "gleaming fighter" — combining splendens (brilliant, shining) with a reference to the ancient Bettah people of Southeast Asia. The Cuboid Betta Wall: Our bettas are housed in our 260-container Betta Wall — one of the largest dedicated betta displays you will find anywhere. Every container has its own heated, filtered, UV-sterilized water and a live plant, giving each fish its own stable, enriched environment. While the containers are sized for retail housing rather than permanent home setups, the water quality and conditions are maintained at a standard well above typical retail. When you receive a betta from Cuboid, it has been kept properly — not in a cup. The ideal home aquarium for a betta is a minimum of 5 gallons — 10 gallons gives more stable water temperature, better water quality, and more territory to explore and inhabit. A heater is required. Bettas are tropical fish that need 78–82°F (25–28°C) consistently. Room temperature in most US homes falls below this range, particularly in winter, and bettas kept too cool are noticeably less active, less colorful, and significantly more prone to disease. Bettas also possess a specialized breathing organ called the labyrinth organ — a structure above the gills that allows them to extract oxygen directly from atmospheric air at the surface. Unobstructed surface access is a biological necessity. Never cover the surface so completely that a betta cannot reach open air. ⚠ Filter Flow: Bettas are native to slow-moving rice paddies and still forest pools — strong current stresses them, exhausts their fins, and can prevent them from swimming comfortably. Use a gentle sponge filter or baffle a hang-on-back filter to reduce outflow. The surface should ripple gently — not churn. Plants are genuine habitat for bettas, not merely decoration. Floating plants provide shade and surface cover that significantly reduces stress. Indian almond leaves (Catappa) are particularly valuable — they release tannins that replicate the natural blackwater chemistry of betta habitat and have mild antibacterial and antifungal properties. Add one or two leaves per 5 gallons and replace monthly. The slight amber tint they produce is entirely natural and beneficial. Feeding & Care Tip: Hikari Betta Gold is our recommended staple food. Feed one pellet at a time — if your betta eats it, offer another, up to three pellets twice daily. If they do not eat a pellet, do not add another — remove uneaten food promptly to protect water quality. Fasting one day per week supports digestive health. For treats, rotate Hikari Frozen Bloodworms, Hikari Frozen Baby Brine Shrimp, and Hikari Frozen Daphnia 2–3 times per week. Daphnia acts as a gentle digestive aid — worth including weekly as bettas on an all-pellet diet can be prone to bloating. When setting up your betta's new aquarium, add Seachem Betta Basics to the water — a betta-specific conditioner that neutralizes chlorine and chloramines and provides a slime coat supplement. It does not contain aloe vera, which can coat the water surface and interfere with a betta's surface breathing. Use it at every water change going forward. Dragon Scale Care: The Dragon Scale gene causes thick metallic scaling that continues to develop throughout the fish's life. In some individuals this scaling can gradually encroach across the eyes — a condition known as Diamond Eye or Dragon Eye — progressively reducing and eventually eliminating vision. This is genetic and irreversible; not every Dragon Scale betta develops it, but the risk is real and worth monitoring. Check eye clarity regularly — early signs are a whitening or clouding of the normally dark iris. We strongly recommend establishing a tap-and-feed routine from the start: tap gently on the glass before each feeding to signal that food is coming, then offer a pellet. A sighted Dragon Scale betta that learns this association early will be far better prepared to continue feeding normally if Diamond Eye does develop — the conditioned behavior carries over even as vision is lost. The raised scale texture also means debris and bacteria can lodge between scales more easily than on smooth-scaled fish. Clean water, low nitrates, and regular inspection of the scale surface for any lifting, redness, or irregularity are especially important for Dragon Scale bettas. One benefit: the metallic Dragon Scale iridescence shows best under moderate to good directional lighting — unlike most bettas that look best in subdued light, Dragon Scale bettas genuinely reward good illumination. Male bettas cannot be housed together — one male per tank, always. With peaceful, non-fin-nipping community fish in a larger aquarium they can coexist well: small Corydoras, Ember Tetras, small rasboras, and snails are typically compatible. Avoid confirmed fin-nippers such as Tiger Barbs and Serpae Tetras, and brightly colored fish with flowing fins that a betta may perceive as a rival. Most fish are kept. Bettas are known. Give one the right environment, learn its habits, and you will find yourself checking on it not out of obligation but out of genuine curiosity about what it is doing. That is the experience that has made Betta splendens one of the most kept fish on Earth for over a thousand years — and it starts with the fish you choose. Dragonscale Male Betta Difficulty Beginner — Easy Temperament Males must be kept one per tank Adult Size 2.5–3.0 inches (6–7.5 cm) Group Size One male only — no other male bettas Ideal Temperature 78–82°F (25–28°C) — heater required Ideal pH 6.5–7.5 Ideal GH 3–12 dGH Ideal KH 2–8 dKH Staple Food Hikari Betta Gold — one pellet at a time, up to 3 pellets twice daily; remove uneaten food promptly Treat / Supplement Hikari Frozen Bloodworms; Hikari Frozen Baby Brine Shrimp; Hikari Frozen Daphnia (weekly for digestive health) Origin Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and surrounding Southeast Asia Notes Scale Type: Dragonscale — thick, raised metallic scaling; base color and tail form vary by individual, confirm via WYSIWYG video Diamond Eye: Monitor eyes regularly for scale growth over the cornea; establish tap-and-feed routine early Lighting: Directional lighting enhances metallic scale appearance Filtration: Gentle sponge filter or baffled HOB only — no strong current Surface Access: Required at all times — labyrinth organ breathes atmospheric air Minimum Tank: 5 gallons — 10 gallons recommended New Tank: Seachem Betta Basics at setup and every water change (no aloe vera) Enrichment: Indian almond leaves; floating plants; live plant in tank