identifying betta varieties and understanding their genetics

[Fenririx]

Hi there,

I'm pretty sure I have a halfmoon male betta - see the picture, might be wrong though. I'm planning to breed him with one of my female veiltails. I came across some info that said the veiltail gene is dominant, which means all the fry would be veiltails... but does this still apply if the female is a veiltail?

P.S. I'm fully aware of the breeding process, space requirements, and all that. My issue is identifying this male and the potential fry.

Thanks.

[sandwiches]

From what I've gathered on genetics, it's likely that the offspring would be veiltails, given the dominant nature of the veiltail gene. Assuming your veiltails are homozygous dominant, with two genes coding for the veiltail trait - a probable scenario, considering the breeder's aim for pure genetics. In this case, the genotype of the offspring would be Vv, where the mother contributes the dominant V gene, and the father contributes the recessive v gene. This would result in the offspring displaying the veiltail trait, provided the mothers are indeed VV. However, there's a possibility that one of the mothers might be Vv, leading to a 50-50 split in the offspring, with half being veiltails and the other half non-veiltails. But, given the breeder's focus on a specific phenotype, it's probable that the mothers are VV, resulting in Vv offspring - all of which would be veiltails. You may want to disclose to potential buyers that the offspring are heterozygous for the veiltail gene, especially if they plan to use them for breeding. As for your male betta, I'm not familiar with the different types, but he's certainly a stunning specimen. To summarize, if your female bettas are purebred, you can expect an all-veiltail batch of fry.