"Here's a basic guide about the frequently used term , "Rays", and how to count them.
Rays of a betta will usually determine the quality of the fish, as it directly contributes to the ability to hold it's fin's spread."
Regards,
Bettafanatic aka Walter
Click on picture for bigger image.
The network of coloured lines highlighted in the above picture, are "rays" of a betta.
Starting from the fish's body, the red thick single line is the first ray of a betta. It spilts into two orange lines, and multiplicatively, we get to see 8 black lines at the tip of the betta (1-2-4-8). This is an 8-rayed betta.
Applying this observation, if a betta stops the ray splitting at 4, it will be a 4-rayed betta and so on for the other numbers. The minimum I would say is 2-rayed as I have yet to see a single rayed betta.
Point to note is that maximum number of rays do not stop at 8, it is common in Halfmoons(Long tailed) to have 16 or 32 rays. (1-2-4-8-16-32)
Of equal importance, do note that the set of network of rays (the coloured lines show one set) might not be same for all. A betta may have 8 rays on one set, and 4 for the rest, or any other combinations. This is random splitting of rays, which is widely considered as a minor defect. In some cases, a single ray could split into 3, instead of 2. (or 2 into 5, even 6)
For fellow hobbyists who know me, I hate to "grade" bettas because the way I view their beauty is slightly different from competitive standards. But in common terms, a "higher quality" HMPK betta would be of at least 8 rays and with everything in symmetrical order. I can agree with this because generally, having same number of rays throughout and evenly does contribute to the visual pleasure when a betta flares up.
Hope this guide will help new comers to this wonderful hobby, and feel free to highlight any room for improvements in the chatbox.
Cheers! :)
Bettafanatic
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