Bettas4all Standard: Chapter 1B - Phase II (April 2013)

[Roberto Silverii]

Chapter 1B: Development of the Bettas4all Standard – Phase II (April 2013)


By Joep van Esch
www.bettas4all.nl - The International Betta Forum


This article describes the second phase of development of the Bettas4all Standard and will provide more information and insight regarding the motivation and background behind this new show standard for Betta splendens.

Introduction
In March 2010 we proudly presented the first phase of development of the Bettas4all Standard which included a detailed description of the ideal show betta and the various finnage and color varieties. To date, three years have past and the current version of the Bettas4all Standard has been used at eight international betta shows in Germany and the Netherlands by an international judging team which consists of group of experienced, motivated breeders/hobbyists.


Table 1 Overview shows judged according to the Bettas4all Standard 2010-2012



Even though there still is quite some work needed to further develop, expand and improve the standard, the Bettas4all Standard already has been proven to be an excellent standard at the shows where it was applied. During and after the shows the standard was extensively tested, discussed, evaluated and reviewed. This feedback was used in the second phase of development resulting in a further improved version of the Bettas4all Standard.


Critique & respect!
The release of the new Bettas4all Standard did not only lead to positive reactions as not everybody thinks a new standard is a welcome addition to our hobby. Some points of critique which were raised were:
- No certified judges: Currently there are no official certified Bettas4all Judges yet. We decided that the development of a good standard and fault system had first priority and that this would be a stable base to start educating/training judges in the future. However this does not mean that the current Bettas4all Judging Team does not know what they are doing. Each member of the current judging team understands the contents and philosophy of the standard and all decisions made during the judging procedure are extensively discussed within the team. In addition, all show classes are double checked by the head judge.
- Fish bred to the ideals of the Bettas4all Standard do not stand a chance at other shows: According to some it would not be possible to participate successfully anymore at shows using other show standards when hobbyists would breed fish according to the ideals described in the Bettas4all Standard. This critique has been proven not to be valid as the ideal form and colors described in the Bettas4all Standard only show subtle differences in comparison to other show standards. The Bettas4all Standard mainly distinguishes itself from other standards in (1) the way dimension parameters are incorporated and used to describe and visualize the ideal form, (2) the use of clear example pictures, (3) the way show classes are divided and (4) the way the number of awards are determined. In practice, breeders winning at our shows also have been proven very successful at other shows in Europe using different show standards.
The use of one single worldwide show standard for show bettas has been suggested several times. It is important to realize that the Bettas4all Standard was not developed to critique other show standards and/or organizations. We deeply respect other betta organizations and their show standards but in our opinion more diversity is a positive development which on the long run will stimulate the development of our hobby. We hope to receive the same respect in return.


Body size
In order to put more focus on body size in our breeding programs and to prevent hobbyists entering small, underdeveloped fish at our shows, we have decided to increase the ideal body size for a regular-sized, mature show betta to at least 4.0 cm (1.57 inch) for a male and 3.5 cm (1.38 inch) for female. The minimum size for a show betta accepted at our shows will remain 3.5 cm (1.38 inch) for a male and 3.0 cm (1.18 inch) for female but it is important to note that larger fish will be preferred above smaller fish if no other faults apply (see Chapter 3).
As regular fully matured bettas can grow up to 5.5-6.0 cm (2.16-2.36 inch) we think it is important to make a clear distinction between regular and giant show bettas which have to be shown in the Form & Variations class. The ideal body size for a Giant-sized, mature show betta should be bigger than 6.0 cm (2.36 inch) for both males (see Chapter 3J) and females (see Chapter 3K).


Show Classes
In the 2013 version, the main show classes for registering fish to our shows have been adjusted. Fish can now be entered in 19 main show classes which are divided based on a more clear subdivision based on gender, shortfin and longfin varieties including form & variations.
Table 2 Main show classes Bettas4all Standard

* If possible, show classes are further divided in subcategories based on color variety (see Chapter 4).


The following changes have been made:
i.   Doubletail plakat and crowntail plakat males: Since 2011, doubletail plakats and crowntail plakats were added as a trial class within the Form & variation class. After a trial period of 2 years, both classes appeared very popular. We therefore decided to recognize the doubletail plakat and crowntail plakat as separate showclasses with the ideal form described in a separate chapter within in the show standard (see Chapter 3D and Chapter 3E, respectively). The 3D models for these finnage variations are under construction.
ii.   Veiltail males: As both spade and rounded caudals are allowed in traditional plakats, we have decided to also allow this for the longfinned equivalent of this form, the veiltail. A new 3D model has been constructed to demonstrate this (see Chapter 3F).
 

Figure .1   2D representation of the 3D model of the ideal veiltail (created by Stefan George Psarakos).


iii.   Form & Variations: A detailed description of this show class has been added and includes a rough description of some likely more rare variations which have to be shown in this class accompanied by some example pictures (see Chapter 3J).
iv.   Females: The female show classes have been expanded by the addition of a female class for doubletail plakat, crowntail plakat and form & variation.
v.   All main show classes now include all colors: In contrast to the 2010-2012 version of the Bettas4all Standard all main show classes now include all color varieties. After benching show classes will be further split into subclasses when there are at least six fish of a certain subvariety (color or finnage) which are entered by a minimum of two breeders (see Chapter 2). This together with the award system (see Chapter 5), were the number of awards per show class is depending on the number of fish per show class, has been proven to be very successful at our shows so far and resulted in an interesting and challenging competition which was highly appreciated by both Bettas4all Judging Team and participants.


Bettas4All Judging Board
In order to take the standard to the next level and to guarantee its quality we have instated an official Bettas4all Judging Board consisting of the following members:
-   Boris Weber-Schwartz (Germany)
-   Stefan G. Psarakos (Australia)
-   Jamie King (Australia/Czech Republic), B.A.
-   Eugenio Fornasiero (Italy), phD
-   Joep H.M. van Esch (The Netherlands), phD


Supported by the Bettas4all Standard
We have designed a special "Supported by the Bettas4all Standard" logo, which can be used on websites, banners and posters that announce shows will be judged according to the Bettas4all Standard. The logo currently comes in three different versions (see Figure 2).



Figure 2 "Supported by the Bettas4all Standard" logo.

Upcoming developments
In the next phase of development, the current version of the Bettas4all Standard will be tested, critically discussed, reviewed, and evaluated in order to further improve the standard where necessary. The Bettas4all Judging Board will work on the development of a detailed fault system which will bring the current standard to an even higher level. In addition, we will develop an extensive program to train enthusiastic, dedicated hobbyists to become a fully certified Bettas4all Judges.


Please keep your eyes open for Phase III!


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