Mustard Gas Betta (Images & Care Guide)

This is the most detailed care guide on the Mustard Gas Betta online.

In this guide you’ll learn;

What is a Mustard Gas Betta and where it’s from
Care requirements
Growth rate & Lifespan
Tail types & Colouring
Mustard Gas Betta pictures
Where to buy them

Let’s begin.

Contents

What Is A Mustard Gas Betta?

A Mustard Gas Betta is a rare, bi-colored (or in some cases multi-colored) species of the Betta, also called the Siamese fighting fish. The fishing world first came to know about the fish in 1999. A US-breeder named Jude Al (confirmed by multiple sources, and here is the oldest one) introduced this fish to the aquarists, and his fish was supposed to be “purest” stock of the bunch. Most Mustard Gas Bettas are now either imitation or produced by cross-breeding.

The successful breeding of Mustard Gas took 13 years. Nowadays, the fish is mostly bred in South East Asia, and most aquarists believe that the current stock has diluted far away from the original version. Still, even by typical Betta standards of beauty, a Mustard Gas Betta is something else entirely.

There is just one bone that everyone wants to pick with Jude Al, and it’s the name. Why he gave such a destructive, death-ridden, and ugly (history of Mustard Gas) name to something so beautiful is beyond us. But it does make a twisted kind of sense if you consider the beautiful mustard color that spreads out to the half-moon tail from the blue-green body. Still, nobody has tried to rename the fish and respected the naming sense of the original breeder.

New To Betta Fish? Check out our guide How To Care For a Betta Fish For Beginners for some great step by step tips.

Care Requirements

The Betta, like most others, is not very demanding, as you can see by its humble care requirements below.

Min Tank Size: 5 Gallons
Temperature: 72°- 82° F (22.2° – 27.8° C)
pH: 6.0 – 7.5
KH: 2 – 12 dKH

Though many aquarists have found their Mustard Gas (MG) Betta thriving in smaller tanks as well, and without a filter, we wouldn’t recommend it.

Further Reading: How big should a Betta Tank be?

Behavior

Like most other Bettas, MG is playful but shy and doesn’t do very well around fin nippers (you wouldn’t either if everyone around you was trying to bite your beautiful fins). They are active swimmers and active feeders. And that’s why it’s quite easy to spot if your MG is stressed or sick. They will stray from your routine behavior.

As a centerpiece fish, they might be comfortable with any tank mates that stay out of their way. Since it will predominantly occupy front and center, the rest of the “cast” can be bottom dwellers.

Diet

MG Bettas are carnivores. They would enjoy munching on appropriate palettes and flakes, but if you really want to feed them something more than the standard “ration,” go with frozen of live food. A good mix would be better, flakes and palettes as the main diet, and live or frozen food on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. They may enjoy blood worm, daphnia, and brine shrimp.

Further Reading: What do Betta Fish eat?

Size & Growth Rate

The MG Betta at most grows to 3 inches, but most fish you will find will have a size between 2-inch and 2.3-inch (6 cm). It’s important to understand that most Bettas we see in the aquarium business are bred for captivity. It has made them more aesthetically pleasing and allowed them to adapt to aquarium life. So the growth rate varies greatly among the Bettas (it depends upon their stock “lineage”).

Average Lifespan

Like most other Bettas, it’s expected to live around three to five years but can live longer in rare cases. How well you take care of your tank and how observant you are to your MG Betta’s health and behavioral changes can do a lot to ensure that your fish gets to live its full life.

Further Reading: How long do Betta Fish live?

Sexing:

Sexing in MG Betta is quite easy when it comes to full-grown members of the species; it’s quite difficult to distinguish between the young ones.

The Male

The MG Betta, with its characteristically beautiful, long fins, is typically a male. The color would also be more vivid in a male, and they have thinner and longer bodies. Some people even differentiate with the help of a mirror. When placed in the tank, a mirror will aggravate a make MG Betta, and it might try to attack its reflection (which it would take for a competitor in the tank). And though it’s difficult to spot in a shop, male Betta creates bubble nests when they are ready to mate.

The Female

Female MG Betta would usually be duller in color and have shorter fins (typically no longer than their heights). They are also thicker and broader, and if you look near the ventral fin, they will have a small white spot called the ovipositor tube. It’s the place where they lay their eggs.

How Rare Is A Mustard Gas Colored Betta?

Very. And that’s when we are talking about every mustard gas Betta out there. If we consider the pure stock the Jude Al bred, shared, or sold about twenty years ago (which had a very different appearance than what you might commonly find), that would be considered almost impossible to find. Many people started breeding them from an MG male and another species female.

Nowadays, most of the MG Betta you’d might not actually be MG (or bred from one), and simply another bi-colored Betta (different body and tail color) with tones and tail color very similar to the MG. It’s also often confused with Chocolate Betta, but they are not the same.

Mustard Gas Tail Types & Coloring Options

From an aesthetic point of view, it might be a blessing that so many people started out-crossing (or out-breeding) this beautiful rare species because now we get to see several different and beautiful varieties of this fish.

Colors

Blue: Blue was the primary body color for the first MG Bettas that were bred, and it’s still prevalent. It looks gorgeous, especially in contrast to the typical mustard-colored-tail.
Green: The green sheen in the body and is relatively rare, but it’s equally breathtaking. Some varieties have green veins stemming at the base of the caudal fin.
Blue & Orange: The blue and orange MG Betta usually doesn’t look like an MG at all. It has a relatively brighter blue body and a more vivid orange than the typical dull mustard color in the fins.
Black: Like blue, black was one of the original colors for MG Betta’s body, and its contrast is even better than the blue. The black is typically a deep shade, and the outline of the caudal fin is also black.
Dragonscale: (Not from Skyrim) the Dragonscale is another rare mutation/gene which gives an MG Betta’s scale a metallic sheen. The most common Dragonscale color is still blue for the MG.

Tail Types

Halfmoon: Halfmoon is the most common Mustard Gas Betta tail type, carried on from the original species. The caudal fins of these MGs almost form a half-moon (or a half pizza, whichever you like to look at). The whole 180-degree “fanning” when the tail is fully stretched is why they are called Halfmoon in the first place.
Crowntail: Crowntail MG Bettas with their sharp thorny tails look badass. Their dorsal and anal fin is also the same sharp thorny shape.
Delta: While swimming, a Delta MG’s tail is quite similar to a half moon’s, but if you see it fully stretched, it’s more triangular.
Rose-tail: Rose-tail is a remarkable variation of a half-moon, with several “folds” on the fin, which makes it look like a rose (with petals overlapping each other).
Veiltail: If you see an MG with a generous tail but swooping downwards instead of an equal portion of the tail up and down, it’s probably a veil-tail. (though the veil is on the wrong end).
Fullmoon: The “moon” tail that crosses the 180-degree threshold is usually considered a full moon.

It’s important to understand that Mustard Gas Betta is so rare that there is no “standard” look anymore. Every breeder might have its own particular strain and characteristic look. But almost all MG Bettas are exceptionally beautiful.

Pictures, Photos & Images Of Mustard Gas Betta Fish

Click here to see more Images Of The Mustard Gas Betta on our Pinterest Board.

What We Like About The Mustard Gas Betta Fish

There are several things to like about the Mustard Gas Betta.

It’s a unique beauty. Unlike Betta species that are very similar to each other and get repetitive after a while, each MG Betta might be unique.
Its rarity is another thing we love. You can find a wide variety, and still, each and every one might be “rare” in its own way.
Centerpiece fish in any aquarium. Whether it’s a community tank or a small, single-fish aquarium, the MG would brighten it up with its beauty.
It’s perfect for small aquariums. If you don’t have a large tank and still want it to be eye-catching, a single MG can do the job.
Easy to keep. Its rarity and uniqueness don’t come with a high maintenance cost and a list of demands. It’s like a beautiful pet unicorn of the Betta world, which requires the care-level of a mule.
It has outer beauty, as well as inner beauty. It’s charming personality and playfulness makes it a very engaging pet to keep.

Where Can You Buy A Mustard Gas Betta?

That’s a bit tricky. On most of the typical fish websites, you would find the fish sold out half the time. And unless you want to go to the hassle of international shipping, the best place to buy them would be specialty breeders and hobbyists. You may find their collections on their own blogs or social media pages (mostly Pinterest) and can contact them.

In most stores, you will either find fakes or MGs that are not even 1/8th of the species.

FAQ:

Q: How To Tell The Difference Between A Mustard Gas And Bumblebee Betta Fish?

Ans: Bumblebee Betta is a Petco label for bi-color Bettas that look a lot like MG Bettas. And since the original coloring doesn’t exist anymore, the difference is hard to tell. But a true MG Betta would have different shades/color bands in the tail that you can tell apart, but you can’t draw a line between two colors. The blending of different shades is “blurry.” Also, true Mustard gas body coloration would have a visible blue, steely-blue, green, or steel hue. A Bumblebee’s tail would be more uniformly colored. Still, you may find an MG Betta being sold under the name of a Bumblebee Betta.

Q: How To Tell The Difference Between A Mustard Gas And Paradise Betta Fish?

Ans: There is no such thing as a Paradise Betta fish. It’s a made-up name, and most of the Paradise Betta are Mustard Gas Betta.

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Jack Dempsey

Owner Tropical Fish Care Guides at Tropical Fish Care Guides

Jack has spent the last 10 years writing online about fish and aquariums. He has more than 30 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper.He is an expert in setting up new tanks, breeding, maintaining, and keeping planted freshwater habitats. Jack is currently interested in marine biology, and veterinary science.His goal is to help beginners avoid the biggest mistakes when getting started. If you find something helpful please share it on your favorite social network. If you need help with anything send Jack a question. You can also find Jack writing for Backyardalpha.com

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