What is a purple betta fish?

The purple betta is a popular fighting fish sought by aquarium enthusiasts for its striking color. Most attempts by breeders to create the color line consistently have resulted in multicolored fish of various tints and shades with deviations in the body and fins, not a uniform true purple.

Most breeding attempts involve crossing a red betta with a line of royal blue fish in an effort to blend the colors. Some breeders have had success in creating a light purple fish by crossing pink halfmoon males from multicolored lines with red females, though the true recipe for breeding the purple betta remains to be seen as of 2014.