My prized female betta, Lady Ruby. She's bright red from jaws to fin tips, with the slightest rim of black on her tail and scales. Finding her was a shock, since the local pet store usually only has wild-color or pale pink females. Red stuck out like a sore thumb.

A couple of months after I brought her home she had a nasty case of dropsy. Her scales pineconed and for a while I didn't think I'd be able to save her. But she pulled through and now she's a fully grown, healthy female betta. At the moment she has a 10-gallon tank all to herself.

Lady Ruby is a female round tail betta, though the spiky edges occasionally make me suspect she's a combtail.