This is a random question, but I was wondering if there was any way to stablize marbling? I know marbling is very unpredictable, but has anyone ever found a way to starblize it? somewhat gaurentee the patterning, or is it always just a game of chance? Thank you!

Well you can get butterfly from marble genes and that's pretty stable. Otherwise, any other marbling is mostly unstable, constantly changing as the betta grows.

I believe the "dalmation spot" marble (this) is stable, but that's about it.

I actually like the unpredictability of marbles; I think that's what gives them such appeal to people. :)

There are some lines that I call semi stable in that they cold their pattern for a long time. I have a fish that had the same color for a year and 5 months.. (I know when she was hatched) and just recently decided to morph onme.
I also have a VT male that has some kind of marble patching that have NEVER changed.
Of course, he is also a spot, (vt version of the dal), and thatmight be it.
I bred him to pure Sawarut dal, and bred him back to his daughter, but he munched.
Then they were trying to breed, but no eggs
Now they are two happy fish cohabitaing..
So... I got to try to get them interested in each other again.
Keep your finger, toes and eyes crossed, he is over a year old, I got him from Wally's last Dec/Jan.
Still I think that breeding for fish that hold their color longer might help stabilize it somewhat, but as my old wench shows, a marble will change, even when you think they'll hold their color.
But Koi Boi is still exactly the same.
Who knows, maybe he'll change as well one day




The first pic was taken about april or there about last year, the other pic was taken the end of Feb, just a couple weeks ago.