Obstruct eye In betta is it a gentic factor or is it something the betta fish can develop?
This is just a question out of curiousity

From what I have been able to find out about it, it has a genetic factor, in that fish that are bred to have more and more opaque coloring often develop obstructed or clouded eyes as they mature.
Crossing out to steel helps to harden the opaque, and clear up the eyes, I have been told, but as you again breed for more opaque, it creeps back up into your lines.

I hope it doesn't impair the fish's eyesight, though bettysplendens does say that there is nothing wrong with it.

In fact if the opaque layering is too thick it does obscure the fishes eyesight. That's why it is a disqualifying fault in IBC judging if it does render the fish blind.

Also, it doesn't show up over night. Like cataracts, the fish can slowly lose vision, though you would not likely know it, especially if the fish was card trained, and can still see shadows.
The Pavlovian effect would be the fish sees the shadow of the card being removed, and styarts flaring, because experience tells him there is anothert fish on the other side even if he can't see it.
And the sense of smell will help the fish locate food, even though he might miss it a couple times.

You mean when breeders put bettas into individual jars on shelves they put cards in the middle and the breeder would pull a card and then put it back after a certain amount of time each day and eventually it becomes habit for the betta to flare right when the card is pulled up whether there is a betta or not.

Yes. That is it exactly.
Even if they can't see a fish, their past experience tells them that there is a fish there, and they start going nuts.
I have done it with sighted fish that flared up and only calmed down after they finally realized that there was no other fish there, and even then they had to strut around, because they vanquished their opponent, lol.

Well what can we say... :T :LOL:

It's funny.. tonigth I was at Petsmart and there was a fish with red eyes. Now unlike occular albinism that my dearly departed veil pinkerton seemed to exhibit, I could tell that this was more blindness. There was no reaction to motion, light changes, anything. I came very close to getting him but I caught myself.

Nope, nature, and Pavlov's effects, lol.

Yeah, no reaction says the fish is blind.. I would have brought him home, because I am a sucker, what can I say, lol.

I wonder though, remeber KG Bettas Golden Eye?
I wonder if bettas like that, with metallic coating can see.

I loved that golden betta. I wonder if he had any fry from it because I've been wanting a pair of golds but was so hard to find them.

I would assume the coating over the eye would prevent him from seeing well enough to spawn. If he did get fry from him, that could very well be an indication of how well the betta can see when the eye is obstructed like that. At very least I am sure he could detect some differentiations in light, but movement may be more tricky. It'd be almost like if you ever tried to look through a sheet.

Well, by movement, I was talking about light and dark, and the fish can detect when something light is replaced by dark, and reversed.

Yes but can you zero in on shadows? I think it all comes down to if the fish has 100 thread count opaue layering or 3000 thread count obstructions. LOL

I think we are talking about two sides to the same coin.
I am talking about training up the finnage of an obstructed fish, and you are talking about breeding an obstructed fish, and the fry after care.
Apples and apple juice mon ami