Koi Bettas

[banana1226]

HI guys. I have just a couple questions about "koi bettas". So, as I understand it they are just marbled bettas with koi fish type coloring. Can they be any type, like veiltail crowntail etc?
The only place I have seen them in person is at Petco. The males looked like regular females, actually. They were tiny and had very short fins. Does anyone have experience with petco koi bettas? I'm wondering if they are just young, and if they get as big as any other average betta. Also wondering about the short fins, are they supposed to be like plakats? Or are they just babies and haven't had a chance to grow them out yet? The onpetco of the koi betta looks like a plakat to me.
I'm considering getting one of the Koi bettas but I wanted to see if any of you guys knew anything about them, specifically the ones that Petco sells. Thanks

Edit: I looked up pictures of koi bettas people found at petco and they look great, big and colorful with big fins. So I'm thinking maybe my Petcos either have baby versions or maybe they're just lower quality adults. I may just have to ask but I'm still curious about them in general

 

[Flowingfins]

Welcome to fishlore!
You are only ever going to find a plakat koi at PetCo, but there are halfmoon varieties that can be found through breeders. As far as I'm aware, veilteil(these aren't very popular among breeders, so I wouldn't expect one), crowntail, elephant ear, and double tails are not being bred.
Plakats do tend to look like females, males will usually have a pointed and downward sloped analfin, generally longer fins overall, larger beard, and most will not have an egg spot. From your description they sound like young males, but I have seen koi females at my PetCo.
I do have experience with PetCo's koi bettas. Care wise they are the same as any other pet store bettas(with the exception of "kings"), the ones sold at mine are around 1.5-2 inches, and the amount of red, black, and white varies greatly. They will grow to be the size of an average betta.
Plakat is a tail type, and is by far the most common koi tail type, so yes, they are plakats.
I highly recommend ordering from a breeder over PetCo, just because they are generally healthier than any chain store fish. Koi's are in popular demand and are not hard to find for a decent price.

 

[banana1226]

Thank you for the info! I am interested in buying from a breeder. I'm assuming the bettas can be shipped, which would be good because I'm sure there aren't many around where I live. Do you know of any specific reputable breeders in the US that I could look into?

 

[Flowingfins]

Eugenefishstore imports from Thailand, I have had great success with them. You will also be able to find breeders or importers on eBay that you can order from as well, I've gotten quite a few off of there. Make sure the seller has as close to a five star rating as possible, and double check to make sure the are in the US before ordering. Some sellers from Thailand will list on eBay as well.