Fishy Tales - Tales from an Aquarium

I have a friend who named her Siamese fighting fish Misty, after the long flowing fins which reminded her of the dance of the seven veils. Couple these with the brilliant coloration found in males, and it is love at first sight. Their other names include “The Jewel of the Orient”
You are going to find these fish irresistible, with colours ranging across hues of red, blue, white, combinations and single, and any other colours you can think of. Females, however, are originally not as highly colored, and have much shorter fins though coloured versions are also being bred now.
You will typically find these beauties in small bowls, or wineglasses at the pet shop which seems criminal. This is probably prompted by the fact that like the Dwarf Gourami, these fish also boast of a labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe oxygen directly from the air. This is also one of the reasons why a number of people tend to put them in vases along with lilies. I was tempted too, but thankfully, better sense prevailed. There is nothing more beautiful than watching a betta swim across the length of an aquarium with its tail flowing behind him. To make it better, these fish enjoy the reputation of a hardy, low-maintenance breed and are a good choice for beginning aquarists. Their generally peaceful nature make them excellent community fish. However, you would need to ensure that none of the other tankmates are even the remotely the aggressive kinds, or you might find them nipping at the long fins, more so since bettas are also rather slow moving.
These fish are also dogged by controversy. Lets take a step back, to understand why. Bettas originate from the shallow paddy fields, ponds and slow moving streams of Thailand (formerly called Siam, hence their name), Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and parts of China. Now, males must NEVER be kept together - these normally peaceful fish turn extremely aggressive in the presence of another male, and will keep flaring at each other, and try to rip each other apart. While they do not generally fight to the death, the spectacle is scary enough. The reason has more to do with territory than anything else.
It was for this quality that a number of them were bred in Thailand, where pitting one fish against another was a sport equivalent to a dog fight. While, the sport itself is now illegal, no doubt fights would still be playing out in the interiors of Thailand - a pity. If you want to see a betta flare, which is when the true majesty of the fish is on display, all you have to do, is hold a mirror to it.
While in their natural habitat, the Bettas subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae. In fact, they are built with an upturned mouth that is well suited to snatching any hapless insect that might fall into the water,and internally their digestive system is geared for meat. For this reason, live foods are the ideal diet for the betta, however they will adapt to eating flake foods and frozen and freeze dried foods.
Like the dwarf gourami, even these fish breed in elaborate bubblenests. which the male builds. You would be well advised to provide hiding places for the female, as the males are known to become aggressive during courtship. When they are ready to spawn, the pair will display intense coloration and begin circling each other under the bubblenest.
The male will then wrap himself around the female, and as she expels the eggs, he fertilizes them. The sinking eggs are scooped up the male, and placed in the nest. Here, you should remove the female, as the male will tend to the brood. In one to two days the eggs will hatch, and you will be able to see the fry hanging in the bubblenest. The yolk sack provides them their nutrition for the next 36 hours, during which time the male will continue to tend to them.
Within two days after the fry hatch, you should remove the male, as he may eat them once they are free swimming. Feed the fry a couple of times a day with baby brine shrimp, but beware of overfeeding. Now you’ll need a bunch of tanks to house all those males.

Fishy Facts
Common Name: Siamese Fighting Fish
Scientific Name: Betta Splendens
Other Names: Betta
Family: Belontiidae
Origin: Cambodia, Thailand
Adult Size: 3 inches (7 cm)
Social skills: Males cannot be kept together
Lifespan: 2-3 years
Tank Level: Top dweller
Tank Setup - Well planted with a gentle circulation
Recommended Tank Size: 3 gallons
Diet: Live foods preferable, will eat flakes and frozen foods
Breeding: Egglayer - builds a bubblenest
Care: Easy to Intermediate
Temperature: 75-86 F (24-30 C)

Filed under: Fishes