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Betta Splendens, aka Siamese Fighting Fish

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Fans just call them "Bettas"

Pictures of Siamese Fighting Fish, as Betta splendens are commonly called, most often show the male of the species. The males are the more brightly-colored with full fins that they expand for mating and fighting displays. Their unique habits, colorful appearance and low-care requirements make Bettas popular pets for the beginner or experienced fish owner alike.

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Beautiful Siamese Fighting Fish - photos

Whether you call them by their scientific or common names, these fish are still beautiful. Siamese fighting fish are found in Thailand, and typically live in the shallow waters of rice paddies. They help with pest control by eating insects.

The males are territorial and will fight each other for space and females. They use fin displays and body posturing primarily in their battles, but will rip and bite fins if it comes to it. The males are the primary caregivers of offspring, blowing bubble nests and tending the eggs until hatching.

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Sebastian Likes to Pose. by Amy Loves Yah

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Fins and Tails

Bettas have been bred to have specialized fin shapes and placements. The males are the half of the species with the fancy fins, some long and sleek, and others very frilly and rippled.

Round Tail - this shape is found on wild Bettas.
Veil Tail - a long trailing tail, like a scarf dragging behind.
Comb Tail - the fin edges have little points that extend beyond the fin webs.
Crown Tail - a longer more dramatic variation on the Comb Tail.
Double Tail - a double caudal fin, which has two distinct tails.
Fuse Tail - the caudal, dorsal and anal fins are all fused together.
Half Moon Tail - the dorsal and anal fins are longer, so they line up with the caudal fin when spread, making a half moon shape.
Heart Tail - partially fusing of the two caudal fins makes them appear to have a heart shape.
Spade Tail - think of the shovel or card suit shape.

Books About Betta Splendens

Get fish care advice from the pros

The popularity of Siamese fighting fish means it's easy to find fish care books that focus on Bettas. I recommend that folks read up on Bettas *before* they purchase any fish, and not just get the fish and book and then go home. It often makes for a longer-lived first generation of pet fish, seriously....

Betta Colors

Selective breeding has producing a rainbow array of colors for Bettas. Some of the options are listed below, but you can find more variations from breeders.

Red - red shades run from bright true reds to dark burgundy and brown
Apricot - sometimes called peach too. This is a soft pastel shade.
Yellow - from golden to lemon. A Betta that is a mix of yellow and black can be a Chocolate if pretty solid-colored, but if the yellow scales are outlined, it's called a Pineapple Betta.
Green - the color turquoise is a genetic variant on green. A very dark green is very rare and highly prized.
Blue - royal blue, cornflower blue, and steel blue shades are all available.
Purple - colors can be pale (lavender) to dark (violet).
Black - solid smokey or with lighter fins, called Black Lace.
White - this opaque color is not albinism, and you can tell as these Bettas will have black eyes.
Albino - a rare but natural occurrence like with other fish and animals. A true albino will have red eyes.
Multi-colored - these Bettas have mixed colors, and this name covers all fish that have no predominant color-tone.

Live Betta Sales

live betta fish for sale

Looking for something more exotic than what you can find at your local pet store? Here are auctions of live Betta fish. Be sure to check specifics of shipping before you bid!

Why I Love Bettas

I don't know what got my dad started with a fish tank, but when I was a kid, he kept one for many years. We'd get to go to the pet store and pick out fish we wanted for the tank. I also can't recall exactly how we first got a Betta splendens, but I wouldn't be surprised if my choice had something to do with it.

The males are flashy, with full fins and bold colors. The females are a bit smaller and have much plainer fins. My dad must have liked the Bettas too, as he got to breeding them. It's tricky and we wound up with more tanks as the population grew and we had to keep the males apart from each other.

I went away to college, and my dad moved on to other hobbies, but I still liked Bettas. In fact, I like them so much, there came a day when I decided to make them a part of my tattoo collection. Yep, that's my right shoulder with two male Bettas tattooed on it.

Care Advice and Info

Tips and suggestions for having a happy and healthy betta

betta care: This is a must read for anyone who just brought home (or is about to) a betta.
Betta Care Basics - Information on Caring for Your Siamese Fighting Fish: The First Tank Guide is a beginner's guide to setting up a new aquarium. If you have other questions, a convenient form will allow you to send questions to an experienced aquarist.
BettaCentral.com - Betta Caring Page: This page is dedicated to those who are new to the betta world as well as those who are familiar with them.
FAQ on Betta Care: Betta fish care faq.
Betta fish care from ask-the-vet.com: Tips on how to care for your betta fish
Welcome to BETTATALK, the ultimate betta site for all betta lovers...: welcome to bettatalk.com, betta capital of the world as featured on ANIMAL PLANET, BBC
and the DAILY NEWS
All About Caring for Betta Fish: Betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish are one of the most popular types of fish found in homes across the world
The Fish Bowl: keeping fish in bowls
Nippyfish.net: The Site for the Modern Betta Enthusiast: In addition to our main pages, you will find articles that discuss some of the most common and controversial topics regarding bettas and fish care.
The Betta Obsession: The Betta Obsession is a group where all of us who are obsessed with the Betta can come together with others who share the same obsession.
Betta: A Guide for Proper Care and Living Environment: The Betta splendens (Siamese Fighting Fish) has unquestionably become one of the most popular freshwater fish in the aquarium trade. This article will help guide you in the correct care of your Betta.
a Betta World - tribe.net: a place for the true B. splendens enthusiast... the breeder, the hobbyist, the NOOBIE, and the fancier.
Siamese Fighting Fish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens) is one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. It is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. It is native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia.

Betta Fish Videos

Short home movies of Betta splendens, courtesy of YouTube.com

The fin displays of courting or the quick movements battling Siamese Fighting Fish can be fascinating to watch. The mating rituals are often hypnotic and slow, spanning several hours.

Culligan the Betta Fish in his 5 Gallon Eclipse Hex Tank: by TheConsensus | video info

304 ratings | 90,038 views

curated content from YouTube

Bettas And Beyond

Augmented Fish Reality is a robotic fish tank driven by Siamese Fighting Fish: Augmented Fish Reality is a transpecies communication environment, which allow humans and fish a place to commune.
Colby | Student Research Opportunities | Research Symposium: DIFFERENTIAL HABITUATION OF MALE BETTA SPLENDENS TO QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT STIMULI
Lauren Baard ('08), Biology
MASSED vs DISTRIBUTED PRE-EXPOSURE TO MIRROR IN THE SIAMESE FIGHTING FISH (BETTA SPLENDENS), ACKERMAN, DON: The Undergraduate Advising Office of the Department of Psychology keeps a librar y of all Undergraduate Theses which have been submitted for the PSY400Y - Thesis Course. All undergraduate and graduate students within our department as well as faculty/staff at the University of Toronto are welcome to sign out theses for their perusal at home.
Display Behaviors of Male Betta splendens: Experiment and web documentation by Jennifer Beavin

Betta Fan Club

Tell us all about your pet siamese fighting fish!

Reply

brandnew99 May 14, 2012 @ 8:52 pm | delete

I love bettas.I used to have hundreds of them when I was a kid.

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ApplianceRepairsBirmingham Dec 19, 2011 @ 11:14 am | delete

bettas look amazing! great lens

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batsdragon Apr 22, 2011 @ 11:33 pm | delete

I have two Siamese Fighting fish Othello is normal size and is Purple Draycos is rich Red and Blue he is a Giant Siamese I named him after reading the Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn it seems to suit him did have others like Sumo or Goth loved to hear from other owners too

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witch Silverfox Apr 5, 2009 @ 8:48 am | delete

hi im witch silverfox and i live in california and was wanting to know if i have two rare betta first off the two betta i have are named Legolas and (Gandalf aka: the Demon of Salem) and here are their colors

Legolas: pure purple with small white streak under his chin ,

Gandalf: head starts out pure bask then goes to dark blue to light blue to light yellow to white and his fins all have yellow inline and a beautiful beautiful beautiful crimson ble trim

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clefty Apr 24, 2008 @ 7:17 pm | delete

Hi. What a great lens. Full of great links for information about betta care :)

I actually started a lens on the betta enthusiast group called "Betta Breeders Canada". If you're interested, it's at http://www.squidoo.com/BettaBreedersCanada

I've rated you a 5star lens!
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