Betta Basics
Betta, Betta splendens, or Siamese Fighting Fish--call them what you like--hail from Southeast Asia. The water they live in is hot, stagnant, and has a low oxygen content.
Because of this, bettas have a breathing organ called a labyrinth, which assists bettas with oxygen storage. Bettas rise to the surface to breath in oxygen and store it.
The branchiostegal membrane is the gill-like structure the males often flare. They flare the membrane in courting and fighting to exhibit dominance.
Male bettas are fighters. They cannot be kept in the same tank as they will fight to the death by ripping one another's fins to shreds.
The male bettas are beautiful, colorful, and are adorned with long flowing fins. Female bettas are not near as colorful and have a shorter stubby fins.
Female bettas make nice community fish in larger aquariums. They are more docile and do not usually fight among themselves.
A single male betta can also live in a community as they rarely fight out of their species. However, their long flowing fins are attractive to other fish and may end up torn because they look like food.
Here's my favorite link:
Betta Defined
The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), also known as the "betta fish" or just "betta", is one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. It is native to the Mekong river basin in Southeast Asia and called pla-kad or pla-kat ("Biting Fish") in its native Thailand.
The name Betta (or betta) is . That is, the first part is the same as the English word bet. By confusion with the name of the Greek letter beta, the name is often pronounced in American English, and may be misspelled with one t. The name of the genus is unrelated to that of the Greek letter, being derived from ikan bettah, in a local language in Thailand.
B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 6.0 cm (~ 2.3 in), though some varieties reach 8.0 cm (3.5 in.) in length. In recent years breeders have been able to create "Giant Bettas" that exceed 8.0 cm (3.5 in.) due to the manipulation of a mutant gene. Although bettas are known for their brilliant colors and large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short. However, brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties, such as veiltail, delta, superdelta, and halfmoon have been developed through selective breeding.
The betta is a member of the Gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other types of bettas, B. splendens is the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists, particularly in the United States.
Books about Bettas
For the Love of Bettas
I know a lot of people like to set their bettas up in plant vases. I've seen those everywhere and they do look cool. However the root system can keep the betta from getting oxygen. Also, bettas cannot live on just plant roots alone. Bettas are carnivores.
I have always fed my bettas Betta Bio Gold. They really seem to thrive on it. A betta usually lives to two years. I have had bettas live beyond 5 years.
Please love your betta and give him, or her, what they need.
Nifty Fish supplies
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happinessrules
Wow! Nice pictures of beautiful fish! 5 stars. Posted July 01, 2008 |
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hearthealth
I also heard Siamese Fighting Fish can be put together in a bowl, but only if the pet owner is ready to risk the fish biting the other's fins! 5* and faved, hope to see you in my art glass lens! Posted June 13, 2008 |
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eccles1
I was thinking about getting one but I never have much luck with fish! Posted May 28, 2008 |
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EverythingMouse
My children love their betta fish! Thanks for the lens. Posted May 01, 2008 |
