The price of a betta ranges from affordable to painfully eye-watering. Betta fish are awesome. Reputable Betta breeders say that a gallon tank is the minimum size, and 2.5 gallons and up is ideal. A Siamese fighter's price tag depends on its gender, looks and breeding. Interestingly, scientists have discovered that fish are capable of learning simple tricks, have a better memory than we give them credit for and they also recognize patterns, objects and people. Even when kept in a fish tank, live food is always better for them. Thanks for publicizing them. This “lung” gives bettas a survival perk: They can live in oxygen-depleted habitats that would kill most other species. Wild betta would tumble with each other and were later selectively bred for their aggression; the fights could continue for hours, and death wasn't a rule. People took note of how the wild fish were highly territorial and attacked other fish that encroached on their space, and began arranging fights between the fish as entertainment. Alliteration aside, Bettas can jump from their tanks and when they do, there is nothing jolly about it. In 1840, King Rama III gave a few fish from his collection to Theodor Cantor, a Danish zoologist and doctor. Siamese fighting fish is small-sized specie of fish that is carnivorous in nature. A few years ago, a Thai breeder produced a single fish resembling Thailand's flag. They are a brightly colored river fish in Southeast Asia that is a food source for much bigger fish. What's better than a betta? Traders keep them in small cups in pet stores, which is isn't Is the popular betta bachelor in need of a companion or is it better off living alone? Bettas have individual personalities and preferences about what they’ll attack, females included. While Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld is known for his fluffy white cat, in From Russia with Love he also keeps several Bettas and uses them to explain how SPECTRE will wait until its enemies have exhausted themselves fighting each other and then strike at the battered victor. One just needs to talk to owners to open the floodgates. The Betta Fish (also known as Siamese fighting fish) is an incredibly popular freshwater fish who’s beautiful and vividly colored tails can be found elegantly swimming in aquariums all around the world. But do these small, aesthetically-pleasing fish bowls provide a healthy environment for the fish? They’ll do this over and over for hours until the nest takes shape. Each species is characterized by its tails, and the betta has a typically long tail fin. The nifty ability comes from a sac-shaped organ above the gills. The genus Betta contains more than 73 recognized species, but the fish most people are familiar with is Betta splendens, or Siamese Fighting Fish.Wild betta fish are a dull greyish-green with short fins; nothing like the spectacularly colored, long-finned beauties of today! Because their native waters are often still or slow-moving with little dissolved oxygen, Betta fish have evolved a labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe in air from above the water’s surface. :). They are classified as labyrinth fish. Jana Louise Smit (author) from South Africa on June 28, 2020: Jana Louise Smit (author) from South Africa on April 07, 2020: Hi there, I'm glad you read the article. The fish are native to the central part of the country, but there are also populations further north and south and in nearby countries like Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Siamese fighting fish live in thickly overgrown ponds and in only very slowly flowing waters such as shallow rice paddies, stagnant pools, polluted streams, and other types of areas in which the water has a low-oxygen content. The ‘Siamese fighting fish’ is also known as ‘betta fish’, while the Thai and Khmer know it as ‘pla-kad’ and ‘trey krem’ respectively. Siamese Fighting Fish Description. The following are a few more fun and fascinating facts about bettas. Siamese fighters are the ultimate rainbows. Because the fish are common to very small bodies of water, even water-filled buffalo hoofprints, males must … A Siamese fighting fish is a small freshwater fish that is native to the Mekong river system of Southeast Asia. At home in Thailand, though, Bettas themselves are in trouble due to pollution, habitat loss, and loss of genetic diversity from breeding with escaped captive-bred fish. After introducing the fish to Europe, Cantor gave the species a formal scientific description and name. People soon noticed that the creatures were nippy, and fighting matches ensued. After the two circle and nudge each other a bit (which can result in torn fins and missing scales), spawning happens in what’s called a “nuptial embrace.” The male wraps himself around the female and they release their sperm and eggs simultaneously into the water. Betta fish are among the most popular and beautiful pet fish in the world, but that wasn’t always so. Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), sometimes simply called Bettas, are those pretty fish you often see swimming all alone in tiny bowls at pet stores and carnivals. Betting on the events became such a manic pastime that a lot of punters were financially ruined. Siamese (initially named Siamese Fighting Fish also known as SIFIFI) is a Danish rock and metal band. An adult betta of the normal variety grows around 2.5 inches long. The pure Siamese Fighting Fish has a stout elongated physique and brief rounded fins, with the feminine having shorter fins than the male. Most will be gasping near the surface, desperate for a good dose of oxygen, but it won't be enough in the end. Some of the information you may find helpful and others might just be of interest and add to your overall knowledge of betta fish. Find out how to properly care for your betta. Betta Fish are a popular freshwater aquarium fish, perhaps even the most popular type of freshwater aquarium fish in the US. Siamese Fighting Fish; Like most kids, you've probably had a goldfish as a pet before. Some keepers claim the giants are more difficult to breed and picky eaters while others say there is little difference apart from making concessions for its size—more food and tank space. Bettas are a member of the gourami family and are known as the highly territorial. That means more frequent cleaning and water changes, which stresses the fish out and can impact its health. © 2021 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. If all you know about these fish is that they fight, here’s a crash course in all things Betta. The proud pop usually treats her like an intruder and things can get hairy if she is not removed from the breeding tank. A stressed fish cannot resist illness or injury as it should and is prone to earlier death. The fish was a dull green-brown and paddled about in Siam (modern Thailand), Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China. As their historical name implies, these fish were first used for sport fighting in southeast Asia. One breed of Betta known as the “marble Betta” originated in an Indiana state prison, where an inmate was raising the fish in peanut butter jars in his cell. It sold for the equivalent of $1,500. They most certainly will, either from drying out or eventually running out of air. 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