Fish Care Description
The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) is one of the most striking colored fish to have in the aquarium; they range from a lovely vivid blue, deep red, green or pink.
The whole body can be one color or variations of two colors were the body is pale and the fins and tail are a deep color. The tail and fins are long and flowing. Specialist breeders are constantly trying to get different variations and are coming up with some most unusual colors.
These fish are native to Thailand and Cambodia where they are found in the shallow waters of the rice paddies. They grow up to 2-3 inch in length with a lifespan of 3-5 years.
They were used as fighting fish in the same way they used fighting cocks as two males from the same variety are very aggressive towards one another (hence the name) thankfully this cruel sport has now been banned.
Housing
The Siamese fighting fish need a tank size of 30 gallons or more with a temperature of (7.2-8.2) and slow flowing waters with a ph of (6.8-7.5) the water filter should not be too strong as the current could damage the fins of the fish. Place lots of foliage in the tank as these fish are very slow swimmers therefore find it hard to escape a predator; they like to hide when feeling threatened.
It is better to put 4-6 females into the aquarium with just 1 male, never put 2 males together or you will certainly loose one of them in battle. They are quite easy to keep and will live quite happily with Moons, Loaches, Danios and Catfish and other similar natured fish.
If you decide to breed these fascinating fish it is amazing to watch as the male does most of the work. He has a labyrinth organ on his head which allows him to build a bubble nest by catching air bubbles then spitting them out onto the side of the tank near the surface of the water to make a nest, he does this until he has a thick enough layer of saliva covered eggs for his nest, he then squeezes his female (named the nuptial embrace) until she has expelled all her eggs, at this stage the female needs to be removed from the tank as the male may become aggressive towards her as she may try to eat the eggs.
He catches the eggs as they are dropping down to the surface and places them into the nest where they are then fertilized by him. After 2-3 days the fry will start to hatch, there are usually between 150-200 little ones and as they hatch they fall to the bottom of the tank and the male picks each one of them up and puts them back into the nest until they are fully developed and swimming actively, his work is then done and he can be put back into the community tank.
Feeding
The Siamese fighting fish are Carnivores so require some meat products in their diet such as Beef heart, bloodworms, Daphnia, brine shrimp and live insect larvae. They also require vegetables that are high in protein like green beans, broccoli, carrots and soya beans. If a good mixed variety of foods is given to these fish they will live longer and have a much nicer body color.
As these fish are very slow moving it is important to make sure they manage to get some of the food when amongst faster feeders.
