Betta fish come in many different colors. The large fish that you see separated in individual glass bowls in the pet stores, are the males. They have to be kept in separate bowls because they will fight each other to the death. Betta fish come from Thailand and live in the shallow waters of the rice paddies. Their scientific name is “Betta Splendens”, which means “Splendid Warrior” or “Beautiful Warrior.”
Betta fish are also called “Siamese Fighting Fish.” This is why I never had one as a child. When we used to go to the pet store and see them alone in their little glass bowls, they seemed vicious. The name made them even more scary. There was no way that my mother was going to buy one of these for us, and we really didn’t want one. We opted instead, for the cute little goldfish and tropical fish. It’s a shame that the pet stores only called them Siamese Fighting Fish back then, because we missed out on owning a really fun pet.
If you want female bettas, it is possible to find females to purchase. You need a large fish tank if you are going to do this, with plenty of hiding places. It’s best to buy all of the female fish at the same time. Don’t put a male in with them. Males are only interested in females when it’s time to mate. Some females could get killed.
When the male and female are ready to mate, the male starts blowing bubbles and makes a bubble nest. The female lays the eggs and the male fertilizes them. He places the female’s eggs in the nest and tends to them until they hatch. The female leaves so that he doesn’t kill her. A pair of bettas can produce three hundred babies at one time. He might eat some of his young after they are able to swim.
Betta fish can live to be 2-4 years old. A more realistic number is between 6 and 18 months. If you put your betta in a tank with some aeration from a filter or stone bubbler, it will live for a longer time. Bettas can breathe air above water, but putting some oxygen into the water is beneficial to them. I have seen a difference in my own fish.
Bettas prefer to be alone, but if you get a fish tank that is ten gallons or more, you can try to mix them with other fish. Bottom feeders such as corytoras and otocinclus may do well with them. People have had success with white cloud minnows. Do not buy aggressive fish such as barbs. They will nip the fins of the betta. Brightly colored fish, such as fancy guppies, will confuse a male betta and he will attack them. They can be mistaken for another male betta. African Dwarf Frogs have also been suggested as suitable companions.
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Linda Nicastro
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