Betta Fish Tips
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
What Is A Betta Fish?
They are 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 rice paddies of Thailand and Cambodia and called “Fighting Fish” in its native Thai.
The Betta fish is a relatively inexpensive way to enter the aquatic species ownership realm. Because these fish are descendants of the wild betta fish which live in oxygen-poor environments, Siamese fighting fish are capable of living in smaller containers than most aquarium fish, without the filters and aerators that other aquarium fish require.
Colors
A dalmatian orange male.
Bettas have been affectionately nicknamed “The Jewel of the Orient” due to the wide range of colors which are produced through apparently selective breeding.
Wild bettas only exhibit strong colors when they are agitated. However, breeders have been able to make this coloration permanent, and a wide variety of hues breed naturally. Bettas come in a variety of colors such as red, blue, turquoise, orange, yellow, green, or translucent. Most are slightly iridescent, and can appear to change color with different lighting or viewing angle. Breeders have also developed different color patterns such as marble and butterfly, as well as metallic shades such as copper, gold, and opaque.
Breeders around the world continue to develop new varieties. Often, the male species are sold preferentially in stores because of their beauty, compared to the females. Recently, breeders have developed in females the same range of colors previously only bred in males. However, females never develop fins as showy as males of the same type and are almost always more subdued in colouration.
B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 6.0 centimetres ie 2.4 in though some varieties reach 8.0 centimetres or 3.1 in in length. 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 i.e. Veiltail, Delta; Superdelta, and Halfmoon have been developed through selective breeding.
What Do They Eat?
Bettas have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders. In the wild, bettas feed on zooplankton and the larvae of mosquitoes and other insects, such as flies, crickets, or grasshoppers.
Bettas which feed on wide range of foods live longer, have richer colors, and heal fin damage more quickly. Typically, Betta pellets are a combination of mashed shrimp meal, fish meal, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and vitamins. Bettas will also eat live or frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp or daphnia.
For variety and fiber, bettas are fed finely-chopped, high-protein vegetables, such as soybeans, green beans, broccoli, corn, and carrots. Bettas cannot subsist on dried flaked food suitable for tropical fish. Bettas are carnivorous and therefore require meat products as well but will take new born fry such as Mollys, Platys and Swordtails. Bettas can get constipated, exhibiting a swollen stomach, which may cause them to get sick and possibly die. Bettas will also take sinking catfish pellets too, but may also cause constipation.
The Siamese fighting fish mate in a fashion that is called “nuptial embrace”, in which the male and female spiral around each other, around 10-41 eggs are released and fertilized at each embrace, until the female is exhausted of eggs. Once the female has released all of her eggs, she is chased away from the male’s territory, as it is likely that she’ll eat the eggs due to hunger. [3] The male carefully keeps every egg in his bubble nest, making sure none fall to the bottom, and repairing the bubble nest as needed. Incubation last 24-36 hours, and the eggs hatch in 3-4 days. Bettas live approximately 2-5 years, generally between 2-3, rarely 4-5 years.
Click This Link For More Information On The Betta Fish.
