Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Labyrinth Fish > Siamese fighting fish

Betta - Siamese Fighting Fish

Family: Osphronemidae

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Betta splendens Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs

   The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish are truly a favorite fish that has been part of the aquarium hobby for a long time!

   Along with Paradise Fish, the Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish are said to be the oldest known fish to be kept in aquariums. This is a great fish for a beginning aquarium enthusiast or for someone who wants minimal space and upkeep, but still wishes to enjoy a beautiful fish.

   The name "fighting fish" comes from the fact that males will most often fight each other until either one or both of them are dead. For this reason you can only keep one male per tank.The needs of the Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish are minimal in comparison to other species. They are quite disease resistant, very resilient, readily available, and inexpensive.

   Wild male Betta's have short rounded fins The beautiful specimens that are available in pet stores today have been developed from the wild variety. Through selective breeding quite a number of different varieties have been developed, sporting gorgeous colors and incredible fin formations. Only the male has the long fins however, the female's fins will be shorter and they are generally more drab in color.

Betta Types For Sale
For sale online from Buy & receive at home!	Male Betta	Female Betta	Crown Tail	Twin Tail

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish Betta splendens were described by Regan in 1910. These fish are found in the Malayan peninsula and Thailand where they inhabit slow-moving waters with thick vegetation. They feed on a variety of plants and animals, including green algae and zooplankton as well as aquatic insects near the water surface.

Status:
   These fish are not endangered

Description:
   The natural Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish has a stout elongated body and short rounded fins. Their body coloration is a dull green and brown. Today there are many brilliantly colored varieties, and even some color patterns. Both male's and the female's have been developed through selective breeding. It is most common to see fancy colorful males, but females that were once quite a drab fish, are now available in much more intense colors and finage. Even so, females do not attain the same showy fins nor the color intensity that males of the same type do.

   Blue and red colors were the first and easiest to develop. They have now been followed by magenta, orange, white, yellow, and dark green colorations. Marble and butterfly patterns have emerged, as well as metallic tones such as copper, gold, and opaque.
   Bettas have been selectively bred for finage that is longer and of various shapes. The most common is the 'veil tail' (which is also seen in mollies and platies). Other tail forms include the 'double-tail', 'crown tail', 'half-moon', "plakat', and variations on these.
   Like all other labyrinth fish they can breath air, generally gulping it at the water's surface. They have a special 'labyrinth organ' which acts like a lung and enables them to survive in oxygen-depleted waters.

Size - Weight:
   The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish fish get up to 2.5 inches (6 cm). Their general life span is 2 - 3 years.

Care and feeding:
   The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish are carnivores, and will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and dry protein foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality protein pellet or flake food everyday. Also feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms.

   NOTE: A glass vase topped with a plant is a current trend today to create a decorative aquarium for this fish. This has led to confusion about the food requirements of these fish. They do not eat the roots of the plant. They are only protein eaters, not omnivores or vegetarians. They must be provided a protein food.

   This fish is quite hardy and will adapt to most aquarium conditions. Like all other anabantoids their special 'labyrinth organ' enables them to survive in oxygen-depleted waters. Because of this they can survive in smaller spaces. A minimum sized aquarium for a single specimen would be 3 gallons if kept in a warm room, and with regular maintenance. They will do best however in a larger aquarium, with adequate filtration and a heater, along with regular maintenance. A 10 gallon aquarium is recommended. Provide gentle water circulation and some sturdy aquarium plants. The aquarium should be covered to prevent jumps.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temperature: 75 - 86° F (24 - 30° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 35 dGH
   Ph: 5.0 - 8.8

Social Behaviors:
   Generally they are considered a good community fish, however the Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish can get picked on. Other tanks mates will sometimes keep nudging it as if though to get it moving,and sometimes the fins become an easy target for an occasional nip. It has been noted that occasionally a Betta will attack other tank mates. This generally seems to be a case of misidentification, usually it's a brightly colored platy or molly.
   Only one male can be kept in a tank as two males together will fight to the death. Females can be kept with each other and usually a male can be kept with females if the tank is quite large and there are plenty of hiding places.

Sexual Differences:
   The male is brightly colored and has long colorful fins. Female's have shorter fins and are rather drab in color, and they may display horizontal striping.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Like most of the labyrinth fish, the Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish are bubble nest builders and will readily breed if you put a male and a female together. Their eggs as well as the fry, are lighter than water and float to the top. See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Buy Bettas From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish is readily available and inexpensive. Specimens run $3.00 and up, with the more exotic varieties being more costly. Females usually cost less than males.

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Latest Comments
I bred Giant Bettas, size mostly range from 3 inches to 4 inches, some are 5 inches. There are problem with my Bettas, when I put smaller Betta to breed with the giant, the result will be very sad. From now on I can only breed the large male Betta with other large female Betta. My green and blue Giant Betta and the Butterfly Blue White Betta are now traveling to southern place in my country, where I live. One is 4 inches, while other is 3 inches half. They both are 5 months old. Amiene Rev 2009-10-11
I had my betta for 5 months! His light bulb went out so my dad bought a new one. My fish's name is Lu, he's like 2in. I feed him 3-4 pellets a day. I learned that they are carnivores! That's so cool. If u want to figure out more about them, then keep reading peoples comments. Good bye, u r welcome. iliketk 2009-10-07
I have a Beautiful betta fish named Neptune and he's different shades of blue. My sister has one too named Sundancer. He's red and purple. A week after she got sunny(his nickname) he started puffing. I had no idea what he was doing! But that's good for them. So now they are living happily ever after. Leanne 2009-10-05
When I was five I got my first pet- a betta fish, and I named him Flower (I was five, he was pinkish-red, and I thought he was a girl, alright?!). I had him for a year but then he died. Then I got another and named him Night. (Now, I'm in first grade.) Night lasted three years and he died on the last day of school in third grade. Then, I got another, in fourth grade, and named him Baseball and another a few weeks later to keep in school as our class pet who I named Fish. Baseball died a year later and a few months later, Fish. Then, I got another one and named him Fizzlepop. Fizzlepop is doing fine and I am in seventh grade now. (I'm 12)He also has a new 'friend' because last week I won a goldfish at the fair. I love betta fish! Ally 2009-08-07
I've had my betta for almost a year now and I'm happy to say that he is alive and well. I rescued him from WalMart in June of '08 because I wanted to try keeping an aquarium again since when I was a kid it had been a disaster. When I got there, all the other bettas looked sickly and did not look like I would be able to save them. But then, after looking for a couple of minutes, I saw my betta and he looked like a fighter! He was cramped in this little cup but still looked like he was determined to stay alive and not die there, so I took him home and gave him a name deserving of his fighting spirit; Guerrero. He was in a one gallon tank for a while, but now lives in a 2.5 gallon tank all by himself. He looks really happy and his fins and colors have recovered from his ordeal and now every morning I check up on him and am proud to have met the little guy! Andy 2009-04-23
Some of the coolest comments:
Bettas can be housed with different fish as long as you choose wisely and keep an eye on him/her for a few days. Fin nippers like some rasboras, some tetras, some danios and barbs, especially tiger barbs, should not be housed with males and sometimes females. Angelfish, fancy guppies, black and white skirt tetras, mollies, other labyrinth fish, small fancy goldfish and schools of neon tetras may cause male bettas to flare or attack them because of they might have the right colours or fins, but this is only true for the really aggressive male betta. My betta has all of those fish in his tank and he leaves them unharmed because he's not that aggressive. Females can be housed with all most any other fish but the males are not as easy to put into a community tank, but that does not mean it's impossible. If they are put into a community, the tank must be heated because without their heater they will be an easy target for any fish. They are slower in cold water and not as healthy. One male and one or more females can be housed together if they is enough hiding places and the tank is big enough, but sometimes the male will kill her if given the chance. It is also not impossible to keep more than on male in the tank, but they are best housed with only them self and no other male. I once kept two males together and they were fine. There was no fighting or killing but there was flaring. The Fish Guy 2008-12-14
In my experience with fish that require a large tank (I have a 3000 gal pond with seven koi), it was a relief to find a pleasant fish that could live in a signifacantly smaller area. Bettas can SURVIVE in under a gallon of water, but it is very cruel to the fish. Even one gallon is better than keeping them in the tiny betta bowls. Only when I put my betta Azura in a 1 gallon fish bowl did I see his true personality. It is a common myth that bettas can survive at room temperature. This is true; however, since they originated in tropical areas, you will see more movement if bettas are allowed a temperature around or slightly above 75 degrees F. Another aspect of the tank that should be taken into consideration is current. When placing bettas in a community tank there should be places on the surface where there is no current. Their bodies are not designed for fast swimming. Happy fishkeeping! The Koi Maiden 2007-01-29
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
Hello all, I have had a pair of betta splendens for about 8 months now. The male is a silver-grey longfin, spikey, and the female is orange with long fins. They recently started breeding but the male keeps eating the eggs. I have them living in a 40ltr aquarium with 6 rummy-nose tetras and 4 julii catfish, heavily planted with silk plants, temps around 27c and slightly acidic. I feed them granules, frozen bloodworms and freeze dried. They love showing off for each other and never found the male to be aggressive towards anyone. Highly recommended to anyone who likes slow and graceful fish in their tank. PS.. this the best site I've seen, keep up the good work and information coming... suckonmelefone 2008-12-04
I love bettas! I have a male and 4 females in the aquarium. I have a red female, 2 blue crown females, a blue female, and a red male. My two biggest and my medium females some times chase each other, but nothing happens. My male is really mellow and the little female always minds its busuness. Graet website! Bettas rule! Anonymous 2008-06-15
hi i just want to thank u warmly, because this site help me very much for the reproduction of my fighting fish. ALAN 2007-03-25

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Author: Clarice Brough, CFS