The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) is one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. It is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. It is native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia.
| Siamese fighting fish | |
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| A cambodian colored (light body, dark fins) male. | |
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| Species: | B. splendens
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| Binomial name | |
| Betta splendens | |
The natural colouration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short; brilliantly-coloured and longer-finned varieties have, however, been developed by breeders (see Appearance, below.)
As B. splendens is the Betta species most commonly known to aquarium hobbyists, it is often but imprecisely sold as, and referred to, simply as "betta" (as a common name), particularly in the United States. The name "betta" can, however, also refer to any of the nearly fifty other members of the genus, including the type species, the spotted betta (B. picta). The fish is known as pla-kad in its native Thailand.
Appearance
B. splendens grows to an overall length of approximately 6 cm (2.5 in), and has an average life span of four years. Well kept aquarium specimens have often lived well beyond six years. There are reports of captive Bettas living ten or more years in laboratory settings.
In Asian countries they have long been used in a sport similar to cockfighting, where it was necessary to have aggressive short-finned fish. Today, by selective breeding, it is not uncommon to see B. splendens with an array of colors and tails. Both female and male Bettas are now available in many colors, with new strains being developed constantly by dedicated breeders around the world. Females never develop finnage as showy as males of the same type, and are almost always more subdued in coloration. Also, the temperaments of both sexes are varied. Though males on average are more aggressive, some females have proven more aggressive than their male counterparts. See Behaviour.
Colours
Bettas come in a wide range of colours, which are produced through Selective breeding. Reds and dark blues are the easiest colours to purchase, being fairly hardy, and often breed true. They come in all colours except pale green which is untrue, magenta, bright orange it has been discovered (oranges do occur, however this trait is inconsistent, and solid orange has yet to be achieved), and emerald green. Breeders have also developed different color patterns such as marble and butterfly, as well as metallic colors such as copper, gold and platinum.
Behaviour
Both instinctive and learned behaviours of B. splendens have been studied in considerable detail. Its characteristic aggressive responses were studied in detail by Simpson (1968). They are readily elicited by its own reflection in a mirror placed outside an aquarium. Male Bettas flare their gill covers, called the operculum, in response to certain situations. Flaring is the act of "puffing-out" the fins and gill covers as to appear more impressive, either to intimidate other fish (especially rival males) or as an act of courtship. Females will display horizontal bars (unless they are too light a color for this to show) if stressed or frightened, as will males. There have been instances of female bettas flaring, although this is much less common. Flirting fish behave similarly, with vertical instead of horizontal stripes indicating a willingness and readiness to breed.
The capacity to turn aggressive behaviour on and off by using a mirror, without putting the subject at the risk of physical damage inherent in staging an actual aggressive conflict, made the fish a popular subject of study by ethologists and comparative psychologists interested in studying aggression. There was a stream of research on the fish's aggressive behaviour from the 1970s, though this has reduced lately, partly because of new approaches to studying aggression arising out of sociobiology, and partly because it was realised that, even if no tissue damage was done, repeatedly eliciting aggressive responses in the fish might be a source of stress. Interesting results were obtained, however; for example, it was shown that the presentation of such an aggression-eliciting stimulus will act as an unconditional stimulus in classical conditioning, and as a reinforcer in operant conditioning (Thompson, 1966). It is as if the fish finds the opportunity to attack another fish rewarding.
Other research has investigated the efficacy of tranquilizers in eliminating B. splendens’s fighting response[1] and the fish’s opponent assessment behaviour.[2] [3]
Under the right temperature range, (24-29°C) bettas are normally very active fish. They have good eyesight and will learn to surface for feeding time when a hand appears over the bowl and other simple recognition tools. During darker parts of the day, they may "sleep" or rest on the bottom of the tank or just under the surface where they can breathe. Bettas are very territorial and require a place to hide, even if there are no threats. They will cling very close to any plant or rocky alcove they can find, becoming highly possessive of it.
In the aquarium
Because of its beautiful colours and fin shapes, the Betta is popular with aquarists.
Members of the genus Betta, to which the Siamese fighting fish belongs, are a type of "labyrinth fish" (a name also given to anabantids) because they have a labyrinth organ in their heads that allows them to take oxygen directly from the atmosphere rather than from water via their gills. This flexibility allows these fish to survive in smaller spaces and in poorer conditions (e.g., in stagnant water) than would support other aquarium fish. Nonetheless, to keep an individual B. splendens, a minimum tank size of 8 litres (2 US gallons) is recommended, if it will be kept in a warm room. Some authorities maintain that for a betta to lead a happy life and live the maximum lifespan, as much as 35 litres (10 US gallons) is necessary.[4] This absolute minimum ratio (8 litres/fish) holds true for both females and males who are being housed individually as well as females who are being housed together; this means that the smallest tank that can become a female community tank is 35 litres (10 US gallons), which can hold four or five females. A tank of 22 litres or larger (6 US gallons) will allow use of a heater, to maintain a temperature of about 27 °C (81 °F). It is optimum to keep the pH levels of the water between 6.5 and 7.5. One must take care in monitoring the pH levels to ensure the health of the fish, specifically if CO2 injection is being used in a planted tank, which can result in rapid spikes of pH values. The floor of the tank should have, as a minimum, a thin (5 mm or 0.25 in) layer of gravel to increase the surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. Decorations can provide hiding places, especially important when two males are housed in a divided tank, or when the betta is living in a community tank. Every decoration must be free of rough areas or sharp points which can damage the delicate fins of the betta—for this reason, silk rather than plastic plants are recommended. Live plants will improve the water quality. Also, since the betta obtains oxygen from the air, the tank must not be covered with an air-tight lid and the betta must be able to easily reach the surface. (Note that some bettas enjoy leaping out of tanks, so a breathable lid is highly recommended.) If the betta has no access to air, it will suffocate.
In Canada and the United States, the Betta is sometimes sold in a vase with a plant, with the erroneous claim that the fish can feed on the roots of the plant. This is dangerous for the betta in two ways. First, the betta has a labyrinth organ which allows it to take in oxygen from the surface air, similar to the human lung. If the betta can't reach the surface of the water, which can be the case if a plant's roots are covering the surface, the betta will suffocate in a matter of hours. Secondly, Betta species are carnivorous and an appropriate food must be provided, such as dry "betta pellets" or live or frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. However, most aquarium-bred specimens will accept dried flaked food suitable for tropical fish. When kept in a small container such as a vase, the fish need frequent water changes, and the container must be kept in a warm room. A larger tank with a heater will provide better living conditions. Wherever the fish is kept, water must be treated with an appropriate water conditioner before use.
Betta males are the ones to raise the fry (baby bettas) and will, even when not in presence of female or fry, build bubble nests of various sizes and thicknesses on the top of their tanks. Various things have been shown to stimulate bubble nest construction, such as quick temperature change, barometer changes, materials in the tank and presences of other males or females.
Bear in mind that fish with 'fancier' tail forms such as half-moons can be more difficult for the novice aquarist to keep in optimum health.
There is a stereotype that in the wild, bettas live in tiny muddy pools, and therefore that it is acceptable, even kind, to keep them in bowls and small tanks. In reality, bettas live in vast paddies, the puddle myth originating from the fact that during the dry season, the paddies can dry out into small patches of water. It is not a natural state of affairs by any means, and in the wild, fish trapped in such puddles are likely to die in a short period of time when they dry out.
To maximize the lifespan of the fish and ensure their wellbeing, they should always be kept in appropriate sized tanks. As a rule of thumb, for each inch of fish there must be at least one gallon of water in its tank. Bettas idealy should be kept in a filtered tank 10 gallons or more and treated like any other freshwater tank fish. Although these conditions are ideal, with proper care and filtration a betta can be happily kept in a smaller tank.
Tankmates
Because of the aggressive nature of this species, tankmates must be chosen carefully, and two male B. splendens should not be housed in the same tank unless they are separated by a dividing wall. As a general rule, male Bettas cannot be housed together. It is possible to house two male bettas in a single very large tank, provided that there is plenty of cover (such as floating plants) and enough space for both males to establish their own territories. However, this is an extremely risky procedure because of the male's natural territoriality. These experiments in housing males together often end in the death of one or both inhabitants of the tank. (Male bettas do not 'fight to the death' in the wild; once one fish has clearly won the encounter, the loser will retreat to a safe location. In an aquarium, however, there is no place to run, and the winning fish will continue to attack the loser, often ending in death.)
While they might eventually mate, keeping a male and female together may prove too volatile since the male will often be much more aggressive and mating conditions must be precisely conducive. Oftentimes, breeders have a special container so the female may display without being harmed by the male prior to induced breeding.
Females may or may not be able to coexist peacefully in the same tank depending on their temperaments. They are not schooling fish, and are still rather aggressive, but with enough room and many hiding spaces, they can learn to get along. There should never be exactly two female bettas in a tank together—a pecking order, a hierarchy, is necessary for them to live peacefully. With only two fish, one will be the bully and the other will be picked on. However, with three or more, a hierarchy is established.
Before co-housing Siamese fighting fish with other species, their compatibility should be carefully researched, and the owner should have a back-up plan if the shared tank does not work. Although bettas are most aggressive towards each other, they have been known to kill very small fish or nip at the fins of fish such as fancy guppies; oftentimes, the betta will mistake their finnage for that of another male fish and attack the guppy. Certain fish should not be housed with bettas. Oftentimes, schooling fish become fin-nippers, making the betta a prime target because of their flowing fins. Also, aggressive fish like barbs should not be around bettas. Keepers have also reported problems when attempting to keep Betta in the company of piranha, for obvious reasons. It is strongly recommended that bettas given tankmates should be housed in a tank that is at least 35 litres (10 US gallons) with plenty of hiding places. Anything smaller will stress the Betta.
Common tankmates include mollies, catfish, or loaches. However, care should be taken when choosing tankmates, as certain species of fish attack the long fins of the male betta. The key is that the respective species is not aggressive and will not spurn a betta's aggression as well as thriving in similiar set-ups. For instance, apple snails should not be kept with bettas because the water condition will cause the detoriation of a snail's shell and snails are sometimes known to latch onto a betta's fins causing damage.
Lifespan and Diet
Normally betta fish live to be 2-5 years old, but some betta fishes live to be nearly 8 years old. Male bettas living in laboratories with large individual tanks and daily exercise have lived 10 years or longer.
Carnivorous, the betta feeds on zooplankton and mosquito and other insect larvae. Domesticated bettas will feed on bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp. Betta pellets are typically a combination of mashed shrimp meal, bloodworms, and various vitamins to enhance color and longevity. For variety and fiber, bettas may also be fed finely chopped vegetables high in protein such as soybeans, green beans, broccoli, corn, or carrots.
Bettas are primarily surface feeders, that is their mouths are upturned, so any food items added should be able to float on the surface of the water.
Bettas fare better with a large variety of foods and will often show brighter, richer, and deeper colors if they are fed a wide range of foods. They will also heal much more quickly from fin damage if their diets are high in protein and fiber.
Two common maladies afflicting Siamese fighting fish are fin rot and ich.
Ideal Tank Conditions
Since bettas are from the rice paddies of southern Asia, they typically thrive in conditions somewhat similiar to their origins. In the wild, the Siamese fighting fish inhabits standing or slow-moving water, including floodplains and rice paddies, at temperatures of 24 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F). This level of temperature should be used in the aquarium. The pH level should range between 6.5 and 7 (slightly acidic). Peat moss can be safely used to create softer acidic water since bettas are fine with water that is slightly tannic.
The most important factor in maintaining their ideal tank set-up is that bettas require consistent conditions. They are easily stressed by sudden changes in temperature, PH, or bacteria.
Breeding Bettas
Breeding bettas has been succefully performed by aquarists and fish farmers in various countries.
- The American Method
- The Thai Way
- The Shallow Method Spawn
- Leaving Father With Fry Method
10 tips for a successful reproduction
Betta splendens is one of the most wanted fish in everyone's aquarium. Breeding Bettas is not hard, though you might face problems at spawning them. They are oviparous fish, the male builds a nest in which the eggs/fry are kept for few days under the strict care of the Betta male. If you follow the next advices, you have big chances to get nice results of your Betta fish spawning.
1. Reproduction tank equipment: volume of at least 20-37 gallons, a heater, a sponge filter for later on, a thermometer and air pump connected to an air rock which will spread small bubbles. You need small bubbles because the fry are very sensitive to water movements and you don't want them to suffer.
2. The aquarium water must have a temperature of 28-29° C, a higher temperature will hurry the eggs hatching and the fry won't be fully developed. Keep the temperature constant using the heater and check it with the thermometer to make sure it is at the right level.
3. The water depth mustn't excel 10-15 cm because the Betta eggs are denser than water and they fall down from the nest. The male picks them up in its mouth and brings them back in the bubble nest, but a water column over 15 cm will tire it after few repetitions.
4. Cover the reproduction aquarium with a lid in order to keep the same temperature for the air inside the aquarium. The fry develop their labyrinth after about 30 days and they are very sensitive to temperature changes. The lid also protects against air flow which could ruin the bubble nest.
5. Select a compatible pair of Bettas. At first attempts you'll only want to get some fry and you won't be interested in colors/fins, but after some successful spawns you'll be more pretentious. So you'll chose same colored Bettas or even more, you'll look for developing some nice fins (double tails, crown tails, half moons, etc) but this is another discussion.
6. Introduce the male in the evening and only next morning introduce the female, considering that the male has already built the bubble nest. During the night keep the female in a jar near the aquarium and assure some light in order to make eye contact between the male and female; this will stimulate the bubble nest building.
7. The next day, after introducing the female, the Betta male will brutally chase her. That's why you have to put some plants in the corners of the aquarium in order to assure hiding places for the female. Also make sure you add some floating plants in order to help the bubble nest building.
8. After the first successful egg evacuation, the male (sometimes the female too) will take them (in the mouth) from the bottom of the aquarium and bring up in the bubble nest. You don't have to panic because this is a natural thing, so don't take the fish out thinking they eat their eggs - however, it is not rare for the female to eat the eggs.
9. A good pair of Bettas can spawn up to 400-500 eggs, although it has been recorded of up to 1,200 eggs, after which the female has to be taken out from the aquarium because the male will brutalize her in order to protect the nest. Put the female, for a few hours, in a jar with water where you added some metilen blue in order to prevent eventually infections caused by the wounds.
10. After about 48 hours the fry will hatch and the Betta male will assure they stay together in the bubble nest. After another 2-3 days the fry will swim free. Now it's time to take out the male and start feeding them with microworms, daphnia or immature brine shrimp.
References
- ^ Walaszek, E. J., and L. G. Abood (1956). "Effect of Tranquilizing Drugs on Fighting Response of Siamese Fighting Fish". Science. 124: 440‒1.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bronstein, Paul M. (1983). "Agonistic Sequences and the Assessment of Opponents in Male Betta splendens". American Journal of Psychology. 96 (2): 163–77.
- ^ Oliveira, Rui F., Peter K. McGregor, and Claire Latruffe (1998). "Know Thine Enemy: Fighting Fish Gather Information from Observing Conspecific Interactions". Proceedings: Biological Sciences. 265: 1045‒9.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Marcus Song, Caring for Betta Fish (Lulu Press, 2006). ISBN 1-4116-9365-5
- "Betta splendens". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 19 March.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Betta splendens". FishBase. November 2005 version.
- Simpson, M. J. A. (1968). The display of the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens. Animal Behaviour Monographs, 1, 1-73.
- Thompson, T. (1966). Operant and Classically-Conditioned Aggressive Behavior in Siamese Fighting Fish. American Zoologist, 6, 629-641 (doi:10.1093/icb/6.4.629).
External links
- International Betta Congress (International Betta Judging Organization)
- Template:Dmoz
- Video of Siamese Fighting Fish Spawning from Google video
- Breeding Bettas
- Tropical aquarium fish blog