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Betta
Betta Splendens
AKA:
Siamese Fighting Fish, Combatant
Description & origin: Bettas
are labyrinth fish.Labyrinth
fish include Gouramis (sub-family Trichogasterinae), Kissing fish
(family Helostomatidae) and Fighting fish (bettas) and Paradise fish
(sub-family Macropodinae)..The name labyrinth fish refers to the labyrinth organ
which is present in all these fish. This organ allows the fish to
absorb atmospheric oxygen that is taken in at the surface.In short, bettas breathe
AIR.That is why they need plenty of oxygen at
the surface and it not be plugged with a lid
or plant, as in the hideous "betta vase"
setup.Labyrinth
fish are native to Asia and Africa.
Bettas in
their wild form come from the rice patties and rivers of southeast Asia.The
betta in pet stores have been selectively
bred in all kinds of bright colors,nearly
any color imaginable. Females are smaller
than males, have shorter fins and generally
less color, but many females are very showy
little fish themselves.
Male Bettas can
not be put into the
same tank together as their instinct is to fight and nearly kill one another.This
territorial behavior no doubt derives from living
in such small quantities of water in the wild.
Females can sometimes be kept together in the same tank as long as it
is large enough and has enough cover to provide places they can avoid
one another.
I personally am not an advocate of this, wanting
to keep as little stress on my pets as possible.As
far as I'm concerned,(and this applies to all
fish)"survival of the fittest" should
not apply to an enclosed,artificial environment
like a fish tank.My
females have tanks totally to themselves.
I
am also not an advocate of competition-fighting
these fish, I feel it is a barbaric parctice
that people in this century should be above
in their intelligence and respect for living
creatures.
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