The Beta Fish
Their colorful and flashy colors, affordability, and small size make them an ideal choice for those just getting into aquarium fish. A Betta splendens aquarium fish is today among the most fascinating and beautiful in the world. It is well known that the males of B. splendens are known for having stunning colors and long fins. Their unique color pattern and long flowing fins make them popular among new and established aquarium fish enthusiasts alike. Also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, the Beta fish is one of the first animals that many people choose to keep. Its popularity is mainly due to it being a resistant animal, being easy to care for and for its affordable price and singular beauty. Despite the variety of fresh water fish species, Betta splendens is an extremely popular ornamental fish among hobby aquarists. The species exhibit an interesting behavioral repertoire, particularly where male aggression and territoriality are concerned. Only in Thailand, known for its ornamental fish production, Betta splendens represents 10% of annual fish exports. Most of the lists with the most recommended fish for beginners have the betta fish as an option. But this does not mean that they do not need basic care, such as maintaining proper water parameters. In this article we will cover absolutely everything you need to know about Beta fish.
Knowing the Beta Better
Betta splendens, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish or Beta, was first described as a species in 1910 by Regan. Wild fish have a brown-green color and both sexes are about 5 – 5.5 cm in size. Domesticated bettas however, can be larger than that, and females are a little smaller than males. Male ornamental fish are produced in wide range of colors and combinations. Females have less bright colors than males. There are two varieties of domestic bettas, the betta bred for fighting and the showy variety. The most recent classification of bettas, performed through phylogenetic evidence, places them in the Osphronemidae family (just as Trichogaster spp. and others gouramis), the Macropodusinae subfamily and the genus Betta. Even though it is a species that has long been commercially kept and widely bred in captivity, there is still a very sparse research literature documenting the optimum for various housing factors in ornamental fish keeping. As a consequence, the hobbyist mostly relies on non-scientific manuals, his/her own experience and that of his peers. This can frustrate a novice hobbyist who will likely abandon the hobby. It can also frustrate a more experienced hobbyist, who, later, will spread myths about that species due to their mismanagement of breeding or whatever. When we talk about establishing scientific standards, we are talking about knowing the ideal conditions to maintain and reproduce the animal in question. This deals directly with species conservation
The lack of scientific knowledge in Betta keeping is accompanied by a wide variety of aquariums (in many sizes and shapes), technical equipment (consisting of different types of filtration, heating and lighting systems), aquarium accessories (live plants, plastic ornaments, rocks, etc.) in both physical and online pet stores. Which ends up confusing the hobbyist even more. Consequently, ornamental lineage fish may be kept in any number of ways, some of which seem quite extreme. For example, a popular way of keeping Betta splendens is in a decorative vase, in which the animal lives in a very small volume of water without any temperature maintenance, filtration system or vegetation. In aquarium and pet stores, it is common to use small aquariums, like the ones mentioned above, to house male fish. That is, the fish are housed individually in transparent glass pots, sometimes the size of a cup. In addition, these containers are placed very close to each other, which causes constant stress on the animals due to visual contact. However, regardless of these issues and the reason why they are kept under these conditions, they directly convey to the hobbyist a false picture of how a Betta can be maintained. This is both due to the fact mentioned above, as well as the fact that this species can live in aquariums called “betta-vases”. Being close and in visual contact with each other makes the fish perform continuous aggressive displays, trying to chase their opponents. The display makes the fish look more “open”, allowing buyers to see its fins and colors, thus making it more attractive to buyers. I cite these examples to address some basic aquarium understandings that have been largely neglected in Beta fish keeping. These understandings include maintaining water quality, providing adequate space and filtration for the species, continued exposure to aggressive patterns, lack of hiding places, and many other factors. In short, the total lack of animal welfare.
Betta Biotope
The Siamese fighting fish is an anabantoid or labyrinth fish, commonly known as gouramies, native to Southeast Asia. Typical fighting fish habitats in Thailand are quiet, freshwater ponds with muddy bottoms or flooded rice paddy fields. Unlike domesticated strains, wild fish are small, inconspicuous, and dull brown or green in color. Their natural habitat is made up of shallow ponds and rice paddy fields with plenty of vegetation. This vegetation provides cover for fish-eating birds, like egrets, herons and kingfishers. Around 55 species of bettas have been described in Indochina. Each one displays one of two different types of egg brooding care (nest building and mouth brooding). Of all the 10 wild-type species found in Thailand, 4 are bubble nest builders and 6 are mouth brooders. B. splendens is the most well-known and the most widespread on the Central Plain. Its habitats are small bodies of water such as those in paddy fields, ponds, lagoons and marshes. These areas are typical slow water habitats with dense emergent vegetation on a clay-mud substrate. The water was characterized by high temperature, low oxygen, high free CO2, low salinity and acidic. Some factors are held responsible for the evolution of the species towards the use of shallow and marginal habitats to live and reproduce. Predation by other fish (usually larger) can be restricted to deeper water. Deeper water nests are notably more vulnerable, far from shore and without cover. Betas may benefit from reduced threat from predators or from interspecific competition by living in habitats with low oxygen availability. Bettas are a member of the Anabantidae family, known for their labyrinth organ, which is a pharyngeal diverticulum that enables consumption of oxygen from the air. Consequently, bettas can survive in water with oxygen levels of as low as 0 – 2 ppm, while other fish die at this concentration. Water temperature increases faster in shallow areas. In situ studies (in the place where the fish live), demonstrate that water temperatures of 30 degrees are favorable for reproduction and development of eggs. Hot water increases the frequency of bubble nest building and the frequency of females spawning. In addition, hot water can shorten egg incubation time and reduce the risk of egg predation. Ultimately, fertilized eggs and beta juveniles in shallow water habitats would have a higher survival rate than those in deeper water.
Flashy Fighters
Fighting Fish is well known for its aggressive behavior (we can already guess from its popular name, Fighting Fish) and for the territorial behavior of the males, which makes it popular for competitive fights in Asian countries. When placed in the same aquarium, male fish often battle until one dies. There are several differences between wild and domestic fish. The main difference is the color patterns, where fighting fish are selected for other characteristics in addition to color, so they usually have colors more similar to wild fish. Wild fighting fish are also much smaller than domestic ones. Traditionally, Thai people love to watch and bet on two combating males, with fights sometimes resulting in death. The market for fighting bloodlines, which has existed since the dawn of recorded history, has not changed much. Breeding fish to obtain the desired characteristics requires knowledge of the lineage of both male and female. Fish bred for fights are selected to have a robust and strong body, featuring thick scales and small fins as protection against opponents’ attacks. In this type of lineage, colors and patterns are not significant. Predisposition to attack vulnerable targets, such as fins and tails, is an extremely valuable ability. On the other hand, in terms of the market, raising males as ornamental fish for sale and export is becoming increasingly profitable. The characteristics that we seek to reproduce and improve for ornamental purposes are the intensity and pattern of color, iridescence of scales, shape and size of the body and fins.
Beta Fish Reproduction and Breeding
They are oviparous fish. They reach sexual maturity at around 6 months. The female lays her eggs in nests made by the male on the surface of the water. The male fish will build a bubble nest above the water, usually near leaves, and will court the female with body wobbles and tail ornamentations. As soon as the female releases eggs into the substrate, the male will fertilize and collect most of them with his mouth, then place them in the bubble nest. After the females finish laying eggs, the males chase the mated females out of the bubble nest areas and provide sole parental care for eggs and larval fish. Nest-keeping is the responsibility of the male; he recovers eggs or fry that have fallen off the nest while still incomplete. The father takes care of the progeny for one to two weeks, and can eat the larvae after this period. The labyrinth organ is also responsible for the production of air bubbles for nest building. Male Bettas build a bubble nest in the center of their territory, which is both a territorial mark and the site of egg deposition by the female. Males will defend territories in the water column near the surface that are centered on a bubble nest. They have very aggressive social displays including spreading their fins, biting and tail beating. The pair must be placed in a jar with proper dimensions in the presence of vegetation. The depth of water used should not exceed 15 cm so that the hatched fry that tend to sink can come up to the surface to breathe. Generally aquarists use the release of tannin and humic acids from leaves such as Terminalia catappa, among others, or from industrial blackwater extracts to darken the water and help keep the eggs healthy. Infusoria, water fleas (Daphnia sp. and Moina sp.) and brine shrimp nauplii are usually offered as first foods for fingerlings before they are gradually adapted to artificial feeding. The choice of artificial feed for the fingerlings (a litter can yield around 500 fry) should be selected for their size, so that they fit in their mouths. Decapsulated brine shrimp cysts have to be ground before mixing with floating material for efficient use as feed. Feeds of different sizes are used at various stages of development to ensure good health and survival of the litter. About two months after hatching, young males become morphologically distinguishable from females. To prevent males from starting to fight, isolate them at around 4 months of age.
Feeding the Beta
Bettas are carnivorous fish with a diet, in their natural habitat, consisting of mosquito larvae and other water insects, which form a source of protein and fat. It is estimated that adult male fish eat about ten to fifteen thousand larvae per year. In the aquarium, they will accept commercial feed without any problem. Live, fresh and frozen foods are acceptable as long as they are of animal origin.
The Perfect Beta Tank
The average lifespan of a beta fish is three years when they are in healthy condition, and they are occasionally able to grow to five years old. If you still have that image of a lone beta, housed in a small aquarium, and without further explanation it died “out of nowhere”. Better review this concept. Instead of living for a few weeks or a few months under these conditions, it could have lived much longer if it had been kept in the right conditions. This includes an aquarium sized according to the needs of the species, among other details that will be covered below. First of all, don’t get attached to the tank’s capacity, but rather to its dimensions. An aquarium for this species does not need to be very tall, but it should be of appropriate length and width. A minimum length of 30cm to 40cm, plus a width of 25cm, will be enough to keep a solitary male. Use and abuse plants and natural ornaments. Your aquarium will be much more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, and the fish will be more comfortable in natural conditions. One thing we hear a lot is that Betas shouldn’t be kept in tall tanks, or you could drown. This statement is a myth. This will only be possible if you deny access to the surface. Something rather unlikely in an aquarium. Assuming he has tall plants or ornaments that come close to the surface, most likely he will be stationary most of the time. This is because he will rest in this region among the plants, so the height will not influence his breathing process at all. Betta is a fish like any other that generates organic matter through its food and feces. So use a filter! Excess organic matter will make the water polluted, which can lead to illness or even death in the short term. The filter’s function will be to help clean the aquarium, making the environment healthier. But it won’t do any good to have a filtration system and not do its regular maintenance. Weekly, clean the filter, vacuum the substrate, and change the water. Measure the parameters with the help of tests and make sure they are in suitable condition for your fish. Betta fish are without a doubt one of the most popular fish for aquarium enthusiasts. That’s because it offers many benefits for its maintainers, especially for those starting out in this activity. After all, taking care of this adorable friend is simple and economical. They also have vigorous health, which reduces the risk of death. In addition, they are charming and adorable animals with their bright colors and full fins.