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Long ago, two rival princes fell in love with a beautiful water nymph. They dueled to the death, but the fates were against them both. Both princes received grievous wounds from their weapons and they both died. The nymph felt sorry for her two mortal admirers, so she asked the help of the gods to bring them back to life.
A water goddess heard her plea and changed the princes into two tiny fishes. They were tiny, but very beautiful, their scales and fins were like the gold and jewels they had worn before they were transformed. The nymph welcomed them to live in her river, but there was still no peace between the foolish fish-princes. Every time they saw each other, they still fought, forever fighting for the lady they love.
This is the legend of the Siamese fighting fish, or Betta splendens. Like aquatic jewels, they catch our fancy whenever they are on sale in pet stores. They are hardy fishes, and easy to care for in a small tank of its own. Never put them together though, or they will fight each other to the death.
Commonly called Bettas by aquarists, Siamese fighting fish are natives to the clear, but weedy fresh waters of Malaysia and Thailand (Siam). They have been cultured for centuries because of their aggressive nature, in Thailand, male Bettas are pitted against each other and bets are made. Champion winners are bred with females to produce more future fighters.
Bettas are very easy to care for; they don’t need aerators or fancy aquarium accessories unlike most tropical fish. Like gouramis, half-beaks and wild guppies, they can live in oxygen-poor water. Bettas are labyrinth fishes, so called because of the presence of labyrinth-like, folded tissues in their gill cavities. These are richly supplied with blood vessels and can absorb oxygen from air. This air breathing becomes a requirement some weeks after hatching; bettas denied access to the water surface can drown.
Wild Bettas and those bred especially for fighting purposes have short fins and are not as brightly colored. It was only during the 1890’s when European breeding began to develop longer-finned and brighter-colored varieties for the aquarium fanciers. Bettas come in a rainbow of iridescent colors, blue, turquoise, emerald green, gold-orange, purple (amethyst) and red. Albinos with red eyes and silvery or goldfish tinges on their scales also occur from time to time.
Courtship is elaborate and long. A male Betta will make a nest of bubbles with mucous and entice a female who is ready to lay into his territory. After a lengthy display of fins and chasing around, the male entwines his body around the female to squeeze the eggs from her body. He then gathers the eggs in his mouth and puts them in the safety of his bubble nest.
After that, the female’s role is over and she is viciously chased away. The male will guard the eggs until they hatch and take care of the fry until they are ready to make it on their own. Bettas can be raised in small 5-gallon tanks. The female, which has shorter fins and paler color is ready to lay eggs when her ovipositor or egg tube can be seen extended on her rear end, which is located between the anal fins and the tail.
A tank with a gravel bottom makes a good nursery tank. Place the male Betta ahead so he can make the bubble nest. Make sure he has sight of the female in another tank. When the nest is finished, you can transfer the female with him and let nature take its course. Be sure to remove the female Betta after she has laid her eggs or the male might inflict serious damage to her.
The eggs will hatch in a few days; let the male stay so he can care for them and the newly hatched fry. Siamese fighting fish will mature in two months, live food such as tubifex worms and daphnia are best for growing hatchlings.
With proper care Bettas live for two to three years. In large tanks, one male Betta can get along well with other fishes like zebra danios, tetras and angel fish. Just make sure you provide lots of aquatic plants for hiding places. Female Bettas are not so aggressive and can be together until they are ready to breed, but you will need a larger tank since they prefer their space.
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