Facts About Siamese Fighting Fish

The name Siamese fighting fish has been derived from a Thai name ‘ikan bettah’, which means ‘biting fish’. Also known as betta fish or Betta Splendens, Siamese fighting fish is a small, tropical carnivorous fish that is recognized by the beautiful colors displayed on its body. It has long and elaborately colored fins. The fish is found in more than 25 different colors, with red, blue green, purple, yellow, orange, pastel, transparent, black, white, turquoise, cream being the most common. Siamese fighting fish can also be found in different color patterns, like marble and butterfly, and metallic shades such as copper, gold and platinum. They are commonly found in aquariums, as they are very easy to breed and can grow well even in small containers. Read on to find more interesting facts and amazing information on betta fish.

Facts About Siamese Fighting Fish

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Osphronemidae

Genus: Betta

Species: B. splendens

Group Name: School

Length: 6-8 cm

Lifespan: 2-5 years

Diet: Live food, flakes and frozen food.

Habitat: Shallow waters and ponds, rice paddies and moving streams.

Age of Sexual Maturity: 3 months

Gestation Period: 24-36 hours

Number of Offspring: 30

Interesting & Amazing Information On Betta Fish

Siamese fighting fish is found in the Mekong River that runs through different countries in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of China.
The fish has been named as a fighting fish, since it is extremely territorial in nature. The males cannot be kept together, as they fight until one or both are seriously injured.
The male Siamese fighting fish has longer fins as compared to its female counterpart.
Since the fish is carnivorous, it mainly feeds on insects such as crickets, flies or grasshoppers, brine shrimp, plankton, bloodworms, mosquito larvae and daphnia.
The fish is preyed on by many animals, such as larger fish, cats, newts, salamanders and birds.
The female Siamese fighting fish is chased away from the territory after laying eggs, as she is likely to eat the eggs. The male takes care of the eggs in the bubble nest.
Once the eggs hatch, the male Siamese fighting fish should be removed after two days, else it will eat up the young once they are free swimming.
The betta fish breathes atmospheric oxygen through a special organ known as labyrinth, which is located on the top of its head.
The health of a Siamese fighting fish is known by the richness of its color. The richer the color of the fish, the healthier it is.
Different varieties of the fish have been developed through selective breeding to differentiate on the tail shape, such as Veiltail, Crowntail, Combtail, Half-moon, Short-finned fighting style, Double-tail, Delta tail, Fantail, Halfsun and Rosetail.

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