Hello all,
A few pictures of my fat male Betta splendens:
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| Betta splendens - don't mind the algae, this was just before I cleaned the tank :-) |
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Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish
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Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish
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Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish
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If you should want to see where this blue beauty lives then this is its tank:
http://fishtankdk.blogspot.dk/2012/12/cryptocoryne-country-20-l-nano-aquarium.html
Information from Wikipedia:
B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 3
inches, including fins. Although known for their brilliant colors and
large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of
B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins
of wild specimens are relatively short. Brilliantly colored and longer
finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have
been developed through selective breeding.
Properly kept and fed a correct diet,
B. Splendens lives approximately 2-4 years in captivity but 5 is not uncommon. It is possible for them to live up to 10 years in rare cases.
The fish is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other members of the
Betta genus,
B. splendens is one of the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists.
Betta Species also prefer a warmer water climate than other tropical
fish - around 25-30 Degrees Celsius.(77-86 Degrees Fahrenheit)
Betta fish have an organ known as the labyrinth organ which allows
them to breathe air at the water's surface. It is often wrongly thought
that this organ allows Betta fish to be kept in unmaintained aquaria.
This is a misconception as poor water quality makes all tropical fish,
including Betta Splendens more susceptible to diseases such as fin rot.
The people of Siam and Malaya (now Thailand and Malaysia) are known to have collected these fish prior to the 19th century.
In the wild, bettas spar for only a few minutes or so before one fish
backs off. Bred specifically for fighting, domesticated betta matches
can go on for much longer, with winners determined by a willingness to
continue fighting. Once one fish retreats, the match is over. Large
amounts of money are wagered during these fights, with potential losses
as great as a person's home.
Seeing the popularity of these fights, the king of Siam started
licensing and collecting these fighting fish. In 1840, he gave some of
his prized fish to a man who, in turn, gave them to Dr. Theodor Cantor, a
medical scientist. Nine years later, Dr. Cantor wrote an article
describing them under the name
Macropodus pugnax. In 1909 the ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan, realizing that there was already a species with the name
Macropodus pugnax, renamed the domesticated Siamese fighting fish
Betta splendens.
Siamese fighting fish have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders, although some vegetable matter may be eaten. In the wild, they feed on zooplankton, crustaceans, the larvae of mosquitoes and other water bound insect larvae.
Typically, commercial betta pellets
are a combination of mashed shrimp meal, wheat flour, fish meal, brine
shrimp, bloodworms, and vitamins. These fish will also eat live or
frozen bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia, small freshwater shrimp, and small fishes.
Hatching brine shrimp is a popular method used by many in the aquarium hobby to obtain live food for their Betta fish.
Brine shrimp are the easiest live fish food to procure, hatch and
cultivate and are particularly nutritious when the nauplii are in their
early stages. Some aquarium fish are reluctant to accept dried or flake
foods therefore live food is occasionally necessary.
All the best,
Tokasper
