Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens), or just beta, is one of the most popular aquarium fish in the world. It attracts not only with its bright appearance, but also unique behavior, the ability to breathe atmospheric air and legendary aggressiveness between males.
🌟 What makes the Siamese Fighting Fish unique?
✔ Incredible beauty and variety of colors
✔ It has a labyrinth organ that allows you to breathe air
✔ Males conduct ritual fights and build nests out of foam
✔ It is one of the oldest breeding fish
Siamese fighting fish are more than just aquarium favorites. This a symbol of power, beauty and historywhich has accompanied humanity for more than 700 years. Let's take a look at all aspects of the life of this amazing fish.
Scientific classification
🔬 Classification of the Siamese fighting fish:
✔ The Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
✔ Type: Chordal (Chordata)
✔ Class: Lucheperi pisces (Actinopterygii)
✔ Row: Wholesale (Anabantiformes)
✔ Family: Osphronemes (Osphronemidae)
✔ Gender: Fighting fish (Betta)
✔ View: Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens)
📌 Interesting!
Gender Betta it includes more than 70 types, but Betta splendens it is the most famous and widespread in aquariums.
Appearance and anatomy
, Main Features:
✔ Body length: 5-7 cm (sometimes up to 10 cm)
✔ Weight: 3-4 grams
✔ Life span: 2-4 years (in aquariums up to 5 years)
🔹 Appearance:
✅ Elongated, slightly flattened from the sides of the body
✅ Large fins in males, resembling wings
✅ A variety of colors: red, blue, purple, white, black, etc
✅ Large, attentive eyes that watch everything around them
📌 Interesting!
Fighting fish are able to change the shade of color depending on the mood and lighting.
Habitat and distribution
🌍 Natural range:
The Siamese Fighting fish comes from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
🔹 Typical habitats:
Slow-moving rivers, swamps, and rice paddies
✅ Ponds with dense vegetation
✅ Reservoirs with low oxygen levels
📌 Interesting!
Thanks to the labyrinth organ, this fish can breathe atmospheric airwhich helps it survive in dry water bodies.
Lifestyle and behavior
🔹 Basic behavioral traits:
✔ Males are aggressive and attack competitors
✔ They build foamy nests for caviar
✔ They can live in small aquariums
✔ Interact with the owner and remember it
📌 Interesting!
Siamese fighting fish can recognize the owner and respond to their movementslike dogs or cats.
Food
Fighting fish – predatorwhich preys on small invertebrates in nature.
🔹 What does she eat?
✅ Small insects (mosquitoes, flies)
✅ Crustaceans
✅ Worms
✅ High-protein dry and frozen foods
📌 Interesting!
Fish do not overeat in nature, but in the aquarium prone to obesity, so it needs to be fed in dosage.
Reproduction and development
🔹 Features of reproduction:
✅ The male builds a nest of foam on the surface of the water
✅ During spawning, the male covers the female and releases eggs
✅ He collects the eggs with his mouth and puts them in the nest
✅ Fry hatch in 24-36 hours
📌 Interesting!
Male after spawning takes care of caviar and fry it can even attack the female if she gets close to the nest.
Natural enemies and threats
🔹 Natural enemies:
Khiz predatory fish
Birds of prey (herons, kingfishers)
Great large aquatic insects
🔹 Threats from humans:
Zabrudnennya water pollution
Znishchennya destruction of natural habitats
Supramir overfishing for trade
📌 Interesting!
Previously, Siamese fighting fish were bred specifically for fighting, which was very popular in Thailand.
Fighting Fish and man
🔹 Why is fight fish so popular?
✅ Beautiful fin colors and shapes
✅ Easy maintenance in small aquariums
✅ Interesting behavior and interaction with the owner
✅ Does not require additional aeration through the labyrinth organ
📌 Interesting!
Decorative fighting fish have more than 500 color options and dozens of fin shapes, including Voile-tailed, Royal, Halfmoon, Crowntail, and others.
Interesting facts about the Siamese Fighting Fish
✔ One of the oldest breeding fish (about 700 years in captivity)
✔ Can recognize the owner and learn simple tricks
✔ Males take care of their offspring and protect them
✔ They live even in small cans, but they need warm water (24-28°C)
Conclusion
The Siamese Fighting Fish is not just an ornamental fish, and the real symbol refinement, character and endurance. She impresses with her colors, behavior and unique abilities.
📢 If you want to have an unusual pet-fighting fish will be a great choice! 🐠✨
