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After goldfish, the tropical fish betta is probably
the second most popular fish kept. The Betta Splendens
is a favorite because of its beauty, its long fins and
because they are relatively easy to care for. Male Betta
have long, velvety and colorful fins, and a biting and
fighting personality. The females are less colorful.
The betta fish is also known as Siamese fighting fish.
If you put 2 Male betta fish together, they will fight
till one of the party is dead.
Like
peacocks, male betta fish outshine their female counterparts.
You might see a female betta or two at the pet store,
but they don't make such interesting pets. Male betta
fish will kill other fish, so they must be kept all
alone. But tropical fish betta do not have to be kept
in "solitary confinement." Females
can live together, and males, who will fight with other
male bettas, can nevertheless be placed singly in a
"community" aquarium containing other
species of fish. Males can be put singly into a large
community of fish.
Betta
is classified as a fresh water fish, however in addition
to standard gills that are used to extract oxygen from
the water, they have a specialized labyrinth organ that
allows them to breathe atmospheric air through their
mouths. Betta fish species include Twin Tail
Betta, Crown Tail Betta, Blue Paradise, Marine Betta
and Western Blue Devil.
Betta
fish are native to Asia, where they live in the shallow
water of rice paddies, ponds, or slow-moving streams.
Thus you usually bring them back in a small cup/plastic
bag from the fish shop. You can let it into a bigger
tank, preferably 10 gallons of water, and the tropical
fish betta will start to "explore"
and get used to it. |