Siamese fighting fish

📖 Overview

Facultative air-breathing ; Occur in standing waters of floodplains, canals, rice paddies and medium to large rivers . Feed on zooplankton, mosquito and other insect larvae . Air breather and bubble nest builder. Used in behavioral studies . Males will fight each other. The many colorful varieties are popular aquarium fish, however, the holding of the males in very small containers should be discouraged . Aquarium keeping: sexes should be kept separate unless for mating, and that only one female should be brought into the breeding tank measuring about 20-30 L (http://www.kampffischnet.de).

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 1; Vertebrae: 29 - 34. Reddish bars on opercle .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Siamese fighting fish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Betta splendens is naturally carnivorous, feeding on zooplankton, small crustaceans, and the larvae of aquatic insects such as mosquito as well as insects that have fallen into the water and algae. Contrary to some marketing materials in the pet trade, bettas cannot subsist solely on vegetation or the roots of plants. Although Betta splendens is carnivorous, there are factors that affect juvenile health, such as limited ability for carbohydrate digestion. This can occur in young Betta splendens because their intestines are a lot shorter and their carbohydrate digestive enzymes are not as active as adult bettas. Bettas can also adhere to a diet including rotifers, infusorians, and water fleas, but some of these organisms are derived from avian and porcine farms that can cause diseases, potentially harming the bettas. Even though carbohydrates from a carnivorous diet are essential for maturation in bettas, research on betta health has provided alternatives for food other than their typical diet. Some of these alternatives include microwave cooking, digestive enzyme supplementation, and probiotics, some of which may be found in betta fish food in pet stores.

🥚 Reproduction

Builds bubble-nest which is guarded by male.

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19. Tropical; 24°C - 30°C ; 22°N - 8°N, 99°E - 107°E

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🦠 Common Diseases

The following diseases are known to affect Siamese fighting fish.

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 30 records indexed .

👥 Community & Contribute