Beta Fish Care

Despite the popularity of beta fish in US offices and households, there still many misleading misconceptions about these creatures. They are vibrant and it is fun to care for them, but beta lovers can enjoy them only when they know how to care for a beta fish.And this is where myths continue to grow and spread like fire.

In this article, I aim to dispel some of the most common myths related to beta fish care.

Myth #1: beta's love small containers like bowls.
Probably this myth comes from the fact that in pet stores we see beta's kept in bowls, thus we get the idea that this is the right home for them. Actually, this is wrong. Bowls are not preferred; remember that in the wild beta fish are not limited in space. So a 3-gallon tank is highly recommended. Ideally, you should consider a 5-gallon home for your beta if you want to make them really happy.

Myth #2: two male beta's will fight to death.
While beta's tend to protect there territory from invaders, much depends on the size of the container. If you keep two males in a small bowl, they're likely to fight. But providing they live in a tank with enough space, they may share the territory pretty peacefully. Betas are not used to cruel fighting; like other species in the wild, they show their superior position by demonstration, and not fight.

Myth #3: you should feed beta fish as much as he can eat.
Betta owners should know that in the wild betas are carnivores. That is, they tend to eat as much as they can catch when there's food. A Betta can live up to a month without food, and that's why he eats up all the meal. Domesticated creatures should be fed in small portions to avoid any beta fish diseases like constipation and Swim bladder disease.

Myth 4: Betta fish tank doesn't need any heating.
Betas come from Asia, where temperatures in the wild are higher than temperature of the outside air in the US. Betas are tropical fish and need their water heated to the 79F - 85F degree range. Low water temperatures stress out the beta fish, lower their immune system and lead to diseases.

Myth 5: Betas prefer to eat plants, not meat.
Betta fish are not herbivores! They are carnivores, that is meat eaters. While it may sound strange because of the size of betas, plants are not suitable food for them. If you see a beta fish eating roots of some plant, then it's because he is starving! The most preferred food for them would be frozen bloodworms or flakes from local pet store.

Of course, there are more myths about beta fish care you should be aware of if you want to learn how to be a happy owner of these fancy freshwater creatures. You're welcome to my blog for more useful tips on how to care for beta fish.

Beta Fish Fight

Betta fish is also famous by the name of Siam Fighting Fish. Siam is the conventional name for Thailand. There are many variety of betta fish, the most widespread is Betta Splendens. Betta is local to Thailand and is found in several other parts of Asia as well, namely Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Betta is a labyrinth for the reason that it breathes oxygen from the air. Bettas are found in slow moving waters in paddy fields or small rivers. It is violent and defensive by temperament.

In several regions of Asia many people still employ them to fight for bets and it is one of the much loved past time. Through discriminating breeding and genetics development, now days we are seeing more diversities in finnage and colors of bettas. Halfmoon and plakat betta fishes are progressively becoming more preferred aquarium fish pets.

Betta fish fights to look after their area, to make sure that they have sufficient food, and also for the reason that they want to be “king of the hill” when the time for reproducing comes for them. These are hereditary qualities, and you can’t train your Betta fish to fight.

In case if you place two male Betta fishes together in the tank, they will flare up at each other – (this means they inflate, flaring out their fins and gill covers, to make themselves look superior and more intimidating.) Time and again one fish will make a clean breast defeat and swim away, leaving the other male winning.

When people started keeping and fighting Betta fish, violent behavior was bred into them, but over the last few years, this quality has started to be bred out of them.

For the majority of the time male Betta fishes will only bother other males. On the other hand it’s not completely unheard of for a male Betta fish to bother a new female or one that he feels endangered by, so it’s always an excellent idea to keep an eye on your Betta fish when you initially place another fish into the tank, or if you’re placing your Betta in with other fish.

At times a more violent Betta fish will pinch or bite the other fish. Therefore if you see this incident, take away the violent one right away to keep away from injuries.

Actually there is only one way to prevent your betta fish from fighting– don’t keep two male Betta fishes in the same tank. If you have just one tank and two male Betta fishes, you have two alternatives – one is to make use of a “fish condo” and the other one is to use a separator or single mesh divider.

Fish Condos: These are apparent plastic containers with air holes that allow the tank water flow all the way through them. Depending on the dimension of your tank, you can also fit in two, three or four space fish condos. Each Betta fish have possession of his own space, and you can put up visual blockades for example plants or java moss so that one betta fish can’t see the other.

You can also place a single mesh divider in one part of your tank that will maintain your male Betta fish alienated from each other.

As per Mr. Walt Maurus in a book named "Bettas a Complete Introduction," this diversity of betta was developed by a prisoner of the Indiana State Prison named Orville Gulley. He was trying to create a black butterfly betta in his prison cell in peanut butter jars and he was selling his extra fishes to Walt. Marble Betta fishes appeared in the middle of these extras and have been kept going by various other breeders. There are marbled bettas of approximately every color mixture possible now.

It seems that Dr. Pronger uncovered some fertilized betta eggs to x-ray radiation and as a result a number of them fry turned black in color. And the baby fishes produced from these eggs are known as melano betta fish. These melano bettas are excellent looking fish, but the female melanos don't produce sufficient eggs. It appears that the metamorphosis that produced the black pigment also changed the temperament of the egg membranes so that they are no longer water proof and no one of them ever hatch. That's the problem with rays…you can't just focus it on one genetic material.

What Gives Beta Fish Their Fighting Characteristics ?

Beta Fish Fighting

Betta fish are known for their colorful displays and aggression towards other members of their species. This is especially true of the males. These fish zealously protect their territory and nests. Because of this males must be separated from one another at all times. Even seeing other males through glass can stress the fish out and cause it to injure itself against the tank wall.

Females can be successfully kept in social groups, however, provided that the fish have enough space to roam in the tank. A single fish will generally establish itself as the leader of the social group and dominate the others, but females do not usually fight among themselves.

The aggressive behavior of Betta fish is what has led them to be traditionally used in a sport somewhat like cockfighting. Because of this, they are called Siamese fighting fish, as well. In some Asian countries, these fish are specially bred for fierceness. Fish used for fighting usually have short fins, unlike the decorative specimens we are used to seeing.

Male Betas flare their brightly colored fins and gill covers when they feel that their territory is being endangered. As they mature, these fish generally increase in aggression, rather than diminishing. They will attack other male Betas, as well as fingers and other objects that they mistake for them. The length and weight of their extravagant fins and tails will also increase with age.

When males encounter one another, they will first display to make themselves look as large as possible. If this attempt to fool the interloper does not work, the fish will then swim side by side, head to tail, and beat currents of water against one another. Sometimes they will slap and strike one another with their tails and sides. These actions do not cause injury normally. This behavior can escalate further, with the fish biting at one another’s tails and locking their mouths together.

They may stop the battle to surface for air, then return to fighting. A Beta which has capitulated the struggle will clamp his fins very close to his body and assume a head up position. This submissive posture shows the other male that he has surrendered. Males and females sometimes fight also, if the male is placed with the female before she is ready to spawn.