Betta Fish Facts to Know

Betta fish or Betta Splendens or Siamese fighting fish are native to the lands of Thailand, Vietnam, China, and other related regions. They were first spotted in Cambodia, Thailand. In fact, Cambodia use to be known as Siam, hence the name Siamese fighting fish. They are called fighting fish, because they are extremely territorial. Males cannot be kept together because all they will do is fight until one or both are seriously injured. Betta fish can grow to three inches are famous for their long flowing fins.

You can pick out a betta fish right away in a tank because they look like something completely different from other fish. A betta fish is usually in shades of blues, reds, purples, or sometimes-even white. The way to spot a male is because males are more vibrant in color and their fins are longer. Females also have some vertical stripes when healthy. If you think that you may be looking at a female betta fish in the pet store, but don’t see the stripes, you may want to think again about purchasing one since it’s probably sickly. Betta fish prefer to eat live foods, but flakes or frozen foods will be just as fine.

Why are betta fish so popular as pets? Well the first thing that will attract an aquarium lover to betta fish is the way they look. They have rich colors and dramatic fins. Their size isn’t bad either since they are considerably small. Bettas also have a distinct personaility. They wag their tails like a pup and act just as cute. Remember, they have a mind of their own as well. To see a betta’s true personality it has to be happy.

When betta fish are happy and healthy you will notice that they are playful and they move with such grace. Unhappy and unhealthy betta fish will move extremely slow and in a very depressing way. Since there are many betta fish that are breeded specially to get certain colors that aren’t the traditional colors, you will find that you will soon be collecting these beauties. The only thing is that you have to give them enough tank space and also surface space. Surface space is important because betta fish cannot breath while in the water, but they breath directly from the surface.

When it comes to betta fish, you will need to know that there are only a few things to keep in mind. First, you need to keep in mind the temperature. You need to keep the tank between 75f-85F. The ammonia levels are sometime to worry about. Often new tanks will make the tank build up high levels of ammonia, which will kill, or make the fish sick. This is easily taken care of if you just make sure that the tank is washed properly and the water is changed on a regular basis. If the water is good, then your betta fish will surely live their full lifespan of two or three years. They could even live-longer with proper care.

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Magne Bjorklund: http://www.betta-fish.org/

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