You may be well acquainted with bright colorful fighting fish, even if you are not a fish enthusiast. These fish are Betta Fish. They were initially discovered in Southeast Asia but were later exported to America in the 1800s because of their beautiful appearance and unique nature.
Betta Fish originate from Southeast Asia.
Betta Fish can be found in almost every fish store and aquarium in the USA. But despite their availability, these fish are not native to America. They are found in Southeast Asian countries like Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
They are found in puddles and paddy fields and have been known to live in harsh conditions. No wonder their average lifespan ranges from 4-5 years.
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Betta Fish are also known as Siamese fighting fish.
This may not come as a surprise because betta fish are known as fighting fish worldwide. Their name comes from the territorial nature of the fish. Female fish can stay in groups until the places become crowded. But male betta are very territorial. They fight each other for breeding grounds.
Betta Fish are known as ‘Siamese Fish’. They were bred to fight and even the King of Thailand enjoyed watching them fight.
Male Betta Fish are loving dads.
Although they are known as ‘fighting fish’, Betta fish turn a leaf for their children. The male betta fish takes care of the eggs and raises them. He makes bubble nests and ensures that none of the eggs go astray.
Betta fish may be territorial and they may be feisty little fish, but they have a soft spot for their babies. The mela Betta fish keeps the eggs in the bubble nest they’ve built and protects them fiercely.
Betta fish have both labyrinth organs and gills.
Their labyrinth organ allows them to breathe air without using gills. The labyrinth organ is similar to the lungs, allowing Betta Fish to breathe even when out of water. But they need water to survive and mainly depend on oxygen to survive.
Betta Fish are known to survive an hour on land. This shows how tough these marvelous creations can be.
Betta fish can jump 3 inches high on average.
Betta Fish are not just intelligent but athletic too(as athletic as a fish can get). If they do not like the environment of the aquarium or if they are constantly being dominated by other Betta Fish or other territorial Fish, they can jump out of the water. They do this in search of better living space.
Betta fish can jump 3 inches high and that is on average. If you own a Betta and see them out of the aquarium, it is a sign that something is not right with the aquarium. It could be a lack of enrichment or harsh water with high nitrate contents.
Betta fish can learn the tricks.
They need a lot of enrichment because they are highly intelligent fish. It has been noticed that these intelligent fish can recognize their owners and swim toward them. This is a reason why the betta fish tank needs to have proper enrichment like caves, rocks driftwood, etc.
Betta fish are carnivores
These beautiful fish that look like angels are carnivores. Many betta fish owners who need to do proper research, make a common mistake of not providing the proper diet. These fish have sharp teeth meant for a carnivore diet.
Unfortunately, this leads to the fish falling sick and even dying in extreme conditions. They should not have worms and small insects in addition to the packaged fish food. Packaged food does not contain the essential nutrients that it is for us.
Betta fish have over 70 different variation
Betta fish has over 70 different variations. The Betta Fish in the market are comparatively more colorful than the ones found in the wild. It makes sense, the ones in the market are selectively bred to look more appealing to the eyes, and the ones in the wild need to camouflage in the wild to survive.
And they have about 14 different tail variations. The different varieties are made because of selective breeding to get a certain color or a certain shape like crown tail, comb tail, etc.
Conclusion
Betta Fish are lovely and it is natural to want them as companion pets. But, you need to be very conscious and alert if you get them as pets. They require at least 10 gallons of water and if you pair them wrong, it could stress both of them and make them sick.
Moreover, it is the diet you need to focus on too. They have small larvae and insects in the wild and you need to incorporate them into their regular diet and not just depend on the packaged die.
FAQs
1. What is special about betta fish?
The labyrinth lungs allow them to breathe out of water. They can survive without water for 1 hour.
2. What cool things can betta fish do?
Betta fish can learn tricks and they can jump 3 inches high on average.
3. How smart is a betta fish?
A betta fish can learn tricks like going through hoops recognizing their owners and swimming toward them.
4. What keeps beta fish happy?
Betta Fish need a lot of enrichment and space to be happy.
5. Is Betta Fish lucky at home?
Betta Fish is considered to be lucky and bring prosperity.