Betta Fish facts

1. Original name of a betta fish is "Siamese fighting fish" for the reason that this fish loves his own territory just like cats and dogs and fights with other fishes to establish his own identity when kept in a fish tank 
2. Betta fish have a unique organ called as "Labyrinth" that allows them to breathe air from outside of water. To make this happen they swim on top portions of water in their fish tanks. 
3. In the wild these are dark brown in color, but because of the extra efforts by betta enthusiast and experts you see so many varieties of beautiful and colorful bettas. These colorful fish with awesome tail types are not found in wild nature. 
4. Because of efforts taken by breeding experts today you can find almost 65 types of different betta fishes. 
5. Today you can buy this fighter fish from a local fish store in as many as 25 different colors. 
6. After laying eggs not the female but a male takes care of the eggs until they are hatched and babies are born. 
7. Bettas being tropical fish require all the necessary equipment in their fish tank like a normal tropical fish tank. Some of the most essential equipment includes a water heater with a built-in thermostat, fish tank thermometer, a strong filtration system and an air pump to stimulate top surface of water for easy air exchange between surroundings and fish tank water. 
8. In the wild these prefer live food like bloodworms and mosquito larva. If you can arrange live food for bettas in a fish tank then this will help to improve their lifespan. 
9. Life span of an adult betta is found to be 3-4 years but you can increase this by taking proper care and providing exactly the same habitat conditions found in the wild. Proper conditions include a tropical fish tank with all the necessary and essential equipment life a heater, filter and life food for your bettas.
10. As mentioned above male betta fish love to form their own territory in the fish tank and to respect this habit never keep two males in a single tank that is less than 20 gallons of capacity. 
11. The average length of an adult is about 7 cm. 
12. In the wild bettas can survive in the most extreme conditions like small rice puddles and dirty water. If they find it unhealthy they even try to jump into a bigger puddle nearby. 
13. If you feed healthy food to your betta like brine shrimp, live or dried bloodworms and daphnia you'll find their body color improving. This happens because these types of food are rich in proteins.
14. Unlike most other fish species these have a variety of tail types like "half moon", "double tail", "Rose tail", "Feather Tail" etc and are always classified based on their tail types. 
15. In their origin country Thailand, people bet on "betta fights" to earn money, like bull fights. 
16. Unlike males that don't like to live with each other, females are friendlier with each other and you can up to 4-5 females together in a single fish tank. However females also form a hierarchy of dominance when housed in the same tank. 
17. Breeding betta fish is a business in itself and expert fish breeders carefully study the entire process and take great care with extra equipment. Normally a different breeding tank is setup to take care of breeding process with all the necessary equipment.
18. Like cats and dogs, fish owners name their bettas and love them like their pet in the house. 
19. In the wild these species are most commonly found in Asian countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. 
20. The original fish family of bettas is "Gourami" fish species. 
21. Keeping these fish in a fish bowl is the last thing you must do. A healthy habitat for a male one includes at least 5 gallons of fish tank with all the necessary equipment required for a tropical fish tank like water heater, thermometer, air pump and a water filter.

   by  Daniella Vereeken