I remember being at a store that sold aquarium fish several years back, and this guy came up to the tanks, pointed at the tiny Bettas, then pointed at another tank that had large-sized Koi and Goldfish in there and said, "that little Betta would beat down every fish in there." I almost died laughing at this guy's ignorance, but tried to keep it in. I was just like, "Oh, really. That's nice." I could have told him that I've seen them get their ass handed to 'em by little friendly community fish before, but elected to let it go because I was trying to shop. What a complete moron. Anyway...
The male Betta fish is way more colorful than the females. They have long fins and if you have them in a community tank, it is best not to have little pesky fish like Tiger Barbs in there or they will nip them to death. I know, I've seen it happen before. That reminds me... The biggest thing that bothers me about the Siamese Fighting Fish, is the constant promotion of how they can live in a little cup or bowl. Sure, they can, but would you like to live inside of a little tee-tiny, itty-bitty container?
The reason why they can live in such a small space is because they are a "labyrinth fish," as they have an auxiliary set of lungs to help their gills out. These "lungs" enable the Betta to live in a small receptacle, as they can literally come up for air. They are also bubblenest builders, which is a method they use to provide a nest for their fry via blowing bubbles at the surface. However, my favorite type of labyrinth fish/bubblenest builder is not the Siamese Fighting Fish, though, as I always preferred the Gouramis over them. I'll most likely write a post about the Gourami fish in the future, so that is all I'll say about that for now.
The bottom line: The Betta is a pretty fish that is easily managed and, in my opinion, is overrated. They are just too delicate for my liking, but they would be an excellent starter fish for little kids and tanks that are only 10 gallons or smaller (just not too small!).
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish
---End of Post "The Betta: Siamese Fighting Fish"
The male Betta fish is way more colorful than the females. They have long fins and if you have them in a community tank, it is best not to have little pesky fish like Tiger Barbs in there or they will nip them to death. I know, I've seen it happen before. That reminds me... The biggest thing that bothers me about the Siamese Fighting Fish, is the constant promotion of how they can live in a little cup or bowl. Sure, they can, but would you like to live inside of a little tee-tiny, itty-bitty container?
The reason why they can live in such a small space is because they are a "labyrinth fish," as they have an auxiliary set of lungs to help their gills out. These "lungs" enable the Betta to live in a small receptacle, as they can literally come up for air. They are also bubblenest builders, which is a method they use to provide a nest for their fry via blowing bubbles at the surface. However, my favorite type of labyrinth fish/bubblenest builder is not the Siamese Fighting Fish, though, as I always preferred the Gouramis over them. I'll most likely write a post about the Gourami fish in the future, so that is all I'll say about that for now.
The bottom line: The Betta is a pretty fish that is easily managed and, in my opinion, is overrated. They are just too delicate for my liking, but they would be an excellent starter fish for little kids and tanks that are only 10 gallons or smaller (just not too small!).
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish
---End of Post "The Betta: Siamese Fighting Fish"
No comments:
Post a Comment