Beautiful Bettas: Simple-to-Keep Freshwater Fish
Kristen Sydelko
Betta fish, scientific name of Betta Slendens and also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are freshwater fish with very few requirements. They are great to keep in small apartments or even on an office desk. In fact, a college friend was given a betta as a present our freshman year. Unfortunately, my friend lived a 5 hour plane ride away from college. Guess who ended up with a betta during all college breaks and summer vacation?
Usually peaceful fish with beatiful flowing fins, bettas get their nicknames from the behavior that occurs when two males are placed together in the same bowl or in different bowls located next to each other. The males will fight until one is damaged or dead. You can also observe this activity with one betta if you place a mirror near the betta bowl - the fish will think there is another male nearby and wear itself out trying to fight. In Thailand, one of the bettas' countries of origin, fighting bettas against each other is considered a sport. However, most people have only one betta at a time, keep bettas in different rooms, or else use special containers with solid dividers to keep the bettas from seeing each other.
In their natural environments, bettas live in rice paddies or small puddles. They require little water to survive, making them ideal for keeping in small apartments or even at an office desk. Bettas must have access to air, though, as they have a lybyrinth organ that helps them to breath surface air. Without access to an air supply, they will suffocate.
As pets, bettas require a few items, but their requirements are very simple. While they do not need a heater to regulate water temperature, they should be kept in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Filters are also not required, but water changes should be done at least once a week or when the water becomes cloudy due to algae or excess fish food. A tap water conditioner to de-chlorinate water should also be used. In regards to diet, bettas are omnivores that do well eating betta-specific food, freeze-dried blood worms or brine shrimp. Feeding is recommended once a day, but you should take care to remove excess food after 3 minutes. If uneated food remains in the bowl, it will float to the bottom and rot. This creates both an unhealthy environment for your betta as well as extra water changing duties for you.
Most bettas are 2" to 3" when grown to adult size. They can be found in many variations of color, including reds, blues, peaches, and whites. Males by far have more color than females, and the males also have the beautiful flowing fins that people tend to associate with this fish. You can also find variations of bettas in regards to how the tail fins are formed. Twintail bettas have what look like two tail fins, while Crown Tail Bettas have fins that look like numerous pieces of string. The Super Delta Tail Bettas are probably my favorite, as their fins are very full and rich in color.
My friend's betta was a beautiful male that was donated to another friend of mine at the beginning of sophomore year. The friend who acquired the fish, whom we affectionately called Thomas, already had a few bettas and was very willing to take on a third. Thomas lived out the rest of his relatively long life on the mantle of a fireplace.
Special thanks to Clover Storm Photography for the picture of the Crown Tail Betta.
Reader Comments (3)
Bettas are indeed beautiful, but their lives look totally boring. Don't they mind being stuck in a little bowl with nothing to do their whole lives? Surely they would like something additional.
I have 5 betta fish. I have one that lives in a 40 gallon tank with lots of snails and vegetation. he swims the entirety of the tank and has several bubble nests. He also loves to sleep by his heater. It is not true that Bettas live in puddles. They will survive in a puddle but living in a barren puddle for long is simply not true. I have seen them in their environment in Thailand. They live in enriched (vegetation or fish etc) rice paddies and ponds. Keeping a Betta fish in a cup or bowl IS cruel.
I have my betta in my community tank with swordtails, angelfish, tetras, guppies and mollies. Obviously you can only keep one betta in the tank. They all get along very well together