Betta, or Siamese Fighting Fish - a Great Fish for Beginners

If you are new to the fish keeping hobby, and do not want much hassle, consider the Betta, or Siamese Fighting Fish. They are incredibly beautiful, easy to care for and can be very active fish.

About the Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish

Betta fish are both beautiful and interesting. The male of the species is most often sold in pet stores, as his fins are much longer and showier than his female counterpart. The male Betta has extremely long and flowing fins. They come in a very wide variety of colors from white to purple, red and pink.

Choosing a Betta

If you visit pet shops, chances are that you have seen the Siamese Fighting Fish displayed in tiny little bowls. They are easily recognizable by their long and flowing fins.

If you are going to buy one, look for one which is fairly active. In fact, the Betta fish is very aggressive and if two males are in bowls next to each other, they may ram against the glass and try to fight.

You will want to make sure that the fish has bright color and bright eyes. Check around his gills and make sure there is no inflammation or discoloration. This might be a sign of disease.

You should also take a look around the pet shop and make sure that the rest of the fish tanks and bowls look clean and well tended. If you see a lot of dead fish, you may want to purchase elsewhere.

Care for Your new Siamese Fighting Fish

Betta fish are very easy to care for. There has been a trend in recent years to sell them in glass vases with Peace Lilies on the top. It is said that the Siamese Fighting Fish can survive by eating the roots of the plants and that you don't have to change the water.

However, this is not true. Leaving your new Betta fish in a bowl with no food and stagnant, non-changing water is a sure way to kill him.

The best place to keep a Siamese Fighting Fish or Betta fish is in a bowl or small fish tank. They do not need anything fancy. Your Betta will do just fine in a bowl, but may really thrive in a small aquarium with some water filtration.

Water Changes

If you have decided to keep your Siamese Fighting Fish in a bowl, you will have to do a partial water change every few days to a week. Never change all of the water. Remove about 25 percent of it. Then replace the water with dechlorinated, room temperature tap water. Chlorine will kill your fish, so make sure to either set it out over night, or use a readily available dechlorinator. You can find it in almost any pet shop.

If you are keeping your Betta fish in a small fish tank, check out this article for help in keeping the tank clean: www.associatedcontent.com/article/109846/maintaining_your_tropical_fish_aquarium.html.

Feeding Your Siamese Fighting Fish

Feeding your Betta Fish is very easy. You can buy commercial Betta pellets quite readily. Most Betta will not eat fish flakes, though, so if you are buying a new Betta, be sure to pick up some food.

As you get more advanced, you can try some live foods, frozen foods or dried worms for your Betta. But for now, your new fish will do just fine with his pellets.

Put a few pellets into the tank once a day. You should follow the directions on the Betta food label, but be cautious. If you notice that your Betta is getting lethargic and fat, back off with the food. You will kill him quickly by over feeding. You may only want to feed him every other day.

Labyrinth Organ

The Siamese Fighting Fish can not breathe the oxygen out of the water like most other fish can. Instead, he must swim to the top of the tank and gulp some air. He uses his special labyrinth organ to do this.

Make sure that there is room for him to get some air at the top of the fish tank or bowl. It is very important for there to be fresh air at the top for him to breathe.

Tankmates for the Betta Fish

You can NEVER keep two male Siamese Fighting fish together. They are very aggressive toward each other and may fight to the death. In nature, one would be able to swim away from the other, but in a bowl or aquarium, there will be no place to hide.

It is also a good idea not to keep a male and female Betta together. If you are thinking about breeding your Siamese Fighting Fish, you can keep them together for a limited time and under limited conditions. But, for the most part, keep them apart or they will do some damage to each other.

You may or may not have success integrating your Betta fish into your tropical aquarium. It may just depend on the individual fish. If you have aggressive or nippy fish in your tropical fish tank, do not add in a Betta. His fins will be bright targets. But if you have peaceful community fish, you can try adding in the Betta. It may depend on how aggressive the Betta is though. I have had both success and failures with this.

Bubble Nest

Male Siamese Fighting Fish are bubble nest builders. They actually care for the eggs from fertilization until hatching. So, if you see some bubbles or froth on the top of your fish bowl or fish tank, try not to disturb them. This has been the work of your Betta fish. A bubble nest is also a sign of a happy and healthy fish.

Enjoy Your new Siamese Fighting Fish

You new Siamese Fighting fish will be an enjoyable pet. He may interact with you, and will certainly be beautiful to watch. With some basic care your fish should thrive and may even live from one to four years.