T Guild Guide

• Published:September 6th, 2011
• Comments:No Comment
• Category:Facts

One of the most sought after aquarium fish is the Siamese fighting fish. They are a freshwater fish that were first discovered in the rice paddies of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand. The Siamese fighting fish also are known as the beta fish. They are a popular aquarium fish, they come in beautiful colors of red, blue and white the females are not as bright as the males and they also have shorter fins.

The Siamese fighting fish were very popular with the people of Siam, which is now known as Thailand. They are known as biting or tearing fish and will fight with other beta fish until one of them backs off. They were bred for fighting matches and large bets would be placed on these fish. People would even gamble their homes to win a match.

Due to the increasing popularity of the Siamese fighting fish, the king of Siam started a collection of the fish and also put a license on them. In 1840 a man was given some of the king’s fighting fish. The man gave the fish to a medical scientist who wrote an article describing the fish as Macropods Pugnax. It was discovered in 1909 that there were other species named Macropods Pugax, so the Siamese fighting fish were renamed Beta splendas after a tribe of people in Asia that were called Bettah because of their war like mannerisms.

The Siamese fighting fish maintain a carnivorous diet. They feed on mosquito larvae and insects such as flies, grasshoppers, and crickets. Some also feed on vegetable matter. Maintaining a large variety of foods will give these fish a longer life span and they will also retain their bright colors and healthier fins.

The breeding of these fish will occur when the fish are under a year old. The male will make a nest out of bubbles where the breeding will take place. The male will fertilize the eggs while the female will be chased away to prevent her from eating the eggs. It will take 1-2 days for the eggs to hatch. Once this happens the the young will feed off of the egg sacks for thirty six hours. The male will continue to take care of its young, however, the male should be removed after two days as he will most likely eat his young once they begin to swim.

The fish should be fed twice daily. A diet of baby brine shrimp which can be found frozen at any pet store is typical. It is important not to overfeed as this can cause the tank to become polluted by the uneaten food that will float to the bottom.