I'm utterly charmed by these beautiful, lively, intelligent and entertaining fish. They've got style and personality, and gazing at a tank full of bettas (in their own compartments, of course!) is like watching a handful of brilliantly coloured silk handkerchiefs fluttering in the air.
Bettas are anabantoids. They have a labyrinth organ, which means they obtain oxygen by breathing air at the surface. There's a lot of widely-believed nonsense about bettas, some of it even promulgated by aquarium shop staff and fish fanciers who really ought to know better. While it's true that wild betta splendens often live in rice paddies, and are able to survive dry spells in small puddles of water, this does NOT mean that the bettas bred as ornamental fish prefer to live in tiny, cramped, or dirty little jars or vases. They might survive, but they won't be happy and will almost certainly not be healthy. Bettas like clean water and room to move just like any other fish.
What IS true is that male bettas are fiercely aggressive to other bettas. Males at close quarters with other bettas will "flare", expanding their gill opercula and fully extending their fins in display: they will even flare at their own reflection. They must usually be housed individually, and kept separate from both other males and females (except when breeding, and even that is fraught with danger for both parties!) Betta owners tend to keep their fishies in individual bowls or small tanks, "barracks", or divided tanks with individual compartments for each fish. Female bettas can be housed together, although there is usually a degree of aggression and a clear pecking order amongst tankmates.
Betta care
Bettas can be quite happy in a large enough container, like a big fishbowl or vase, but they hate getting chilled and need very clean water, otherwise they're likely to get all kinds of nasty health problems, like fin rot or fungus disease. So unless you're prepared to change water every couple of days and make sure the betta's bowl isn't subject to big temperature fluctuations or temperatures less than 21 or 22 degrees C, leave the fishy in the shop or invest in a proper small tank with filtration and a heater. An adequate betta home should be at least 3 litres: most responsible betta owners say that 5 litres or more is a reasonable size for one fish. Gravel or pebbles on the bottom are optional, but a live or silk plant will be appreciated by your betta. Apart from the decor adding interest to the fishy's environment, bettas quite like to have a snooze resting on a leaf or rock. Make sure no tank decorations have sharp bits, as these can easily tear the fish's delicate fins.
Tap water needs to be treated by adding a water conditioner/ager to remove chlorine and chloramine before putting it in the fish's bowl. (Chlorine and chloramine are added to water supplies to purify them: it doesn't hurt us humans but can be deadly to fish). Some water conditioners will also detoxify the ammonia which can build up in water from the fish's excreta and uneaten food. It's not a bad idea to use one of these products (eg. Aqua Master Safe Guard 5), but they should never be seen as a substitute for frequent, regular water changes -- 50% every 2 to 3 days -- and removing uneaten food and solid waste as soon as possible.
Bettas are carnivorous. They like live food, but it isn't essential and they'll do well on a good quality betta pellet, granule or flake food eg. Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets. Varying their diet is always a good idea: include some fresh or frozen brine shrimp or blood worm occasionally, and a small piece of defrosted, blanched, de-skinned frozen pea once a week to prevent constipation. (Most bettas gobble up their pea like it was chocolate). Watch out for the famous "I'm starving, please feed me!" dance with the big puppydog eyes: don't be fooled! Bettas are notorious piggies and are easily over-fed. Only give them as much as it says on the pack, like 2 or 3 pellets twice a day.
Bettas are pretty hardy fish, but they can fall prey to the same range of diseases that other tropical aquarium fish get. Poor water conditions, stress and temperature fluctuations can predispose them to illness. Signs that all is not well with your betta can include:
- pale or fading colour
- stress stripes (horizontal light and dark bars along the fish's body)
- lethargy, hiding, loss of appetite
- frayed, "melting" or shrivelling fins
- white spots, fuzzy blobs, or grey, pale or reddened streaks or patches on body or fins
- cloudy or protruding eyes
- swollen body with scales raised or sticking out
If you notice any of these signs, consult your local fish shop or one of the web sites linked at the bottom of the page. There are heaps of really excellent web sites, forums and newsgroups containing a wealth of information and advice for newbie fish keepers (such as my good self).
Breeding bettas is a whole subject on its own, and a LOT of hard work. I haven't attempted to breed my bettas (yet!) and am stilling thinking about whether I want to invest the time, effort and space required to do it properly. The links below have good information about breeding, if you want to find out more.
Betta varieties
Bettas come in splendid but bewildering variety. They are usually described in terms of their colours, patterning and the shape of their caudal fin (tail).
- Veil-tails (VT) have a tail which is asymmetrical and which narrows from the base to the tip. Most "pet shop" bettas are veil-tails.
- Deltas have a symmetrical wedge-shaped tail, with straight outer rays. Super-deltas (SD) have a delta tail that opens to an angle of greater than 130 degrees when the fish flares.
- Half-moons (HM) and Over Half-Moons (OHM) have full, straight-edged anal and dorsal fins, and tails that extend to a semi-circle or greater. HMs and OHMs are highly prized.
- Crowntails (CT) have fin rays that extend considerably longer than the fin webbing, giving a fringed or coronet appearance. Rays may be single, double (DR CT), double-double or crossed.
- Plakat bettas are short-finned (supposedly derived from the genuine "fighting" fish bred in Thailand).
As for colours, you can pretty well name it, they've got it! Likewise patterning -- solid colour, iridescent, "butterfly" patterned, tri-band, multi, marble, pastel, opaque, Cambodian... If you really want to know more, visit one of the links I've listed at the bottom of the page.
My fisheeees!
You can see my boys and some of my girls in the slide-show at the top of the page. They nearly all came from local fish shops (I'm too chicken to risk mega-$$ on show quality fish), except for Mr Fuggly the plakat, who was given to me a woman who works at the lfs, and my lovely turquoise HM pair, Boy George and Cyndi, bred by Sharon Lane of Sydney. In order of acquisition, they are:
BOYS
- Johnno -- blue/turquoise CT
- Sammy (Samurai) -- extended red VT
- Scooter -- royal blue VT
- Elvis -- blue-red multi VT
- Elton -- blue-mauve VT
- Finn mac Cool -- green mask delta
- Colin Carpenter -- pastel red-gold delta
- Hamish Macbeth -- green-red-black SD
- Dexy -- steel melano SD
- Mr Fuggly -- copper plakat
- Boy George -- blue/turquoise HM
GIRLS
- Sandra -- red-green multi
- Jane Turner -- pastel
- Gina Riley -- red-gold
- Magda Szubanski (Maggie) -- blue-red multi
- Jools -- green
- Doreen -- blue CT (deceased 23/11/04)
- Cyndi -- steel/turquoise HM geno
Betta accommodation
LINKS
Lots of terrific information and oodles of eye candy at these sites:
If you already have a betta or two or three, or if you are thinking of taking the plunge into betta addiction, do yourself and the fishies a favour. Leave the dinky little half-litre vase in the shop, and get the fishy a decent sized container -- at least 3 litres -- or better yet, his own small tank. He'll love you for it!
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