Siamese Fighting Fish
| Origin= Thailand, Kampuchea, Vietnam and Malaysia Scientific Name= Betta splendens Max. Size= 2.36" (6CM) pH= 6-8 Temperature= 21-31C (70-90F) Temperment= Females may be kept together, but the males may not, as they will fight until one gives up or one dies. A male in a community tank is okay by itself, so is a female by it self. Minimum Tank Size and/or Tank Type= A 10G (40L), monospecies keeping tank. Favourite Foods= Live foods, such as grubs, tubifex worms and mosquito larvae. Other Info= Thiss fish is a rather short lived one, it lives about 2 years, but sometimes longer. Breeding Info= TANK: A 1-1.5G (3-6L), calm water surface without bubbled aeration, floating plants on the surface, moist air above the surface. GENDER: The males fins (except for the ventral fins) are much longer. BREEDING RATIO: 1 Male : 1 Female BREEDING WATER: 26-30C (80-88F); pH of 7; dCH max 2. OTHER BREEDING INFO: Before spawning and when building the nest the males are aggresive and may thrash the females to death. That is why plant thickets are so important, so females may hide. The weaker males, on the other hand, are attacked by the females and spawning does not take place. Such males should be eliminated from further breeding. The male will build a bubble nest on the surface (It was found that the bubbles contain bacteriostatic substances and substances that have a beneficial effect on the chemical compostion of the water in the vicinity of the eggs, which usally numbers hundred. During the spawning the pair gather the eggs and put them into the bubble nest. ONce the spawning is completed remove the female, as soon as the fry are free swimming, remove the male. Then carefully take out all the plants and lower the water level to 2" (5CM). The intensive metabolism of the growing young fish necessitates frequent cleaning of the tank and regular water replacement. The young fishes growth is very rapid, some specimens attain sexual maturity at the age of 5 weeks, but the best breeding results are achieved with a brood fish five or six months old. When the fish are sexually mature the males are put in seperate jars placed one beside the other. Regular cleaning of the jars and clean, freshwater are essential for succesful results. |  Photo Credit: Exotic Aquatics  Photo Credit: Exotic Aquatics  Photo Credit: Exotic Aquatics |
              
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