Fish, Fish and more Fish

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Fish, Fish and more Fish!

• By Kori Curtis

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Three Questions about Betta Fish

• 1. Why do Betta fish not need a lot of room to
  survive?
• 2. How do Betta fish reproduce?
• 3. Why cant two Betta fish be put in the same
  tank?

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The Research Process

• When I first started to look up information for
  this topic, I was not having much luck. It was
  mainly coming up with pages of how to take care
  of a betta fish and where to buy the tanks and
  other supplies. So this made ask my questions
  very precisely. It all started to come together
  when I found the websites http//freshaquarium.ab
  out.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm and
  http//www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/b
  etta_breeding.htmtop2. After reading these
  websites thoroughly my questions were getting
  answered.

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Background information on Bettas
Scientific Name Betta SplendensOther Names
Betta Family BelontiidaeOrigin Cambodia,
ThailandAdult Size 3 inches (7 cm)Social
Males cannot be kept togetherLifespan 2-3
yearsTank Level Top dwellerMinimum Tank Size
3 gallonDiet Live foods preferable, will eat
flakes and frozen foodsBreeding Egglayer -
bubblenestCare Easy to IntermediatepH 6.8 -
7.4Hardenss up to 20 dGHTemperature 75-86 F
(24-30 C)
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Why do beta fish not need a lot of room to
survive?

• This is because betta fish can live in water with
  low oxygen content.
• Keep them in a warm area they are tropical
  fish!
• The advantage of keeping your bettas in a tank
  rather than a bowl is that you can now decorate
  his surroundings.
• The likelihood of him getting sick from you
  neglecting to change his water often enough is
  smaller.

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Continued

• Bettas are labyrinth fish, which allows them to
  breath atmospheric air. The labyrinth acts as a
  lung. This is why they can survive in small
  volumes of water, because they only need to be
  wet in order to live, assuming they have a place
  to breath air from the surface. So make sure that
  they have a place to get air from in their bowl
• However, even though bettas can survive in small
  amounts of water does not mean that they prefer
  to live in these conditions!
• Examples of acceptable fish tanks for your
  bettaSiamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)

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How do beta fish reproduce?

• Learn to distinguish between males and females
• The female is under the male, and releases her
  eggs, the male wraps himself around her, catches
  the eggs in his mouth and spits them into the
  bubble nest. The bubble nest had been built
  earlier by the male. The male literally squeezes
  the eggs out of the female
• The male Betta, will care for the eggs in the
  bubble nest. You will see him taking the eggs
  into his mouth where he cleans them with special
  natural chemicals in his mouth. Two days after
  spawning the chemicals in his mouth change and
  dissolve the outer layer of the eggs to release
  the fry.
• Now comes the difficult part. One cannot raise
  the Betta fry in an aquarium or a bowl. Instead
  you put them in a pond. This only works when the
  water temperature is 68 degrees F. or warmer.

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Why cant two bettas be put in the same tank?

• It is called the Siamese Fighting Fish because of
  its behavior towards other males of the same
  species. You cannot keep two or more males in the
  same tank. If they are placed in the same tank,
  they will fight until only one of them remains.
  They will flare out their gill covers and erect
  their fins showing the other fish their fighting
  posture.
• There are ways to see this behavior without
  introducing another male. One way is to use a
  small hand mirror and place it up against the
  tank glass so that the male betta may see his
  reflection. He will mistake his reflection as
  another male and the fighting posture should then
  be displayed.

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References

• AC Tropical Fish Aquatic Community. 2004-2005.
  http//www.aquaticcommunity.com/universal-viewid2
  39.html
• Animation Library. 2000-2006. http//www.animatio
  nlibrary.com/a- l/index.php3?nsubcat_images.php3
  id43start80end20
• Ask the Vet Solving Pet Health Problems.
  2003-2006. http//www.ask-the- vet.com/betta-fish-
  care.htm
• pbskids.org/.../files.php/ 206563_discovery_f.jpg
  
• Pet Fish Resource and Online Store. 2000-2006.
  http//www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/
  betta_breeding.htm top2
• Sharpe, Shirley. New York Times Company. 2006.
  http//freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/b
  etta.htm