Siamese fighting fish

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Siamese fighting fish
Male Siamese fighting fish, cultivated form

Male Siamese fighting fish, cultivated form

Systematics
Order : Climbing fish species (Anabantiformes)
Subordination : Labyrinth fish (Anabantoidei)
Family : Osphronemidae
Subfamily : Large Flosser (Macropodusinae)
Genre : Fighting fish ( betta )
Type : Siamese fighting fish
Scientific name
Betta splendens
Regan , 1910

The Siamese fighting fish ( Betta splendens ) is a labyrinth fish native to Thailand and Cambodia .

The first appearance of this species of fish is dated to 1892 in Japan . However, it had been bred by the locals for shows and competitions many years earlier, mainly because of the aggressiveness of the males towards one another. In these cases, the inferior male mostly died of injuries or exhaustion. Fighting fish were a status symbol among the locals, and both simple farmers and nobles had their own tribes.

features

The wild fighting fish is mostly red-brown with shiny green scales and has flag-like enlarged anus and dorsal fins as well as narrow long ventral fins. The female is yellow-brown. Cultivated forms come in almost any color combination, from red to blue, from white to black and in a wide variety of fin shapes. Fighting fish grow to be approx. 5 to 7 cm and reach a maximum age of approx. 3 years.

The Siamese fighting fish is one of the labyrinth fish that do not only rely on gill breathing, but can breathe atmospheric oxygen via the labyrinth organ. This enables these fish to survive in relatively warm and therefore oxygen-poor water. Because of their bright colors, fighting fish are often kept as ornamental fish in aquariums. With the help of their upper mouth (open upwards) the fish can take in air on the water surface. For this reason, the air in aquariums must not be much colder than the water, as otherwise the fish can get cold and become sick. You have few demands on the water quality and can cope with very tight spaces. However, this should not prevent the carer from supplying clean water or choosing a suitable container. The males - often also the females - are extremely aggressive towards same-sex conspecifics. They attack each other instantly and fight each other in the aquarium until one of the animals dies, since there are usually insufficient escape routes available. They even threaten and attack their own reflection in the mirror. That is why the individual keeping is preferable to the pair or harem position . It can also happen that they attack other - mostly colorful and long-finned - fish species (especially male guppies ) because they recognize a competitor of their own species. This should definitely be considered when keeping it. Otherwise, however, their social behavior towards other fish species is very peaceful.

pairing

Fighting fish females with spawning strips
Male fighting fish and foam nest with eggs

The willingness of the fighting fish to mate is shown in the male by the construction of a foam nest that is anchored to plants on the water surface. The female shows the willingness to mate by vertically running spawning strips, which stand out brightly. The male lures the female under the foam nest in the so-called lead swimming. Here, there are initially several false pairings in which the partners synchronize sexually. This enables both sperm and eggs to be released at the same time later. In the end there are real pairings. In these, the male wraps around the female turned on its back. Now eggs and sperm are released with tremors in the body. Here, both partners are in paralysis. Because they are heavier than water, the eggs fall on the female's stomach and anal fin and to the bottom of the body of water. The male releases itself from the rigidity of spawning shortly before the female and immediately collects the clutch in order to immediately spit it into the foam nest. Once mating is complete, the male chases the female out of the nest area. Typically between 50 and 300 eggs are shed during a spawning phase.

breed

The evaluation of Betta splendens high breeds takes place today mainly according to the standards established by the IBC (International Betta Congress), in which the criteria of size, symmetry, proportion and shape are 1/3 for the physique and 2/3 for the fins receive the assessment. Such standards exist for the cultivated forms Halfmoon, Crowntail, Veiltail, Doubletail, Poster (traditional), Show Poster (formerly Halfmoon poster, name has been changed), Shortfin Halfmoon, Doubletail Shortfin Type A / B. Other forms are in the class “E1. Color or Form Variations ”(e.g. doubletail Crowntail, Veiltail, Crowntail poster).

  • Siamese fighting fish (male)

  • red / blue Veiltail

  • red / blue crowntail

  • purple / red

  • Salamander halfmoon

  • Ruby red

  • Siamese fighting fish (female)

  • steel blue

  • dark red crowntail

  • Opaque White

  • Doubletail poster

nutrition

When it comes to keeping pets, Betta splendens are best fed live food such as Artemia , mosquito larvae or Daphnia . But frozen food is also popular.

The diet with dry and flake food is controversial, as this can often lead to digestive problems in the animals.

Fruit flies ( Drosophila ) are also suitable as an occasional treat . These can easily be eaten from the surface of the water through the upturned mouth.

literature

  • Rajiv Massilamoni, Dr. Jürgen Schmidt: Your hobby - veil fighting fish . Bede Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden 1998, ISBN 3-931792-76-5 .

Web links

Commons : Siamese fighting fish  album with pictures, videos and audio files