lørdag den 29. december 2012

Fish Spotlight: Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Hello all,
A few pictures of my fat male Betta splendens:
Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish
Betta splendens - don't mind the algae, this was just before I cleaned the tank :-)

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish


Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish


Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish

Betta Splendens - Siamese fighting fish


If you should want to see where this blue beauty lives then this is its tank: http://fishtankdk.blogspot.dk/2012/12/cryptocoryne-country-20-l-nano-aquarium.html

Information from Wikipedia:

B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 3 inches, including fins. Although known for their brilliant colors and large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short. Brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have been developed through selective breeding.
Properly kept and fed a correct diet, B. Splendens lives approximately 2-4 years in captivity but 5 is not uncommon. It is possible for them to live up to 10 years in rare cases.
The fish is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other members of the Betta genus, B. splendens is one of the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists.
Betta Species also prefer a warmer water climate than other tropical fish - around 25-30 Degrees Celsius.(77-86 Degrees Fahrenheit)
Betta fish have an organ known as the labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe air at the water's surface. It is often wrongly thought that this organ allows Betta fish to be kept in unmaintained aquaria. This is a misconception as poor water quality makes all tropical fish, including Betta Splendens more susceptible to diseases such as fin rot.

The people of Siam and Malaya (now Thailand and Malaysia) are known to have collected these fish prior to the 19th century.
In the wild, bettas spar for only a few minutes or so before one fish backs off. Bred specifically for fighting, domesticated betta matches can go on for much longer, with winners determined by a willingness to continue fighting. Once one fish retreats, the match is over. Large amounts of money are wagered during these fights, with potential losses as great as a person's home.
Seeing the popularity of these fights, the king of Siam started licensing and collecting these fighting fish. In 1840, he gave some of his prized fish to a man who, in turn, gave them to Dr. Theodor Cantor, a medical scientist. Nine years later, Dr. Cantor wrote an article describing them under the name Macropodus pugnax. In 1909 the ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan, realizing that there was already a species with the name Macropodus pugnax, renamed the domesticated Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens.

Siamese fighting fish have upturned mouths and are primarily carnivorous surface feeders, although some vegetable matter may be eaten. In the wild, they feed on zooplankton, crustaceans, the larvae of mosquitoes and other water bound insect larvae. Typically, commercial betta pellets are a combination of mashed shrimp meal, wheat flour, fish meal, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and vitamins. These fish will also eat live or frozen bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia, small freshwater shrimp, and small fishes.
Hatching brine shrimp is a popular method used by many in the aquarium hobby to obtain live food for their Betta fish. Brine shrimp are the easiest live fish food to procure, hatch and cultivate and are particularly nutritious when the nauplii are in their early stages. Some aquarium fish are reluctant to accept dried or flake foods therefore live food is occasionally necessary.


All the best,
Tokasper

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