Reproduction and early development

The male betta will flare his gills, twist his body, and spread his fins if he is interested in the female. The female will darken in color, then curve her body back and forth as a response. Males build bubble nests of various sizes and thicknesses at the surface of the water. The act of spawning itself is called a "nuptial embrace", for the male wraps his body around the female; around 10-41 eggs are released during each embrace, until the female is exhausted of eggs. The male, in his turn, releases milt into the water, and fertilization takes place externally. During and after spawning, the male uses his mouth to retrieve sinking eggs and deposit them in the bubble nest (during mating the female sometimes assists her partner, but more often she will simply devour all the eggs that she manages to catch). Once the female has released all of her eggs, she is chased away from the male's territory, as it is likely that she'll eat the eggs due to hunger. Henceforth, the eggs remain in the male's care. He carefully keeps them in his bubble nest, making sure none fall to the bottom, and repairing the bubble nest as needed. Incubation lasts for 24–36 hours, and the newly-hatched larvae remain in the nest for the next 2–3 days, until their yolk sacs are fully absorbed. Afterwards the fry leave the nest and the free-swimming stage begins. It is common practice in the aquarium hobby to remove the male at this point, so that he would not eat his young (although it has been suggested that this danger is overrated). In this first period of their lives, B. splendens fry are totally dependent on their gills; the labyrinth organ which allows the species to breathe atmospheric oxygen typically develops at 3 to 6 weeks of age, depending on the general growth rate, which can be highly variable. B. splendens can reach sexual maturity at an age as early as 3 months.

B. splendens can be hybridized with B. imbellis, Betta sp. Mahachai and B. smaragdina, though with the latter the fry tend to have low survival rates. As well as these hybrids within the Betta genus, there have been reports of the inter generic hybridizing of Betta splendens and Macropodus opercularis- the Paradise Fish.

A pair spawning under a bubble nest in a breeder's tank.

Betta splendens fish build bubble nests of varying sizes.

1-day old larvae in a bubble nest, note that their yolk sacs have not yet been absorbed

A 15-day old free-swimming fry, infected with Piscinoodinium sp. (Velvet disease), a common fry-killer of this species in captivity

Diet

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 including crustaceans and the larvae of mosquitoes and other insects, such as flies, crickets, or grasshoppers. Fish who feed on a wide range of foods live longer, have richer colors, and heal fin damage more quickly. 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 or daphnia.

History

The people of Siam (now Thailand) originally started collecting these fish prior to the 1800s. Known as "plakat," which means tearing or biting fish.

The wild bettas generally would have short-lasting fights of only a few minutes or so before one fish backed off. However, once they were bred specifically for fighting, these matches could go on for hours. The winner was determined by his willingness to continue fighting. Once one fish retreated the match was over. Large amounts would be wagered on 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, Mr. Tate Regan realized that there was already a species with the name Macropodus Pugnax, and renamed the Siamese fighting fish Betta Splendens. It is believed that Mr. Regan got the name from a warrior-like tribe of people in ancient Asia named "Bettah.

Description

B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 5 cm , though some varieties reach 5-8 inches in length. 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. However, brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have been developed through selective breeding.

This species lives approximately 2–5 years in captivity, generally between 3-4, rarely 5–6 years, fed with anabolics 7–9 years

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 the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists, particularly in the United States.

Siamese Fighting Fish

The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens, ), also known as the betta, is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay. The wild ancestors of this fish are native to the rice paddies of Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and Cambodia and are called pla-kad in Thai or trey krem in Khmer
Betta (pronounced BET-TUH, not BAY-TUH) Splendens, also known as 'Siamese Fighting Fish', derive from Asia. The bettas in the wild look very different than the ones we know and have been captivated by. In the wild, speed and agility are more important than color and beauty. With this in mind, you can envision the wild betta with short fins and dark, mottled coloring. The wild bettas are very interesting and beautiful in their own way.
Bettas also are known to inhabit the shallow rice patties in Asia. These rice patties are very shallow, muddy waters, not our ideal habitat for a fish. This is where their hardiness resulted from. They use a special organ called the labyrinth to enable them to breathe oxygen straight from the surface of the water. If they did not have this ability, they would not be able to survive in their natural habitat due to the low oxygen levels. This aspect of their lives also makes it easier for modern bettas to survive in those little cups that you see in pet store. If you haven't noticed, many pet stores find it unnecessary to clean the bettas water. It is easy to imagine that the water in those cups would lose it's oxygen content very quickly with a gill-breathing fish. Since the bettas breathe from the surface, this allows them to survive these conditions. The conditions they are forced to survive in are still unhealthy and I hope that someday pet store owners will realize this.
Bettas were originally discovered in Siam.  This is where the term 'Siamese Fighting Fish' came from. The males, as well as females, are very aggressive and territorial fish. If you put a male in another males eyesight, it will result in a display of fins and color to intimidate the other male. The bettas used in Siam to fight were, again, not like our Betta Splendens of today.  We now only breed to share their beauty with the world.