Pet Articles
Care Of The Siamese Fighting Fish
Author: Lee Dobbins
With it’s long flowing fins and vibrant colors, it’s easy to
see why the Betta Splendens or Siamese Fighting Fish is a
favorite fish for fresh water aquariums. Often seen in tiny
little bowls in the pet store, this male of this species is
fiercely territorial and must be kept in separate bowls or
aquariums or they may fight to the death.
These interesting fish are equipped with a tipped up mouth that
enables them to get air from the surface of the water and,
therefore live in small bowls or those plant vases that are so
popular today. If you want to have a long lived healthy fish,
however this method of keeping him, is not recommended.
The ideal environment for a Siamese fighting fish, is a fish
tank of 5 gallons or more with proper filtration and heating. In
nature, this fish lives in very shallow water that has little
movement. It is a tropical fish and likes water temperature to
be in the high 70’s. For the best health of your fish, keep the
water heated to 78 degrees and use a gently filtration system
that does not create any strong movement in the water.
As with any fish, the Betta will be in best health, if periodic
water changes are done and the replacement water is properly
conditioned. Keeping the tank clean helps to keep down the level
of toxins in the water and helps the fish resist disease.
Another important aspect to keeping any fish is to make sure you
do not overload the tank – a general rule of thumb is 1 inch of
fish per gallon. So if you have a 20 gallon tank, it can safely
house 20 inches of fish. The less fish the better, of course.
Refrain from mixing your Siamese fighting fish with any other
fish that like to nip at fins, and remember only 1 male per tank!
Siamese fighting fish are meat eaters and like to dine on
insects and larvae in their natural habitat. Of course this
might not be practical for your pet fish but the more closely
you can resemble his natural diet the better off your fish will
be. If you can give him live food once in a while that will be
great, in the interim you can feed him frozen foods, tubifex
worms and brine shrimp. This fish will eat flake food with no
problem, but it is best if you can supplement that with some
fresh or frozen “meat”.
Proper care of this beautiful fish is not any different than any
other tropical fish and they can be a lovely addition to your
tank. With good care, proper feeding and maybe some luck, your
Siamese fighting fish can live up to 3 years.
About the author:
Lee Dobbins is the owner of www.epet-center.com where
you can find more information on tropical
fish and other pet supplies
and information.
