Feb 09
When most people hear the word “betta,” they picture the brilliantly colored Siamese fighting fish sold in aquarium stores: flowing Halfmoons, spiky Crowntails, compact Plakats, koi-patterned marbles, and nearly every color imaginable. Those fish represent only one small part of the betta story. The genus Betta contains dozens of distinct species distributed across Southeast Asia. …
Feb 08
Betta fish may eagerly beg for almost anything you drop into their aquarium, but that doesn’t mean every food is good for them. Betta splendens is a carnivorous fish. In the wild, bettas feed on small animal prey such as zooplankton, mosquito larvae, and other insect larvae. Their digestive system and nutritional needs are therefore …
Feb 07
Koi betta fish look as though someone took a paintbrush to an ordinary betta. Patches of red, orange, black, white, blue, yellow, and metallic color can appear across the body and fins in irregular patterns, making almost every koi betta visually unique. Some resemble traditional Japanese koi carp. Others look like abstract paintings. And many …
Feb 06
Few aquarium fish can compete with the intense color of a blue betta. Some glow with deep sapphire and cobalt shades. Others shimmer icy steel-blue, flash turquoise-green when they turn under the aquarium light, or combine brilliant blue with black, white, red, metallic, koi, or marble patterns. But blue bettas are more interesting than their …
Feb 05
A healthy planted aquarium can be one of the best environments you can create for a betta fish. Live plants do far more than make the tank beautiful. They create sheltered spaces, break up open sight lines, offer broad leaves for resting, provide places to explore, and can help use nutrients produced by fish waste …
Feb 04
Betta fish have a way of making it very clear that there is more going on behind those tiny eyes than many people expect. Walk toward the aquarium and your betta may rush to the front glass. Move something near the tank and it may follow it. Rearrange a plant and suddenly that plant deserves …
Feb 03
Few freshwater aquarium fish have as much personality packed into such a small body as the male Betta fish. Male Betta splendens, commonly known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, are famous for their spectacular colors, elaborate fins, territorial displays, and surprisingly interactive behavior. A healthy male Betta may learn when feeding time is approaching, investigate …
Feb 02
The Veiltail Betta is one of the most recognizable aquarium fish in the world. With its long, flowing tail sweeping downward behind the body, the Veiltail has the classic silhouette many people picture when they hear the words Betta fish or Siamese Fighting Fish. Veiltails may not always receive the same attention as elaborate Halfmoons, …
Jan 31
The colorful Betta swimming through a home aquarium can seem a world away from its wild ancestors. Domestic Betta fish (Betta splendens) have been selectively bred into spectacular varieties with enormous fins, metallic scales, marble patterns, and colors ranging from deep blue and crimson to white, copper, yellow, and pink. But wild Bettas did not …
Jan 31
Clean water is one of the foundations of good Betta fish care—but “clean” tap water is not necessarily aquarium-safe water. Municipal drinking water is commonly disinfected with chlorine or chloramine to make it safe for people. Those disinfectants serve an important purpose in drinking-water systems, but they can be harmful to fish and to the …
