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Bettas
The Betta, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, is a popular aquarium fish.
Where other fish species generally have the same appearance, except for the difference between males and females, the Betta has a huge variation in colors and fin size. This makes this species very popular.
Examples of types of fins are the halfmoon, spadetail, crowntail and veiltail. In addition, there is a difference in color type such as the black/white Samurai, the colorful Koi, shiny Copper and Metallic, the Dragon and many more.
Many of the longfinned Bettas can have problems swimming due to the weight of the fully grown fins, resulting in them biting off their own fins to relieve themselves. There have even been cases of fins literally 'breaking' because they are 'over-breeding' larger than the fish can carry.
The ideal habitat for a Betta is a small aquarium, about 30L to 50L, the water temperature may be around 26°C, with many plants and little water flow. The choice of plants is of course entirely up to you, but if you want a happy Betta, choose a larger Anubias species and some floating plants. The use of artificial plants and/or rocks with sharp edges is not recommended for Bettas because the fish can hurt themselves on them.
Bettas are labyrinth fish, which means that they get their oxygen at the water surface. It is important that the temperature of the air above the water is the same as the water itself. An aquarium with a lid is therefore recommended.
A Betta is not a suitable fish for a community aquarium, the males of this species should always be kept solitary, because the aggressive and territorial nature of this fish will ensure that other aquarium inhabitants are not safe. As nice as it may seem, never put male and female Bettas together in the same aquarium, because the female will not survive this.
Multiple females in the same aquarium is possible, provided you take a few things into account. Think of a spacious aquarium with lots of plants and hiding places, so that there are enough territorial possibilities for each fish.
The females will start to determine their 'ranking' among themselves and this is not done in a friendly way. It is therefore wise to choose females that are approximately the same age, color and size. Why? Because one red Betta female among ten blue females or one small one among ten larger ones is guaranteed to be the victim because she stands out more as the 'odd one out'. You will definitely see females swimming in the aquarium with damaged fins.
The males of this fish species make bubble nests/foam nests on the water surface, preferably between floating plants. When breeding Bettas, they will place their eggs in these until they hatch.
Breeding Bettas is a project that requires a lot of patience and knowledge, but especially a lot of space. With a bit of luck (or bad luck, if you don't have enough space...) the bettas will fill the nest with, for example, 100 eggs. Within a few months, the young males will have to be separated from the females. If there are 70 young males in the nest, this means that you will need 70 small aquariums.
It is therefore important that you read up well before you buy a fish species, not only for Bettas, but for all species. Does the desired fish species fit your current fish stock, how big can the fish grow, what water values are desired, what are the wishes regarding food and so on.
Where other fish species generally have the same appearance, except for the difference between males and females, the Betta has a huge variation in colors and fin size. This makes this species very popular.
Examples of types of fins are the halfmoon, spadetail, crowntail and veiltail. In addition, there is a difference in color type such as the black/white Samurai, the colorful Koi, shiny Copper and Metallic, the Dragon and many more.
Many of the longfinned Bettas can have problems swimming due to the weight of the fully grown fins, resulting in them biting off their own fins to relieve themselves. There have even been cases of fins literally 'breaking' because they are 'over-breeding' larger than the fish can carry.
The ideal habitat for a Betta is a small aquarium, about 30L to 50L, the water temperature may be around 26°C, with many plants and little water flow. The choice of plants is of course entirely up to you, but if you want a happy Betta, choose a larger Anubias species and some floating plants. The use of artificial plants and/or rocks with sharp edges is not recommended for Bettas because the fish can hurt themselves on them.
Bettas are labyrinth fish, which means that they get their oxygen at the water surface. It is important that the temperature of the air above the water is the same as the water itself. An aquarium with a lid is therefore recommended.
A Betta is not a suitable fish for a community aquarium, the males of this species should always be kept solitary, because the aggressive and territorial nature of this fish will ensure that other aquarium inhabitants are not safe. As nice as it may seem, never put male and female Bettas together in the same aquarium, because the female will not survive this.
Multiple females in the same aquarium is possible, provided you take a few things into account. Think of a spacious aquarium with lots of plants and hiding places, so that there are enough territorial possibilities for each fish.
The females will start to determine their 'ranking' among themselves and this is not done in a friendly way. It is therefore wise to choose females that are approximately the same age, color and size. Why? Because one red Betta female among ten blue females or one small one among ten larger ones is guaranteed to be the victim because she stands out more as the 'odd one out'. You will definitely see females swimming in the aquarium with damaged fins.
The males of this fish species make bubble nests/foam nests on the water surface, preferably between floating plants. When breeding Bettas, they will place their eggs in these until they hatch.
Breeding Bettas is a project that requires a lot of patience and knowledge, but especially a lot of space. With a bit of luck (or bad luck, if you don't have enough space...) the bettas will fill the nest with, for example, 100 eggs. Within a few months, the young males will have to be separated from the females. If there are 70 young males in the nest, this means that you will need 70 small aquariums.
It is therefore important that you read up well before you buy a fish species, not only for Bettas, but for all species. Does the desired fish species fit your current fish stock, how big can the fish grow, what water values are desired, what are the wishes regarding food and so on.
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