If U love Betta Fish & want to have the healthiest, most colorful Betta, this is definitely for U.
This fact filled guide covers everything you want to know about Betta Fish.
Fighters!
The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish is one of the most popular aquarium fish.
Over 100 years ago aquarists in the Orient began breeding Betta fish to emphasize color and finnage.
The results of those efforts are readily seen in the beautiful variety of today's Bettas.
B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 5 cm , though some varieties
reach 3-5 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 2-3,
rarely 4–5 years, fed with anabolics 5–7 years
Colors
B. splendens have been affectionately nicknamed "The Jewel of the
Orient" due to their beauty and wide range of colors which are
produced through selective breeding[citation needed].
Wild fish only exhibit strong colors when agitated.[citation needed] However,
breeders have been able to make this coloration permanent, and a wide
variety of hues breed true. A wide variety of colors are available to the
aquarist such as red, blue, turquoise, orange, yellow, green, cream and even
true white (the "Opaque" white, not to be confused with albino). The shades
of blue, turquoise and green are slightly iridescent, and can appear to change
color with different lighting conditions or viewing angles; this is because
these colors (unlike black or red) are not due to pigments, but created
through refraction within a layer of translucent guanine crystals. Breeders
have also developed different color patterns such as marble and butterfly, as
well as metallic shades like copper, gold, or platinum (these were obtained by
crossing B. splendens to other Betta species).
Purple and blue female.
Breeders around the world continue to develop new varieties. Often, the male
of the species are sold preferentially in stores because of their beauty,
compared to the females. Recently, breeders have developed in females the
same range of colors previously only bred in males. However, females never
develop fins as showy as males of the same type and are often more
subdued in colouration.
The true albino betta has been feverishly sought after since one recorded
appearance in 1927, and another in 1953. Neither of these were able to
establish a line of true albinos. In 1994, a hobbyist named Tanaka claims to
have successfully bred albino bettas.
Habitat/Care
Bettas are one of the most recognized, most colorful, and often most controversial fish in the freshwater hobby.
Debates rage about the appropriateness of keeping them in small bowls.
To fully understand their needs it is important to become familiar with their native habitat.
This fact filled guide covers everything you want to know about Betta Fish.
Fighters!
The Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish is one of the most popular aquarium fish.
Over 100 years ago aquarists in the Orient began breeding Betta fish to emphasize color and finnage.
The results of those efforts are readily seen in the beautiful variety of today's Bettas.
B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 5 cm , though some varieties
reach 3-5 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 2-3,
rarely 4–5 years, fed with anabolics 5–7 years
Colors
B. splendens have been affectionately nicknamed "The Jewel of the
Orient" due to their beauty and wide range of colors which are
produced through selective breeding[citation needed].
Wild fish only exhibit strong colors when agitated.[citation needed] However,
breeders have been able to make this coloration permanent, and a wide
variety of hues breed true. A wide variety of colors are available to the
aquarist such as red, blue, turquoise, orange, yellow, green, cream and even
true white (the "Opaque" white, not to be confused with albino). The shades
of blue, turquoise and green are slightly iridescent, and can appear to change
color with different lighting conditions or viewing angles; this is because
these colors (unlike black or red) are not due to pigments, but created
through refraction within a layer of translucent guanine crystals. Breeders
have also developed different color patterns such as marble and butterfly, as
well as metallic shades like copper, gold, or platinum (these were obtained by
crossing B. splendens to other Betta species).
Purple and blue female.
Breeders around the world continue to develop new varieties. Often, the male
of the species are sold preferentially in stores because of their beauty,
compared to the females. Recently, breeders have developed in females the
same range of colors previously only bred in males. However, females never
develop fins as showy as males of the same type and are often more
subdued in colouration.
The true albino betta has been feverishly sought after since one recorded
appearance in 1927, and another in 1953. Neither of these were able to
establish a line of true albinos. In 1994, a hobbyist named Tanaka claims to
have successfully bred albino bettas.
Habitat/Care
Bettas are one of the most recognized, most colorful, and often most controversial fish in the freshwater hobby.
Debates rage about the appropriateness of keeping them in small bowls.
To fully understand their needs it is important to become familiar with their native habitat.
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