Natives of the southeast of Asia, more precisely from countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia; the Betta is one of the most popular ornamental fishes in the world. Matchless in their mixture of colors and iridescence, they were described for the first time in 1849 by Theodor Cantor. The wild Bettas resemble very little with those marketed today. They have brownish coloration with dots of brilliant colors and some horizontal stripes. The selected breeding originated red, green and blue Bettas with more living, intense colors and with fins much larger than the original ones. The Bettas marketed today, come from fish hatcheries spread all over the world, being Thailand and Cambodia, the leaders in the industrial hatchery of these fishes. In Brazil, there are hatcheries in the states of Paraná, Bahia, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, among others.

Their natural habitat is the flooded regions with stagnant waters, poor in oxygen, such as marshes and fields for plantation of rice. The Bettas adapt to these regions because they possess an organ called labyrinth, located behind the head allowing the fish to enjoy the atmospheric air, which "he swallows" when ascending to the surface.

The Betta also extracts the air through the gills, as the most of the fish does; however, the process of oxygen extraction directly from atmospheric air constitutes its primary form of breathing. If he is prevented of using this process, the fish will die "by drowning.” To defend their tiny territory, generally in small puddles of water, the Betta developed its combative instinct, in order to be also known as "Fighting Fish". This trait does not allow him to stay together with more than one male in the same tank, because in this case, they will fight violently and, if they are not taken apart from each other, the weakest fish will eventually be killed. In their original countries, the Bettas are used in fights, raising big bets.

The Bettas belong to the sub-order of the Anabantidae, of which also make part the Blue Gourami and Dwarf Gourami species. Their life expectation is 2 years in average; however, there are stories about Bettas living beyond nine years of age.

Maintenance
Generally, Bettas dwell in small bowls called "Betta Bowls", but they may be also placed in common tanks, provided that there are many plants and places for hiding. He does not fight other fish species and can still be intimidated with the presence of other fishes. He can also stay along several females. The females possess smaller fins having less intense coloration than that of males. They are peaceful and can be maintained together within any kind of tank.

The maintenance of Bettas is too simple. When they are maintained within small bowls, without oxygenation and filtration equipment, it should be carried out partial changes (half of the water), once or twice a week. Every two weeks, a general cleaning should be carried out, changing all the water. Use faucet water, after the treatment with Labcon Protect. The pH of the water should be monitored by using Labcon Test pH Tropical, which should be close to neuter (7.0). Another important care is, during winter, to maintain the tank heated at temperatures from 25 to 28 ºC. For this, heaters of lesser power can be used, intended for small volumes of water.

For the feeding of the Bettas, provide small daily quantities of Alcon Mini Betta or Alcon Betta Mix F.D

Spawning Walkthrough
The tank for the spawning of the Bettas should have approximately 30-liter capacity, without stones or decoration, with just a plant like the Giant Cabomba. The water should be kept at 15 cm of height and the temperature should be constant, around 28 ºC. It is important that the tank is covered with a glass cover. The adult females of the Betta, with approximately 5 cm, will be capable for spawning, when presenting a very voluminous stomach, a salient white point in the anal region (ovipositor) and contrasting vertical stripes with the coloration of their body. Keep, then, the female inside a glass (as those of the type for preserves) floating in the tank, where the male will be free, in order to stimulate him to make a nest of bubbles. Release then, the female so that they mate. The egg-setting happens when the male wraps the body of the female in a strong hug, so that she releases the eggs that are immediately fertilized by him. Before they arrive to the bottom, the male collects the eggs with his mouth and puts them into the nest of bubbles. After the total egg-setting, when the male begins to attack the female, she should be moved away and, thus, the male takes charge of nursing the nest. The appearance should happen in approximately 24 to 48 hours, after the setting. After the fourth day, when the fries start to swim alone, the male should be moved away and you begin to oxygenate the water by means of a porous stone, since they do not still possess the formed labyrinth.

The infusions for the initial feeding of the Bettas can be obtained easily in cultures with rested water, where it was added macerated lettuce leaves or some drops of milk, or still, dry banana peels. It is important to start several cultures in different days. Avoid the excess of sunlight in order to prevent formation of a great quantity of algae. Some tablespoons of this water should be added in the tank of the fries every day, between the second and the tenth day after the appearance. After the seventh day, begin the feeding with recently grown Artemia (nauplii), until they accept Alcon Mini Betta and Alcon Betta Mix F.D rations, which should happen within 30 days.

With proper care and a good dose of attention and affection, the Betta will be its fellow for a long time!