Betta Revelations

Betta splendens, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, is a highly misunderstood fish. Here's what I've learned about this species, from a month's worth of experience in keeping one.





Betta splendens was pretty much the only tropical fish species I knew of (besides the goldfish) when I decided to get into the fish keeping hobby a month ago. Like everyone else, I knew this fish to be beginner-friendly--tough, low-maintenance--and very cranky (never to be kept in a tank with any other fish). And so, without giving it much thought, I decided that my first fish in this hobby would be a betta. Next thing I knew, I was looking at a 20-gallon planted tank in my living room, inhabited by a single fish that would never accept any tankmates. There's got to be a fish species out there that can co-exist with this guy, I thought. And so, on the Internet I jumped, and researched as much information as I can about betta splendens. This, coupled with a month's worth of personal experience in keeping this fish, has lead me to at least two eye-opening discoveries. Here they are:

1. Bettas are NOT the aggressors.

It's true, bettas are extremely aggressive--but only to their own kind, and particluarly to those of the same gender. Except for a very few abberant individuals, male bettas are almost certain to kill each other if kept in the same tank. They will even harass female bettas to death, which is why they should only be kept together in the same tank for a few hours a day--just long enough for them to mate.

However, when it comes to other fish species, it's a whole different story. As it turns out, it's the betta who has to be protected from other aggressive, fin-nipping species. This is because the betta has such flashy fins that other fish tend to see it as competition for female attention; thus, they go and beat the crap out of the betta. From research, cross-referencing and actual experience, I've realized that most of the generally peaceful species (such as mollies, platies and danios) make good tankmates for the betta. You need not worry about the betta going after these guys; my own betta spends most of his time wedged among my plants, completely oblivious to his tankmates.

What remains unclear to me, however, is how a betta would react to other fancy-finned tankmates, and vice versa. So far, my sailfin molly (which is technically fancy-finned) and my betta seem to be getting along. But this could be due to the fact that the molly is much bigger than the betta, and therefore intimidates the latter; the molly, on the other hand, is peaceful by nature. Will this be the same case if I put a betta in a tank with a school of guppies? I wonder.

2. Bettas are NOT low-maintenance pets.

Hardy as it is as a species, the betta still requires considerable care if you want yours to live a long and happy life. For one thing, bettas hate strong currents because their large fins cause so much drag, and a strong current only makes life miserable for them. This can put an aquarist in a dilemma: on one hand, you need a good, fairly strong current to get good aeration, especially when you have plants--and bettas love having plants to hide in; on the other hand, a strong current stresses the betta. So keeping a betta splendens actually comes down to a balancing act--you want enough current to get good aeration, but not too much as to stress your fish. Personally, I've found this to be a matter of spray direction and deflection. After much trial and error, I've settled on a rain bar, attached to my internal power filter, that spreads out the spray from the powerhead. By placing the rain bar high (just below the water surface) and pointing it at an upward angle, I get to prevent my betta from coming directly in the "line of fire" of the spray, while still maintaining good water circulation throughout the tank. This set-up also creates some safe havens, where the current is weakest--such as behind the rain bar and directly above the powerhead--for my betta to hang out in.

Feeding is also, in reality, more of a chore with a betta than with, say, a platy or molly. This is because the betta is a carnivore and won't eat any plant matter. Thus, the only way for your betta to get any food is through manual feeding. Platies and mollies, on the other hand, are omnivores who can live on algae and other plant matter that are naturally present in a planted tank. Technically, this means that compared to bettas, platties and mollies can survive longer without manual feeding.

Thirdly, bettas require more care in your choice of aquascaping elements. This fish's large, flowing fins are prone to snagging. Thus, you need to make sure that there are no sharp objects in your tank that can damage your betta's fins. Compare this to smaller-finned species like danios, which can pretty much dash about like crazy without worrying about getting snagged on anything in the tank.

Lastly, because bettas are such beautiful fish, they require optimum water conditions in order to keep their fins soft and silky; and their scales vibrant and shiny. I've had my betta for a month now, and I've been regularly treating my tank water with liquid fish vitamins. The fish's fins look soft and its color is an almost-luminous blue; but still, I believe there's still more beauty to behold in my betta. I'd love to give my fish the recommended weekly treat of live bloodworms, but keeping live bloodworms is in itself a high-maintenance affair. Besides, I really don't know where I can find live bloodworms in Manila.

As I get to know my betta better, I'm pretty sure it will reveal a couple more secrets. So stand by for my future reports on those. Meanwhile, I hope you'll keep these tips in mind the next time you plan on keeping a betta splendens. Some of what I've mentioned above may or may not be scientific fact, but they are derived from personal experience. At any rate, one indisputable fact is that betta splendens is one of the most fun-to-keep fish in your aquarium; I highly recommend it for both beginners and veterans alike.