Species - Betta Spendens - Siamese Fighting fish.
Origin - Thailand, Malaysia, Southeast Asia
Tank mates - Usually peaceful with fish their own size. The males, however, cannot be kept in the same container. They get the name "Siamese Fighting Fish" from the fact that the males will battle to the death or till one retreats. Very territorial with males of it's own kind.
Water Condition - Not extremely critical, however, fish thrive when water conditions are at their peak. Clean medium hardness water on the slightly acidic side suits these fish well. A Catappa leaf in their water adds tannic acid to the water, which mimics their home range water. As with all fish, too much water hardness, KH, or too little will cause the fish to do poorly and perish with time. Too little mineralization in the water works like a sponge draining the fish of necessary salts and minerals required for life, especially in their blood. Too much mineralization has the opposite effect of forcing overdoses of minerals and salts into the fishes system. Most fish flourish in a water environment similar to their native water. Some like hard water, some soft.
Food requirements - They will eat dried, frozen and live foods. A good variety works really well with these fish, but be certain to not overfeed. They will literally gorge themselves on frozen and live food, sometimes resulting in death. Good live or frozen food is recommended when breeding these fish.
Color Variations - every color and combination of colors of the spectrum. Nearly all colors have been bred into these fish as the wild varieties are for all practical purposes the same for each species.
