Siamese fighting fish

The Siamese fighting fish is known to aquarium enthusiasts for the diversity of its shimmering-colored coats. In commerce, selected varieties can be solid-colored, two-colored, or multicolored. There are varieties for almost every color, although the most common specimens are blue, red, or purple. Many selections and crosses have been made to achieve these colors, which are typically marketed.

It's worth noting that only selected forms have hypertrophied fins. In its natural state, the male has a fundamental color gradient of green, red, blue, and black. It is known for remarkable spawning or intimidation displays during which it spreads its fins wide and flares its gills.

The Siamese fighting fish has a slightly upturned mouth that facilitates feeding at the surface (mainly based on insects). It has a dorsal fin, a caudal fin, an anal fin, 2 pectoral fins, and 2 pelvic fins that assist it in propulsion, as well as in balance and rapid changes of direction.

Moreover, the body is covered with overlapping scales reminiscent of shingles on a house. Beyond a protective function, this structure facilitates the fish's glide in the water. It is covered with mucus that protects against infections, further enhancing the fish's agility.

The male lives solitary, sometimes accompanied by a harem of females. It naturally resides at mid-depth and close to the surface.

Although slightly territorial, it is a rather peaceful fish that generally ignores most of its neighbors. It can become more aggressive during the breeding season. In this context, its "territorial" behavior becomes more pronounced. The male consistently and vigorously defends its spawn.

It is also much less tolerant of its own kind. Males are extremely aggressive towards each other. The battle between two individuals is intense and violent, often resulting in submission and even death of one of the participants. This characteristic is actually the origin of its name. The species was long used for betting in fights reminiscent of cockfighting. Using its head as a battering ram, the male targets the fins of its opponent, leaving significant scars on both individuals. Fins typically regenerate within a few weeks.

In stores, males are kept in separate compartments to avoid these confrontations. Females, on the other hand, rarely engage in such battles (especially if they have been accustomed to living together).

Betta splendens exhibits one of the most spectacular reproduction behaviors to observe, akin to most gouramis, Colisa, and some of its counterparts.

The male, initially, alternates between a seductive display, with all fins spread, and the construction of a bubble nest: it begins to agglomerate air bubbles coated with saliva mucus, giving them adhesion until they form a sort of floating raft, with a diameter around 8 centimeters and a thickness that can reach 2 centimeters.

If it fails to win the favor of the female, it is followed by a fight from which females rarely emerge unscathed (males are seldom dominated). If the courtship has the desired effect, the mating spectacle begins.

Wrapping the female with its entire body, the male presses against the female's sides, causing her to release the eggs immediately fertilized by the male's sperm.

Between mating sessions, while the female drops to the bottom to regain strength, the male hastily fixes the eggs in the nest and prevents the female from feeding on them. This spectacle repeats until the female has completely exhausted her ovarian strand (which can last a few hours).

Once mating is complete, the male drives the female away from the nest area as she develops an appetite for her own eggs. The male then alone guards the nest, even endeavoring to return any escaping fry to it.