XXl Blog: Betta splendens - fighting fish in the aquarium

1. origins and provenance

2. keeping and aquarium setup
2.1 Keeping in the retail facility

3 .socialisation
3.1 socialisation with invertebrates
3.2 accompanying fauna in the fighting fish aquarium
3.3 socialisation with fishes

4. food

5. sexing and breeding

5.1 The sexes in fighting fish
5.2 Breeding fighting fish
5.3 Preparation and spawning
5.4 Breeding and separating the fry

6 Genetics

6.1 Mutations as a basis

7. character & behaviour
7.1 Training fighting fish - is it possible?
7.2 Hand-taming and nudging
7.3 Vibrations and knocking
7.4 Jumping
7.5 Recognising colours
7.6 Mirror training - sense or nonsense?

8. special features
8.1 Labyrinth organ
8.2 Age expectancy of fighting fish
8.3 The Marble Effect - a mere myth ?
8.3.1 Origin of the Marble Effect
8.4 Curly - when fighting fish twist their fins
8.5 Alien eyes in Dragon and Copper

9. colour forms
9.1 Colour genes
9.2 Drawing genes
9.3 Colour combinations with independent names and other colours

1. origins and origins

With their colourful fins, peculiar character and very simple husbandry requirements, fighting fish have always enjoyed great popularity. The Betta splendens originally comes from oxygen-poor waters of Asian rice-growing areas, as well as stagnant and slow-flowing freshwaters off the islands around Bali to Indonesia via the Malay Peninsula to Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

The fascination for fighting fish goes back further than one might think and in Asian history we even discover that the Betta splendens was at times considered a status symbol for whose success in battle one sometimes bet one's wife, farm and dog and the one with an outstanding "fighter" could also enjoy a corresponding position in society. There are also reports from the year 1860, in which playing children discovered that the fighting fish males were fighting each other. Without further ado, they caught the animals and, in their youthful recklessness, let them fight each other: No wonder, then, that this "pet" even found its way into royal houses and was bred primarily for its aggression, its physique and a corresponding short finnedness. Only very agile and aggressive fish were able to hold out longer in a fight and put the opponent out of action.

It is mainly thanks to the Europeans, but also to the USA, that the Betta splendens found its way all over the world, because they discovered the fighting fish tradition in Thailand and then imported the animals into their homeland. At that time, such an import was extremely costly - the first Bettas, wrapped in damp cotton cloths and travelling for months by ship from Singapore, arrived in the USA in 1890 and from there on to Europe.

At that time, these original fighting fish were short-finned and less coloured, almost camouflage-coloured, and thus perfectly adapted to their environment. However, keeping them in captivity made them show more and more colours, so that these were bred out through intensive selection. Only then were new fin shapes developed. Particularly noteworthy is Walden Young from the States, who bred selectively and in lines for the first time. His main focus was on size and fins. Interestingly, the Asians imported these "new" fighting fish back to Asia at some point and bred them as well. In 1966, enthusiastic fighter fish breeders also formed the very first association, the IBC, which still exists today. In the '80s, the first fighting fish competitions emerged, where new and outstanding breeding forms were awarded prizes.

Most of the imported fighting fish on the market today come from Thailand, Bangkok, Jakarta, Indonesia and partly from the Philippines, where the weather conditions are perfect all year round for commercial breeding in large ponds. Under these conditions (and more or less in their home country), they not only grow up more or less naturally, but the animals offered in the trade are also still quite young, with an average of 3-4 months of life and almost fully fledged, and will give their new keepers pleasure for a long time to come. Importing them is almost no longer a problem nowadays; packed separately they reach Europe within 2 days.

2. keeping and aquarium equipment

Especially in the social media, claims about the perfect keeping of fighting fish are lined up next to pictures of fish in glass vases and mini aquariums - the so-called nano aquariums. As a newcomer, it is certainly difficult to find your way through this jungle of information and impressions - after all, you want to make it comfortable for your new co-inhabitant!

In its habitat, a male fighting fish occupies a territory of 30-50 centimetres on average, which it also actively defends against intruders - especially if they "look like" it, for example with long fins. In the aquarium, it may therefore drive other long-finned fish such as guppies out of "its territory" by threatening them with raised gills or even biting them. And the teeth of a fighting fish are very sharp! They can easily bite out whole pieces of fins and possibly checkmate or at least seriously injure their opponent. Not for nothing is it called what it is called. Even if harem keeping was propagated in early textbooks, it does not work in the long run, because sooner or later one will suppress the other, which is not without harm. It may also be worth bearing in mind that the aquariums of those days were much larger than they are today, so that the fish were able to keep out of each other's way. Nevertheless, it is not recommended.

Basically, fighting fish are strongly marked characters that are rarely found in the fish world in the same shape. Therefore, male fighting fish should live alone if possible to prevent misunderstandings and accidents - because fin injuries heal badly and tend to become infected. The female fighting fish, on the other hand, are somewhat of an exception. Depending on the size of the aquarium, they can certainly be kept in a group. Especially the newer colour varieties such as Nemo and Koi make the ladies among the bettas colourful companions. However, it is also important to pay attention to which of the girls has the "cap on" - because they will establish a hierarchy in the group - but if two intransigent females meet, it is possible that these two will fight to the death. It can also happen that they peck at each other from time to time, despite a clear hierarchy - therefore, keeping female fighting fish in groups should be treated with caution and quarrelsome animals should be separated.

Aquarium setup

Even though a fighting fish can be kept in a 10 litre aquarium, it is always advisable to think bigger. There are no explicit advantages to keeping them in a nano aquarium, as all fighting fish with any kind of fin can swim equally well. In addition, water changes have to be carried out much more frequently in smaller aquariums. The water quality deteriorates more quickly, especially due to the excretions of the animal. Beginners are therefore advised to use a 60 litre aquarium, in which the water values can be stabilised better than in smaller ones. If something should happen, the small aquarium with less water volume can begin to collapse more quickly, especially if it is operated without technical equipment. Keeping fighting fish in smaller containers requires rather advanced knowledge, especially when keeping several KaFi's and breeders, moreover this form of keeping is usually only transitional and not permanent.

The most suitable substrate is darker coloured gravel which do not reflect and are rounded. In its habitat, the fighting fish lives in the weedy upper water layer, which is why it also attaches importance to very good and, above all, fine planting in the aquarium that reaches up to the water surface. Floating plants also dim the incidence of light and provide security from above. Good planting also stabilises the planting stabilises the water values more effectively, especially in newly set-up aquariums.
In addition, fighting fish can be kept in almost all water values, as long as no nitrite is detectable. However, it is recommended to keep it somewhat softer and more acidic, and it tolerates pH values between 5.5 and 7.5 without problems, whereby 6.5 is optimal. It also prefers it a little warmer, which is why a heater 24-30°C is recommended, 26°C is an ideal temperature.
The aquarium should also be covered for two important reasons: Even a long-finned fighting fish, as ponderous as it may sometimes seem, is able to squeeze through olive-sized holes and also jump. On the other hand, it is a labyrinth fishthat absorbs atmospheric oxygen at the water surface. Usually the air temperature between the water surface and the outside temperature is cooler than the water temperature. Therefore, the cover offers the crucial advantage of warming the air and preventing the labyrinth organ from igniting due to a too low outside temperature.

Even if, with regard to the lighting experience has shown that fighting fish prefer more shady areas in the aquarium, which is why their aquarium should not be too brightly lit, but in so-called aquascapes it should have at least one darkened corner, for example in the form of tufted ferns or other floating plants. The fighting fish also tends to dislike currents, as it originates from stagnant water. This is why airlift filters are particularly suitable. In the beginning, it is also advisable to darken the side windows, especially for stress-sensitive or sensitive animals.

Some fighting fish also like decorationsHowever, care should be taken that these have large openings, especially in caves, as the fish, especially when they are still growing, could get caught one day and drown.

2.1 Keeping in the sales facility

All too often, colourful fighting fish are visually perceived as "cramped" when they are discovered in a sales facility and the dealer is often anything but an animal lover. It should therefore be noted at this point that the latter also regularly receives visits from the veterinary office, which is guided by the animal welfare document of the "Minimum requirements for keeping ornamental fish". This document regulates how the fish for sale is to be presented. For example, the following is prescribed for Betta splendens: "...3) for longer sales presentations, a minimum water volume of one litre of water must be available for keeping Betta splendens males individually. In addition, protective, stress-preventing decoration such as clumps of aquatic plants or bogwood etc. should not be missing."

Often, however, these retail units are also filtered through a common filter, so that the water volume exceeds one litre and the water load is correspondingly lower. By comparison, fighting fish in Asia, for example, are raised together in nearly 2,500 litres of concrete ponds and finally separated into bottles of about 750 millilitres until they are exported. Special breeding animals are housed in larger containers.

3. socialisation of fighting fish

The socialisation of fighting fish with other animals is always "a thing of its own". Often the aquarium in which it lives seems "empty", so that the desire for company for the comrade arises. Especially for nano cubes, invertebrates such as dwarf shrimps, snails or crayfish are often considered. As already mentioned, however, fighting fish are not only distinctly character animals, they are also carnivores that usually feed on twitching invertebrates such as mosquito larvae and even very small crustaceans such as daphnia in their habitat. In the aquarium, the company can therefore very quickly become a buffet.

3.1 Socialising with invertebrates

Dwarf shrimps are more or less suitable as tank mates if you value their numerous appearance. Especially Neocaridina species, which reproduce quickly and well, are preferable, but the aquarium should be well planted and have caves so that they can retreat. The offspring will probably end up as snacks. However, it should be noted that not every fighting fish is interested in shrimps and some live together with them, while others become real eating machines and can even bite through adult shrimps so that they fit better into their mouths. Experience shows that it is not possible to make a general statement as to whether a previously rather leisurely companion will one day discover its preference for dwarf shrimp. On the other hand, they are quite suitable as permanent "live food". However, if you value the little crawlers, they are not recommended as housemates. Alternatively, you can find out whether they are compatible with the WG by testing a few shrimps.

Large-armed shrimps are rather not an alternative, as they are quite capable of inflicting considerable fin injuries on the fish.

Fan shrimp not only need a lot of current in the aquarium, which in turn is not particularly beneficial to the fighting fish, but also, as they are naturally extremely curious, they will tug at their fan hands, which in turn hurts the shrimp, but also causes them to hide permanently. This will probably cause it to starve to death in its burrow.

Amano shrimp are a possible option due to their expected final size of 6 centimetres and sometimes more, but it would be better to go for almost fully-grown animals right from the start. Nevertheless, it is possible that the quickly bored fighting fish will also tug at them from time to time.

Dwarf crayfish or crayfish should never be kept together with fighting fish. Most fighting fish have correspondingly long fins that "wag" all too seductively, and fighting fish also tend to lie down on decorations or plants, which makes them very easy prey. Large c rayfish in particular can easily catch the rather ponderously swimming fighting fish and eat them completely, such accidents could possibly also happen with crayfish otherwise known to be rather peaceful.
Interestingly, even a dwarf c rayfish is able to "catch" a fighting fish by holding on to one fin with a pair of scissors and pinching out and eating pieces of fin with the other. The fish will react as expected, but with the crayfish in its luggage, it also finds it a bit difficult to swim. Most of the time, the fin hem has already mutated considerably into a "short haircut" before the fighting fish has been able to shake off or bite the dwarf crab - which in turn is associated with fin losses. Although his fins grow back, the injuries are mostly considerable and require extensive care, usually with medication, as fin injuries are often prone to infections that sometimes heal only with difficulty. Injuries and treatments also cause stress, which can put additional strain on the fish and make it sick.

Snails like shrimps, are either completely uninteresting to fighting fish or arouse the hunting instinct. Longer antennae in particular are tempting to peck at them, although here again the character of the KaFi plays a role. Bottom-dwelling tower snails, which mainly burrow in, live more or less safely, racing snails tend to drop and close their shells and crawl on again after a while. However, if it withdraws permanently or increasingly, it can be assumed that it has too much stress and should rather move out of the WG again. Quite curious fighting fish are also true masters of staying on the substrate for hours and looking closely at their fellow inhabitants, even empty snail shells can seem almost magically attractive to them. Bubble snails, however, fall victim to them relatively often and are first pecked at and then pulled out of their house with a jerky head movement. They also eat snail spawn from time to time, and they also like to peck at dead or crushed snails.

3.2 Accompanying fauna in the fighting fish aquarium

In a fighting fish aquarium there is usually less accompanying fauna, because often everything that wriggles, squirms or jumps is pecked at and eaten without further ado. Sometimes fighting fish even eat adult Asian water leeches (if you were lucky enough to have some) and also planaria. Experience has shown that fighting fish, especially those that are mainly or frequently fed with live food, are true masters at "cleaning" an aquarium of a mussel crab or brittle fry population virtually "overnight". As they are also quite voracious, they have a tendency to overeat. You can see this clearly in their big bellies.

3.3 Socialisation with fish

Fish as company is also rather a double-edged sword. First and foremost, the size of the aquarium should be taken into consideration when choosing fish - keeping them in a nano aquarium under 54 litres is not advisable in most cases - in combination with a fighting fish as well.
Fighting fish tend to prefer the middle and upper water zone, which is why they might find lively fish that hang around everywhere, and especially those with rather longer fins, such as guppies , as intruders. (Sometimes their own keeper represents a "threat" to them and they swim towards him with threatening gestures). In addition, freshly hatched young may well end up as attractive live food for the fighting fish. By defending their territory, they not only tire very quickly, they are also under constant stress and can fall ill. In addition, attacks on the "enemies" seen in this way could be the order of the day. Therefore, rather calm and short-finned companion fish that prefer to stay in the middle to lower water zone and do not make too much of a spectacle during courtship or vehemently defend their territories would be more suitable. Ancistras and other small armoured catfish are therefore more suitable, but the recommended aquarium size and the expected final size of these fish must also be taken into account. Preferably, however, the fighting fish does not have to deal with other fish.

4. food

Fighting fish are pure carnivores, i.e. they feed on approaching insects, insect larvae and other small crustaceans that live in the water.
Depending on what a fighting fish was fed when it was brought up, it may not accept various types of food at all or may spit them out again. New tankmates in particular should therefore be watched at first. Above all, however, fighting fish tend to overeat, which should be stopped if possible. They will then have visibly fat bellies after a feeding frenzy, which even takes some space away from the swim bladder, which is why full KaFis sometimes move around the aquarium as if "drunk" or just lie down somewhere. This condition usually returns to normal within a day, once they have digested the food, but you should not deliberately cause it for the animal's sake, even if it seems to be begging all the time. Children should therefore be given the food in pre-portions.

Live food

is the most natural form of nutrition. Even if all kinds of mosquito larvae can be served, the white ones are usually preferred. Live food also usually contains more nutrients than other types of food. Especially fussy animals can be easily reintroduced to the food or prepared for breeding with the wriggling mosquitoes. Above all, the food animals distribute themselves independently in the aquarium, encouraging the fighting fish to hunt. Live food also minimises the risk of water contamination.

Artemia nauplii can be produced yourself, but the effort is not worth it for adult fighting fish, which is why they are mainly used to feed young fish. If well-reproducing dwarf shrimp species such as Neocaridina are kept in the fighting fish aquarium, they can be used as permanent live food.

Adult Artemia, on the other hand, are ideal for adult animals. Also suitable are water fleasmayflies, fruit flies and mealworms, Moina and enchytraea. Since fighting fish tend to overeat, they should be fed sparingly. Animals that are not prepared can easily take a break from feeding every other day. Before feeding, the live food should be rinsed with a sieve and any dead animals removed if it has been offered in bags, such as brittle fish, mosquito larvae, water fleas or artemia. In the summer months, it is a good idea to breed your own water fleas, which can easily be kept in a bucket on the balcony or in the garden.

Frozen food

is a practical alternative to live food and can be defrosted in portions. However, good attention should be paid to the origin and storage. Once thawed, frozen food should not be refrozen and should be rinsed very well before feeding. Not all fighting fish understand the "purpose" of frozen food, as it only moves once when fed - from top to bottom - so care should be taken to see whether they "chase" the food or whether it remains uneaten on the floor. To prevent gamma licks, this should be vacuumed up after one hour at the latest. However, some fighting fish swim after the food and look at it from all sides for a while before "tasting" it. Here, too, you should pay attention to whether they munch on it and spit it out again or not.

Freeze-dried FD food

floats on the water surface for a while during feeding and is either taken up directly by "experienced" fighting fish or observed floating around for some time before it is tried if they have not known it before. However, as it resembles natural food due to the drifting on the water surface, the acceptance is generally quite high. Dried mosquito larvae are particularly easy to introduce to fish that are reluctant to eat them. But here, too, care should be taken that sinking food does not rot unnoticed on the bottom.

Granules and flakes

are not necessarily familiar to many fighting fish and they have to get to know them first. In the beginning, you can also mix this with freeze-dried food so that they accept it more readily. When choosing food granules, make sure that they are designed for labyrinth fish, or fighting fish, and that the meat content is correspondingly high. Some granules also contain garlic, which is more acceptable and also strengthens the immune system. This should also be fed sparingly, approximately the amount that corresponds to the size of the eyes, so that a can of food will last a long time. You should also be careful when changing the food and remove any food that falls off. Particularly in small aquariums, food that collects on the substrate can have a significant impact on the water quality.

5. sexing and breeding

If you know what to look for, sexing a fighting fish is not too difficult. However, inexperienced eyes can miss a few things, especially with short-finned varieties such as the poster, and the spawning papilla or egg set is not always visible or serves as a definite characteristic. Especially when preparing for breeding, the animals should therefore be thoroughly sexed.

5.1 The sexes of fighting fish

Especially at a young age and when fighting fish grow up more or less together, sexes cannot always be clearly assigned. Especially suppressed males are able to disguise themselves as females and form a so-called "stress stripe" along the body length. If these supposed females are later separated or if all other males are removed, the stress stripe may change back in a very short time and form long fins again - if it is not suppressed again by other fish. In general, fighting fish are sexually mature at about 3-4 months.

Theoretically, both sexes can be distinguished by these factors: Males usually have larger and also differently shaped fins than females. Especially their dorsal fin is more rounded, in females usually more pointed. Males also have larger mouths than females.

A view from above is also helpful: Males appear narrower on the flanks with a rather flat belly, while females have rounder bellies and more curved flanks. In addition, they are usually a little paler in colour - but this can be misinterpreted with the new Koi and also Nemos. Another look from below also shows the female's oviduct, the genital papilla, as a small, white, protruding spot. Especially long-finned fighting fish such as Halfmoon can be easily identified as males by beginners due to their rather large fins. It is sometimes more tricky with Halfmoon females, which look almost confusingly like poster males due to their body size and fins.

Interestingly, both sexes build foam nests. However, the males have larger bubbles, the females rather smaller ones.

Fighting fish with a pale body and an age of about 3 months are relatively easy to distinguish optically - because thanks to the pale body, the many small white eggs in the belly of the female are visible as a "lying triangle" directly behind the belly, above the beginning anal fin.

5.2 Breeding fighting fish

Whether one's own fighting fish are suitable for breeding or not should be made dependent on various criteria, because breeding fish just for the sake of breeding, especially fighting fish that should better be kept individually throughout their lives, is a moot point. Moreover, fighting fish can produce up to 500 eggs, and if only half or even a third of them develop, further housing can become quite problematic. There are good reasons why the animals available on the market are imported from Asia and not bred commercially in Germany, for example.

Healthy animals are the be-all and end-all in breeding. Above all, fit and vigorous animals have sufficient temperament and energy so that mating can take place in the first place and the male also takes care of the offspring accordingly. Likewise, the assessment of the body structure and proportions should not be neglected, because these make up the appearance of the fish. Last but not least, fins, colour and possible markings play a role. Finally, a certain breeding goal should be defined, on the basis of which you can orientate the breeding and get the appropriate animals.

By the way: Fighting fish can be bred in many different ways, mainly the harmony of a pair plays a major role. It is quite possible that a pair will not breed because they cannot "smell" each other. It is true that fighting fish can be manipulated to a certain extent, but in some cases, especially in high-breds, the mating act does not take place.

5.3 Preparation and spawning

The most common method is probably to keep both animals individually without visual contact. The male should already be in the breeding tank, which should have at least 40, preferably even 60 litres of water. The tank may be very densely weeded, so that one almost assumes that he can no longer swim through it. Alternatively, the female can be placed in a separate smaller aquarium or a box next to it. In this case, 2/3 of the panes are taped off so that both animals can retreat to their "safe zone" when they are not interested in each other.

The pH value of the water should ideally be 6-6.5, and the temperature may be 29-30°C. With the help of foliage leaves or humic acids the water can be acidified accordingly, ideally mineralised osmosis water is used. Water changes simulate the rainy season and also increase the spawning readiness. Both animals are fed several times a day with large live food (alternatively with their familiar food). Both tanks should be covered, as it has happened that the animals have jumped into the other tank.

When the male is in the mood, he starts to build a foam nest on the water surface, sometimes with the help of water plants or floating plants. A piece of styrofoam floating on the surface can be used to support him. Again and again he will seek out the female at the pane. If it threatens her with raised gills, it is not yet ready. If, however, it starts to dance or swims away from the disc towards the nest again and again, this is an invitation to follow. If the female is ready to mate, she will return his dance and can be placed with him. If, however, he swims against the window and pecks into it, the time is not yet right. Females that are ready to mate also show vertical stripes, but these cannot be seen in fully covered animals such as Dragon; here a closer observation of the fish and their behaviour is necessary.
The female will look at the nest in detail and start dancing if she likes it. If the male vehemently scares the female away, however, she is not yet ready and the female should be put back again, as in this case there can be serious confrontations in which "fins fly to shreds" in the truest sense of the word.
The actual spawning act takes place closely entwined. Both fish stand next to each other, the male wraps around the female and forms a kind of tube with his anal fin, through which the female releases her eggs, which he fertilises at the same time. Both animals can then fall into a kind of rigidity and sink to the ground, which dissolves again after a few seconds, but usually only the female falls into this "trance".

The male then begins to collect the eggs that have fallen to the ground and spit them into the foam nest. Occasionally the female helps him to do this, but now and then he already scares her away. It is helpful to observe whether she really collects the eggs and spits them out or even eats them. Inexperienced males or those that feel disturbed also tend to eat the eggs in places. Others, on the other hand, tirelessly collect eggs and swim around with them for a while before transferring them to the foam nest. (It has been known for these males to keep the eggs in their mouths when they were transferred and only spit them out again in the new aquarium some time after the transfer). It is advantageous if the water level in the rearing tank is not more than 15 centimetres, as the male collects every egg that falls down again and brings it back to the nest - this is an energy-sapping affair!

Ideally, the female should be removed after laying the eggs. It may be that her presence disturbs the male, so that he will not only bite her but also destroy the foam nest. Therefore, the dense plants or even algae serve as a retreat, because in the dense jungle she can protect herself from massive attacks, usually he will not pursue her very far. The following 36-48 hours he is tirelessly busy with nest care, collecting eggs and repairing the nest. Very trusting males can also be fed with tweezers so that they can recharge their batteries. In order for him to be able to collect eggs as comfortably and effectively as possible, the rearing tank should not have a substrate in which they would otherwise be inaccessible and possibly perish.

Brood care is also a genetic matter - not all males are caring brooders. Especially in high breeders it is noticeable that the males do not really "know" what their task is after collecting eggs, which is why the hatching rate of the young can be sparse- either because he has eaten the eggs or the hatched young or out of the blue he is no longer interested in his nest, possibly even destroying it directly. It is to be assumed that its "father" was also removed too early from the nest from which it hatched, which is why the brood care instinct is only limited to the most necessary. Last but not least, one should not underestimate the diverse character traits.

Besides this method, there are several others to stimulate or prepare the animals.

5.4 Rearing and separating the fry

Usually the male also takes care of the hatching young, which at first still stand vertically in the water, but sometimes also hang on the aquarium glass and feed on their yolk sac for the next 2-3 days. Only then do they change their position and swim around "as fish do". He lovingly collects them again and again and brings them back to the nest. Again, keep an eye on them, because some male fighting fish get irritated by the twitching movements and see their own young as live food. Ideally, however, he cares for them. Interestingly, he has a method of collecting the young scattered around the aquarium: by vibrating with his fins on the water surface, he lures them towards him. You can simulate this by gently splashing it with a finger and you will be amazed when the little ones come scurrying up.

The rearing aquarium should be covered with a cover glass, and the temperature should continue to be kept constant so that the young fish are not naturally eliminated by inflammation of their labyrinth organ during breathing. From day 3 onwards they can be fed with fine live food such as microworms, although some breeders advise against this, as the young tend to eat them from the bottom and rub their bellies along the bottom, which can lead to malformations of the fins. An alternative is micronised food, which they take directly from the water surface. After about a week they can be fed with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii. Young fighting fish grow amazingly fast and excrete just as quickly, which is why the rearing tank can easily tolerate a water change of 90% every day. Hygiene and clean water is the top priority in fish rearing.

At about three months of age they are already sexually mature and should be separated shortly before. If they are not separated, they grow rather slowly to sparsely and tend to want to dominate each other after a certain point. Bitten eyes or fin injuries are also not uncommon. Inadequate water care and sparse feeding also lead to scanty growth. Kept singly and without visual contact, they develop their typical fins and colours. Again, the smaller the tank, the more frequently, if not daily, water should be changed and feeding should be sparing. At about 4-6 weeks of age, the young will already eat mosquito larvae and Artemia.

6. genetics of fighting fish

Basically it can be said that the colour of a fighting fish is produced by three different pigments: lutein for yellow, erythopterin for red and melanin for black. In addition, light is refracted by small hexagonal crystals, which thus look grey, blue or even green. These reflecting cells also contain only one colour pigment; the iridocytes or guanophores.

Each colour is subject to different factors that are responsible for its formation. Certain genes and their alleles control this process, which is not entirely random. That is why a breeder can influence it through targeted breeding and thus influence the appearance of the future fish.

Fighting fish can change their colours in a fraction of a second and sometimes communicate in this way: anxious or sickly animals in particular tend to have pale colours, whereas males really shine during courtship. But other factors also play a major role: above all, the hormone balance of an animal influences the fin colouring - animals under constant stress, for example, do not develop complete fins, even if they are genetically predisposed to do so. In such a case, their blood hormone balance even suppresses their natural territorial behaviour!

6.1 Mutations as a basis

The basis for the unmutated colour genetics is the wild form of Betta splendens. However, there are also fighting fish with the colours of the wild form, which are nevertheless no longer archetypes. Various subspecies have also been bred purely for colour and shape and basically have the same genetics as the wild form, but their characteristics have been influenced by years of selection - for example, these fish have longer fins and stronger colours and a more brash behaviour - because this is also hereditary.

It is mainly the spontaneous mutations in colour and fin shapes that made the fighting fish so popular, which have been bred for over 400 years. Mostly, however, these are rather inconspicuous, so that it takes breeding skills and experience to intensify them - the Crowntail is an apt example here, which only comes from years of pursuing a certain breeding goal.

Certain mutations influence the colours, others the distribution of the same. This inheritance is partly pure mathematics, but its expression can also be coincidence. Especially through line breeding (inbreeding), undesirable characteristics can be removed or strengthened. The Marbel effect is the best example of this. Without this line breeding and isolated biotopes, some subspecies of fighting fish would probably never have evolved. In some cases, local variants even give rise to their own subspecies after a few years.

7 Character and behaviour

It is not only their easy care and colourful nature that makes fighting fish so interesting, but above all their distinct character. Even if it sounds curious, fighting fish are more than "mere" fish that sit in a glass box and occupy themselves with themselves all day. Bettas like variety and are basically interested in everything and everyone - as long as it is a healthy animal, in old age they sometimes become a little more sluggish. They are extremely curious, capable of learning and observe a lot. Especially in cases of allergies, the fighting fish is a great alternative to four-legged friends, with whom children in particular can keep themselves busy.

7.1 Training fighting fish - is it possible?

If you have ever tried to take a photo of your fighting fish's face, you will notice that it will follow the camera with its eyes and focus the lens in places. If it also sees its reflection, it will threaten it by spreading its gill covers and putting up its fins, sometimes even bobbing. It usually also recognises its keeper, not to mention the food can, and immediately swims to the aquarium glass when both appear in front of it. In general, he is a very attentive companion who gives a lot of pleasure and who just wants to be kept busy.
First of all: if you use your fingers in the aquarium, they should of course be washed thoroughly beforehand without soap, but it would be better to use aids instead.

7.2 Hand-taming and nudging

Once the new tankmate has thoroughly settled in and explored its new home, it will soon recognise who feeds it and who just drops by. Some fish are even so curious that they examine with interest the hands or tweezers that are cleaning or working in the aquarium and sometimes even lie down on the outstretched hand. Of course, the fish should not be lifted out of the water or held, as this can lead to injuries to the mucous membranes, among other things. Preferably, the hands have been thoroughly cleaned beforehand and "soaked" - about the way they look after a long bath. Also, the fighting fish should only do this voluntarily out of its own ambition. It will probably also let itself be fed from the hand or a blunt pair of tweezers after a while, and will also poke at an outstretched finger.

7.3 Vibrations and knocking

As already described in the chapter on breeding, fighting fish react to vibrations in the water, which you can definitely take advantage of. Especially young animals can get used to it very quickly. If you gently splash a finger or alternatively a wooden popsicle stick on the surface, they will leave their hiding place after a few seconds and curiously surface. This behaviour can be conditioned if it is given a snack immediately after surfacing, for example a mosquito larva. This is actually the main concern - the father fighting fish "calls" his young by vibrating with his fins on the water surface, either to protect them or because there is something to eat. Depending on how long you practice with him, the snacks should be calculated out of the daily food ration accordingly. However, the same works just as well with a light tap on the glass. But fighting fish are also clever, if they are called several times and don't get a treat, they will soon get the hang of it and will only watch the spectacle from a distance, but won't come near again until they get something to eat.
However, as fighting fish also differ in their characters, these exercises and results will vary from fish to fish.

7.3 Jumping

As clumsy as a fighting fish may appear, if it is willing, it can jump. Admittedly, it won't reach very great heights in doing so, apart from some slender and agile Betta species that can really go full throttle. This is less the case with the usual placard, halfmoon and the like, they usually do not manage an obstacle higher than 10-15 centimetres. For this reason, among others, his aquarium should be almost completely covered, because he is quite accurate in places once he has found an opening that is just the size of an olive and squeezes through or gets stuck. On the other hand, you can also take advantage of this behaviour and keep your little companion busy. For them, too, the way to love is through the stomach, so to speak, and once you have found their favourite treat, they will willingly let you entertain them.
This exercise should preferably be practised in the middle of the aquarium so that the fish does not accidentally jump out of the aquarium! Jumping also assumes that the fighting fish is already used to being fed from tweezers or nudged by a finger. When he usually nudges, the tweezers will be lifted a little higher from now on, just one centimetre for the time being. He will stretch more at first to reach them - and then of course be rewarded right away. The next time, it will again be held a little higher. Usually he will first look at the tweezers and task in detail from below and you can literally watch him "thinking". With some fish it takes a while until they really "jump" a few centimetres, while others find this trick rather uninteresting.

7.4 Recognising colours

Not all, but some fighting fish are real masters at recognising colours and can be conditioned with them. They can be trained relatively quickly with a green and a red card in playing card format. The green card is always held up to the aquarium glass when it is feeding time, the red one when you are just passing by but there is no food. After a very short time, most fish get the hang of it and come swimming when they see the green card and remain rather uninterested when they discover the red one.

7.5 Mirror training - sense or nonsense?

Even though mirror training is often perceived by some as an unreasonable burden and unnecessary excitement for the fighting fish, it does make sense. The fin mass of a long-finned fighting fish is often simply underestimated. Of course, it is desirable to subject the fish to as little stress as possible, but if it does not regularly expose its fins completely, it is possible that they can become glued or otherwise infected. Apart from that, especially large fighting fish like Giants and Longfin offer a correspondingly large fin and body area, which makes them susceptible to diseases that usually stem from poor water quality. (Short-finned fish like posters, for example, offer less "attack surface")
Not only show-worthy animals that participate in championships, but also young animals that are still growing should put up their fins every now and then so that they can develop fully. In their natural habitat, fighting fish are more often confronted with intruders, so they do this all by themselves. In the aquarium, especially when kept singly, they are protected from such and therefore tend to be rather cosy. Last but not least, raised fins also indicate possible diseases and allow a first assessment as a potential breeding animal.
Of course, the fighting fish should not be stressed to the point of exhaustion and mirrored, but merely asked to spread its fins now and then. A simple hand mirror is sufficient for this purpose, which should then be kept out of sight.

8. peculiarities

Apart from their character traits and ability to learn, fighting fish in particular have interesting characteristics that are well worth mentioning. From their labyrinth organ to the marble colour change effect or the so-called "curling", they are true masters of surprise who can always "step it up a notch".

8.1 The labyrinth organ

Thanks to this special organ, which, incidentally, is also possessed by gourami, gourami, snakeheads and a few perches, fighting fish are also colloquially called "labyrinth fish". In the course of evolution, the fish had to adapt to changing habitats in order to survive, so they developed this organ. If you take a closer look at these habitats, you will soon realise that they seem almost uninhabitable for fish: most of the time, the waters from which the animals originate are quite small, heavily polluted by environmental influences and, on top of that, low in oxygen because they are mostly stagnant water. Some also dry out regularly. Therefore, these fish have switched from gill breathing, or rather gill breathing still works, but in a much more limited way and is no longer able to cover the complete oxygen demand, which is why the fish swim to the water surface to do so.

The "labyrinth" is located on the top of the head and is heavily supplied with blood. Atmospheric oxygen diffuses into the bloodstream and corresponds approximately to the same volume of the swim bladder. At the same time, the used air is released again via the gills. Especially the young fish breathe through their gills in the beginning while their labyrinth is developing - only then do they take in oxygen with it. For this reason, the water level should only be low and a maximum of 15 centimetres high when they are reared, so that they do not drown.

8.2 Age expectancy of fighting fish

In general, it can be said that fighting fish swim over the Rainbow Bridge at about 2 years of age. However, experience has shown that there are always animals that defy this general statement and behave anything but geriatric at 2 years of age. Especially fighting fish that have been very well cared for, have had regular and generous water changes, have not had to assert themselves against competitors and have usually never been used for breeding purposes or have frequently overeaten, seem to live longer. Currently, the oldest known male fighting fish in the aquarium has reached 6 years of age. After a certain age, fighting fish do change externally - for example, the aforementioned fish had developed a lighter mouth area and its colours also changed and became brighter.
If all other factors have been excluded, an "aging" fighting fish can be recognised mainly by the fact that it lets its fins hang down and lies more often on plants near the water surface. It also has problems swimming and sometimes refuses to eat, occasionally the fins begin to dissolve. With such obvious factors, consideration should be given to releasing the animal.


8.3 The Marble Effect - a mere myth?

People often talk about the marble effect when fighting fish suddenly change colour or lose colour, and even more often they are ridiculed for it. "He's marbling!" is often one of the first statements made when the much-loved beautiful swan suddenly mutates into an ugly duckling. But what is there to the theory of "jumping genes" and are they basically something "evil"?

In order to demystify the marble issue in just one sentence, it should be noted here that it is only thanks to them, for example, that the colourful koi fighting fish came into being.

To this day, the marbling of fighting fish is a mystery that has still not been conclusively researched, as further DNA analyses are simply lacking. The good thing is that research is being done!
Abi Rowlands, a budding scientist at Prifysgol Aberystwyth University, has a quite plausible explanation for this, which she is currently researching. She assumes that the pattern that appears in marbling is dependent on two important factors: namely, on the one hand, the ability of a fish to drastically change its colour and, on the other hand, that the apparently random or, in any case, not fully comprehensible pattern of inheritance causes these effects. Therefore, "marble" refers to a mutation in the fighting fish that is responsible for a change in colour. In addition, she also says that among aquarists it is hypothesised that this is a transmissible element that would be shifted in and out of the pigment-related genes. In particular, the disruption of pigment production in the chromatophores would lead to the phenotypic effect and its inheritance. However, she thinks that this theory of "jumping genes" is lame and therefore examines the Marbel effect in connection with the autoimmune disease vitiligo, which have several common denominators, but in contrast to the vitiligo that occurs in birds and mammals, fighting fish are capable of displaying colours again once they have faded.

It doesn't take much to trigger the effect: various stressors such as transfer, CO2 supply, fluctuating water values, transport, fellow fish and other things already lead to the first changes. In the process, it happens that fully coloured animals fade quasi overnight by releasing their colour into the water, a phenomenon that she has also captured impressively in pictures.

Among today's bettas, the Marbel effect has become so widespread that there are practically no animals left that do not have this genetics. On the one hand a great thing to create new colour forms, on the other hand also disadvantageous when great fish suddenly mutate into a grey mouse within a few hours. For this reason, the koi colour is not "hereditary" - if one can speak of pure heredity among fighting fish at all. This also justifies the rather high prices of these animals, as the colour distribution is extremely dependent on the parents and varies genetically very much - even in young animals of a pure Koi X Koi mating.

8.4 Origin of the Marble Effect

The marbling effect first appeared in prison inmate Orville Gully in the '60s. Gully tried to breed a colourless fighting fish and kept mating these "clear" animals with each other until one day he was confronted with speckled and spotted fish. However, he worked with Walt Maurus, a member of the IBC, who in turn offered Gully's fish in his pet shop. Frustrated and angry, Gully sent the animals to Maurus, who, however, saw great potential in them and continued to breed them - even other members of the IBC professed to be fanciers, so that the Marble gene, which is not passed on 100% even in a population of Marble x Marble, was used as a welcome experiment in crossbreeding. As is so often the case, the Marble sooner or later found its way back to Asia and was crossed and bred there, so that today we can enjoy extremely colourful fish.

Ultimately, Marble genetics offer an incredible pool of possibilities, which has contributed, among other things, to the fact that the popular Koi, Grizzle, Hellboy, Samurai and what they are all called are swimming in the aquarium today. Because of the many crossbreeds, one could even talk about Betta domesticus rather than B. splendens nowadays and write a whole library together- and even then we would not have fully grasped the extent and further new forms. Health-wise, fighting fish with marble genes do not show any health restrictions compared to "normal" fighting fish. However, they offer the possibility of targeted "genetic manipulation" - because selective breeding, or line breeding, is nothing else. It is precisely this that has contributed to the fact that today we have an almost never-ending palette of colours and shapes.

Unfortunately, however, and this should not go unmentioned, it has also produced various torturous breeds, as they are still bred and practised today, especially in Asian countries. From a theoretical point of view, however, the marble effect is not really extraordinary when one considers that wild fish in the wild also mutate to completely new appearances and even to their own subspecies entirely without human intervention. The best example of this is the so-called "rapid evolution" of wild guppies, for example, which are in a closed habitat and can change in appearance after only four generations.

8.5 Curly - when fighting fish twist their fins

Although this effect is somewhat less well known, it is nevertheless present. Occasionally fighting fish "curl" their fins, mainly the long and pointed pectoral fins. This twisting can have several causes. One of them is a rather stately age of the fish.
Another is the healing of fin injuries- bored and long-finned fighting fish sometimes tend to attack and bite their own tail fin, seeing it as an aggressor. Sometimes the new fin tissue does not smooth itself back to its original state.

The most common cause, however, is probably a high pH value. Even though KaFis can be kept in almost any water, they suddenly start curling when transferred to harder water with a higher pH value. They may also start curling during the mating season or after violent attacks with conspecifics.

However, curling is not really life-changing, the fish can live well despite it and are not restricted. The only exception to this is the onset of fin rot, in which case the tips of the fins will turn inwards and should be treated.

9. colour forms*

Mostly first-bred colour forms are given names by the breeder, naming different combinations of colour and pattern genes. The following genes are currently known in fighting fish:

9.1 Colour genes

1. red dominant. Red on body and fins. No gloss, not translucent
2. Yellow/ non-red 1 - recessive. Reduces red to yellow.
3. orange/ non-red 2 - recessive. Reduces red to orange. Orange X Orange results in 75% Orange, 25% Cambodian, which again is essential for Orange.
4. red loss - probably dominant. Originally red fish fade with time, injuries "reactivate" the colour, but "Extended Red" is not affected.
5. steel blue - co-dominant. Steel blue, colour intensity variable according to undercolour and density.
6. royal blue - co-dominant. Royal blue, colour intensity variable according to undercolour and density.
7. turquoise / green - co-dominant. Turquoise blue, colour intensity variable according to undercolour and density
8. Melano Black - recessive. Deep black on body and fins. Black as in Black Mollies. Females infertile. Eggs are laid which do not develop fully.
9. black lace - recessive. Black with glossy coating on body and fins, fin ends are translucent black.
10. blond / bright - recessive. Black body colour is reduced. Blond + Steel = silver grey, Blond + Black = washed out black, Blond + Red = light cherry red
11. Dragon - selection breeding after hybridisation? Thickened white gloss layer. Becomes thicker with age. Originated from crossbreeding with B. Mahachaiensis. Dragons can develop tumours with age. A layer over the eye (Alien Eyes) is not desirable (effect of mirrored sunglasses, the fish can still see).
12. cambodian - recessive. Xanthic, flesh coloured body, red fins
13. Metallic - co-dominant. Yellow reflective sheen, produced by crossbreeding with B. mahachaiensis and/or B. imbellis.

9.2 Drawing genes

1. black head - splendens wild form. Head without glossy layer. Standard before crossbreeding with other subspecies.

2. butterfly / variegated fins - dominant. A white band in the fins, neatly demarcated, ideally 1/3 of the area of the fins in 3 colours, 1/2 in 2 colours. Shape of Marble.

3. marble - dominant. Marble / spotting, can vary extremely. Colour may change with time.

4. masked - hybridisation. Created by crossbreeding, glossy layer extended onto the head.

5. full masked hybridisation. Glossy layer completely without gaps on the whole head

6. spread iridocyte - dominant? Extends the gloss layer from the body to the fins.

7. extended red - recessive. Spread and intensity of red is extended.

9.3 Colour combinations with independent designations and other colours

1. albino - completely colourless with red/pink eyes, rare

2. armageddon- blue body, yellow fins with red speckles and blue edges

3. apocalypse - green body, orange fins

4. bi-colour- two-coloured

5. black orchid- steel blue sheen in the fins, black body

6. clear / Cellophane- Transparent, colourless. Flesh coloured body, transparent fins, occurs e.g. with Marble.

7. chocolate - dark brown body, orange-golden fins

8. copper - steel blue + homozygous metallic

9. dalmatian - fins red or orange or yellow speckled, body Cambodian

10. dark bicolour - bicolour with dark body

11. devil - black body, red fins

12. extended red - a gene - the red layer is extended over the whole fish

13. fancy - fashionable name for colourful multicolour

14. galaxy koi - koi with single glittering scales

15. gold - yellow/orange metallic (hom.)

16. grizzle - marble with shady spotting

17. hawk - dorsal leaning forward

18. hellboy - black body and red fins

19. koi - spotted marble with more than 2 colours

20. lavender - like salamander but with purple platinum body

21. light bicolour - bicolour with light body

22. marble black - black fish, selection breeding, can change with time

23. mascot - blue body, red fins

24. monster - white head, colourful body

25. multicolour - multicoloured

26. mustard gas - green or blue body, yellow/orange fins, similar to chocolate

27. non-blue - no gene? Selective breeding? Some fish have no (or barely) visible gloss layer

28. panda - black spotted body on light background

29. pastel - pastel colours, light body, mostly white, blue or green. Genetic: Cambodian + Steel Blue + Spread Iridocyte + Nonred + Opaque (optional).

30. piebald - visually similar to marble, colourless patches with straight demarcation, rare.

31. pineapple - black margined scales, black reticulated pattern

32. platinum - Looks like a shiny metallic layer

33. reduced red - body darker blue or green, red only in fins, no gene

34. salamander - pink/purple body, red fins, white butterfly fin edges

35. super black - combination of Melano Black and Black Lace, females infertile

36. thai flag - red, white, blue multicolour

Further topics will be added here shortly:

* Alien Eyes in Dragon and Copper
* Common diseases and parasites
* Abbreviations and technical terms
* Fin shapes - longfin and poster
* Fighting fish competitions
* Traditions and fighting fish breeding in Asia

This blog post was written with the help of national and international fighting fish breeders, importers and show organisers.
* Our special thanks go to Melanie Richter (Fate of the Starbound).