betta siamese fighting fish review

Picture courtesy of Silver Dragon.

Average Ratings
Value for Money8.8/10
Reviewer Rating8.9/10
Overall Rating8.6/10 Based on 37 ratings
83% Recommended19 out of 23 Reviews

expert review of Betta Siamese Fighting Fish

By MissDibDabs Rank: Sergeant on 30th Jun 2006

MissDibDabs's Ratings
Value for money8/10
Overall value10/10
yes MissDibDabs's recommendation

Good Points

Bad Points

The males are NOT community fish, nor will they want another male with them OR a female! Females are only ever with males when spawning (undertaken by breeders, not beginners with no clue, please!) or they WILL FIGHT AND KILL.

General Comments

I love Betta's. I keep a great many of them, and I am a member of the IBC. These beautiful fish have fantastic personalities, and they respond to their owners in a friendly manner. All are so different, with different wants and needs. Don't be fooled by some of the poor looking creatures in fish stores. These are an addictive fish. I know, I currently own 27!

As you can no doubt tell, Betta Siamese Fighting Fish are a passion of mine, of which I cannot possibly do them justice in these spaces. They vary so much as individuals, they are a learning curve all their own. The females can live together but have a strict hierarchy in place, and can still fight each other if it breaks down. They all love floating plants to sit in, and the males build bubble nests on the waters surface in the hope of a female, or just because they enjoy it.

They play and interact when happy. They NEED good access to the water surface as they are labyrinth fish (anabantoids) and breathe the air. They can't live for very long in a poorly maintained vase with no heater and no food! Sadly the industry has treated these beautiful fish badly, and advertised tiny tanks barely bigger then a small cup as suitable Betta homes. They aren't!! They will be unhappy and they will die. How would you like to live in a cupboard all your life after all. They need to be fed properly. They are a carnivorous fish and can not live on the roots of some plant anymore than you could survive on lettuce leaves forever.

As with any fish, look into their real needs first before buying any. And don't believe everything your fish store tells you!
Fall in love with them and become as obsessed as many others of us have, and treat the Betta as a full member of the family.

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3 Comments on Review by MissDibDabs for Betta Siamese Fighting Fish

  1. Mystix212 Rank: 2nd Lieutenant on 18th Jan 2007

    They are community fish. Just fin nipping fish can't be mixed and aggressive ones. I house my Betta Siamese Fighting Fish with
    2 Angel Fish
    3 Clown Loaches
    6 Black Widow Tetra
    3 Bala Sharks
    3 Harlequin Rasboras
    4 Neon Tetras
    4 Platys
    7 Guppies
    1 Ballon Molly
    3 Swordtails
    7 Mollies
    1 Red-Tail Black Shark
    2 Plecos

    And the cool thing is, he will just sit in the plants and look at you nicely, and he is always out front and center. No fish has tried to interrupt his space, even though he doesn't care, nor has he even tried to follow any fish looking for food. He eats Betta pellets, bloodworms and the occasional flake if he wants a sample.

  2. MissDibDabs Rank: Sergeant on 18th Jan 2007

    I have to ask what size your tank is! It must be a fair size for that many fish. Also, how long have they been together like that. As they grow up to adulthood the angels will pick on the Betta, the fast swimming fish will upset him and may start to nip. Alternatively, he may start attacking them. He will also become stressed in such a large tank with so many fish. And the filter you must have running will also cause him struggles. I highly doubt he'll bubblenest either. In the end, male Betta's like their own space and most don't like to share. For those that do, a smaller tank with a few companions, like Harlequins, are good, with the added bonus that the filtration doesn't need to be high and won't upset him.

    I'm glad all is fine right now, and I hope it lasts, but normally it's a disaster waiting to happen.

  3. Mystix212 Rank: 2nd Lieutenant on 21st Jan 2007

    Because we have such a large filter in a very dense planted aquarium, I made a pipe with lots of holes in it that give water out, so the current isn't big. Also it's at the very back of the tank - Betta at the front. I've had most of those fish for a good 5 months now. The Betta being a farley new addition. 6 weeks ago. The angels are only 4 inches long from tip of the mouth to tip of the tail (short tail species).
    125 G Tank.



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