You might well wonder why Siamese fighter fish are so popular, aside from the fact that they are so beautiful and striking.
Not all aquarium fish that are both striking and beautiful, after all, are popular-fish like the discus fish are delicate and need expert care, whereas others like the jewelfish and oscar cichlids are aggressive and often destroy aquarium decor and bully their tank mates.
The answer to that question is that-with certain exceptions which we'll take up in a little while-bettas are neither hard to keep nor hard on other fish (of course, male bettas can be aggressive to both females and other males as well).
Firstly, bettas are easily kept.
Although of course they do have their own range of ideal conditions within which they can thrive, this range is far wider than that of other fish such as the already mentioned discus fish.
For instance, discus fish are very sensitive to poor water quality and many individuals can and far too often do die very rapidly when subjected to foul water.
Bettas, on the other hand, are far hardier, being able to do well in stagnant water that may even be oxygen-depleted.
They are adapted to be able to breathe atmospheric air, which can help them survive and even thrive in poor water conditions.
(This of course, does not at all mean that an owner should subject his or her betta to such conditions-that would be inhumane and heartless.
The better the water quality, the better-looking and healthier, and thus happier, a betta will be, and that would be no less than a credit to his owner.
) Secondly, bettas can be rather easy to breed, too.
An owner who has taken good care of his or her male betta can sooner or later discover to his or her delight that his or her betta has begun to blow a bubblenest out of the blue.
Bubblenests are foam like structures made out of specially crafted bubbles that are intended to serve as safe places for betta eggs to develop.
Although bettas of both sexes can and do blow bubbles in the course of breathing, bubblenests are only blown by male bettas, and only when they are about to breed.
If one sees such a structure being created, one can be sure that one's betta is preparing to breed.
Very often, betta breeding does not require too much preparation in terms of water (aside from ensuring that the water is clean), feeding (aside from feeding both sexes higher-quality food such as live food-but even bettas fed mostly flake foods can and do enter into breeding condition), and a little attention to make sure that the male does not injure or kill the female in the course of breeding-a far cry from many other fish.
Not all aquarium fish that are both striking and beautiful, after all, are popular-fish like the discus fish are delicate and need expert care, whereas others like the jewelfish and oscar cichlids are aggressive and often destroy aquarium decor and bully their tank mates.
The answer to that question is that-with certain exceptions which we'll take up in a little while-bettas are neither hard to keep nor hard on other fish (of course, male bettas can be aggressive to both females and other males as well).
Firstly, bettas are easily kept.
Although of course they do have their own range of ideal conditions within which they can thrive, this range is far wider than that of other fish such as the already mentioned discus fish.
For instance, discus fish are very sensitive to poor water quality and many individuals can and far too often do die very rapidly when subjected to foul water.
Bettas, on the other hand, are far hardier, being able to do well in stagnant water that may even be oxygen-depleted.
They are adapted to be able to breathe atmospheric air, which can help them survive and even thrive in poor water conditions.
(This of course, does not at all mean that an owner should subject his or her betta to such conditions-that would be inhumane and heartless.
The better the water quality, the better-looking and healthier, and thus happier, a betta will be, and that would be no less than a credit to his owner.
) Secondly, bettas can be rather easy to breed, too.
An owner who has taken good care of his or her male betta can sooner or later discover to his or her delight that his or her betta has begun to blow a bubblenest out of the blue.
Bubblenests are foam like structures made out of specially crafted bubbles that are intended to serve as safe places for betta eggs to develop.
Although bettas of both sexes can and do blow bubbles in the course of breathing, bubblenests are only blown by male bettas, and only when they are about to breed.
If one sees such a structure being created, one can be sure that one's betta is preparing to breed.
Very often, betta breeding does not require too much preparation in terms of water (aside from ensuring that the water is clean), feeding (aside from feeding both sexes higher-quality food such as live food-but even bettas fed mostly flake foods can and do enter into breeding condition), and a little attention to make sure that the male does not injure or kill the female in the course of breeding-a far cry from many other fish.