Historically, Betta fish are said to have been named after an ancient Asian warrior clan called “Bettah.” They were given the names of these warriors because about 150 years ago people enjoyed participating in a popular sport that involved the fighting of two of these warrior fish. (In fact, the sport was so popular that it was regulated and taxed by the King of Siam.)

An interesting note about Betta fish fighting is that unlike cock or dog fighting in the west, in Siamese fighting fish tournaments, the actual fight was more to test the bravery of the fish, rather than a fight to see how much damage would be inflicted. , or a fight to the death.

Viewers bet on how long a particular fish would fight and which one would surrender first. (In fact, most fish would only fight once or twice, and then they would live the rest of their lives being pampered and used for reproduction.)

Natural habitat

The natural habitat of a Betta fish is in shallow tropical waters. This is because they need to be able to surface frequently in order to breathe air. They can be found in the wild in paddy fields, drainage ditches, slow-moving streams, and freshwater ponds. Betta fish are even known to thrive in large puddles! Its natural food source is insects and mosquito larvae.

How parenting began

According to historical accounts, a close friend of the King of Siam, Dr. Theodore Cantor received a pair of breeding Bettas from the king in 1840. The doctor bred and studied them for several years, and then wrote a scientific paper on them: giving them a Latin name of “Macropodus Pugnax”. However, shortly after the publication of his article, Dr. Cantor discovered that a species with that name already existed, so the fish was renamed “Betta Splendens”.

Several breeding pairs of Bettas were shipped to Germany in 1896 and then in 1910 Mr. Frank Locke from San Francisco California imported several Bettas to the USA.

One of the fish he received had unusual red fins, and he excitedly thought he had discovered a new species and named it “Betta Cambodia.” It actually had one of the first Betta splendens that had naturally developed new colors and characteristics through breeding.

Since then, breeders have been able to develop Bettas with all the vibrant colors and varied fin shapes that we find today. Betta breeding has become a profitable and ongoing passion for many people today, many of whom started with just one or two Bettas in a small aquarium.