The Natural Habitat of Betta Fish

Bettas are a popular first fish for many. They can live in small spaces and are fairly hardy. With their long flowing fins and bright colors, they are beautiful to look at. In their natural habitat, however, they have short fins with a dark, mottled appearance. Their natural habitat enables them to live in small containers where oxygen levels are too low for other fish.

  1. Discovery

    • Bettas, also called Siamese Fighting Fish, were first discovered in Siam. The fish became popular for their aggressive tendencies towards each other. Fights were staged since these fish will fight to the death. Owners would place two males into one small container and watch as they flared and attacked each other. They did not have the long colorful fins that we are used to seeing today. The fish were very nimble with short fins. They were bred for their aggressiveness. Today, they are bred for color and beauty.

    Rice Patties

    • Asia's rice patties are the natural habitat of bettas. These rice patties have very shallow water. The water is also muddy and may not contain enough oxygen. When the water level in their puddle gets too low, the bettas will jump out in search of another puddle.

      Normally, bettas do not come into contact with each other. When they do, they will fight until the loser leaves or dies. Both males and females are very aggressive towards each other.

    Labyrinth

    • A labyrinth is an organ the betta has that allows it to breathe air from the water's surface. In their natural habitat, during the dry months, the puddles of water that they live in become shallower. Without this ability to breathe air from the surface, they would not be able to live. As the puddles get smaller and smaller, so does the oxygen content. Bettas are unaffected by this because they have their labyrinth organ.

    Color

    • In the wild, you will not find bettas in the array of colors that you see in pet stores. You also will not find any bettas with long fins. Before they became domesticated, they had short fins and their bodies had mottled coloring. Domestication brought many different colors and fin styles over the years.

      Bettas do not have the beautiful colors we are used to in the wild because they need to blend into their environment so as not to be eaten by predators.

    Behavior

    • Wild bettas are slightly more aggressive than pet store bettas. They will display and show off their colors when they see another male of their species. They may spend days and weeks without seeing another fish in the wild. Bettas in captivity sometimes tire themselves just looking and challenging their neighbor in the cup next to them. Because they do not have the long fins of pet store bettas, their movement during a fight is very quick. Breeding behavior is the same as it is in captivity.