BETTA BETTAS (Better Bettas)

PET: (Blue Lace Half-Moon Plakat)

*The title wishes to convey the essence of the article, to have better bettas (BETTA BETTAS). Any likeness in name to a specific store or betta breeding organization is not in any way associated with the author or article written herein.

PET:(Turquoise Mustard Gas Half-Moon Plakat)

*Our dear pets personally bred by our friend,Team Bettas Pilipinas member, Mr. Jason Elmore.



Betta splendens (Siamese Fighting fish)

Splendid. This is the word that best describes the form, make and colors of the different types of bettas seen around the world. The genus betta has more than fifty (50) listed species but Betta splendens is considered the most ubiquitous when it comes to aquarium life. It is the quintessential betta species to grace the aquariums of most hobbyists here and abroad. Originally from Siam (Thailand), this tropical freshwater fish has been bred and used as a "gladiator" of the fighting fish arena but has since been bred and re-bred by hobbyists to perfect certain colors, finnages and attributes for people to enjoy as a pet,gracing their aquariums at home and being included in shows worldwide. Betta splendens and other betta species are usually found in the rice paddies of Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia. Known for its cost-efficiency when it comes to maintenance (since it does not need an aerator for aquarium survival), it has been one of the top-selling freshwater fish in the market to date. Bettas have the so-called labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen which is then absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Males are usually brightly colored, robustly finned and are kept in individual containers because they naturally end up fighting when put in a single container, except of course when they have not yet reached the adult stage. Females may also be brightly colored but have lighter shades or hues and with simple fins compared to their male counterparts (they may live together peacefully in a so-called "sorority tank"). Like most mouth breathers, bettas make bubble nests for their fry and according to some is one of the components of the mating ritual. When excited, males exhibit an aggressive behavior and begin to flare (ie, stretching of fins, opening of gill covers, exposure of gills and darkening of color). Females may also exhibit this characteristic but usually, especially when ready to mate, show vertical lines on their bodies. Their mating ritual is composed of showing-off colors, chasing around the aquarium and sometimes nipping of each others' fins (there are even incompatible pairs that end up killing each other). Their dance of love however, is a sight to behold. Also called the "nuptial embrace", the male entwines itself with the female while they both release eggs (female) and milt or seminal fluid (male). They then go into a state of suspended animation for a few seconds then go through the same process again until the female has released all of her eggs. During and after spawning, the male catches the fertilized eggs in his mouth and puts them within the pre-formed bubble nest. During this time, the female is removed because they, more often than not, devour the eggs but according to some, this notion is quite overrated since there have been reports that some females help their mates deposit the fertilized eggs into the nest. The fry stay in the bubble nest until the time that their yolk sacs have been absorbed by their bodies. By then, they are ready to swim freely in the breeding tank. This is the signal to remove the male. On the third day onward, the fry are fed any of the following: microworms, newly hatched baby brine shrimp or daphnia (some even give them hard boiled egg yolks). It is important though, to clean the breeding tank regularly by water change to prevent growth of any organism and/or prevent disease. In two (2) to three (3) months, they are ready to be jarred or transferred to grow-out tanks. Some even transfer fry to grow-out tanks as early as a week old.  I am not an expert, so I leave this part to them. :)

How it all began

For the longest time, my husband and I have been dog lovers (and still are, by the way).  However, through  the years we have been together, we have begun to love and take care of other animals as well. We've had our share of ants, spiders and worms (which have all passed away, except for the super worms which we also breed for our arowana). Yes, you may call our garage (which was once the lovely abode of our car, Sevaughn), a zoo of some sorts. It now houses two giant tanks (one for our arowana: Souki, the other for our feeder /comet fishies and seven Kois: Pare-Koi, Ping-Koi, Kolo-Koi, Kuya-Koi, Angeli-Koi, Atoy-Koi and Bumble Bee[?!] plus the comet fish which I would like to note, that we never want to feed Souki, the big one that looks like a Koi: "Sudo-Koi", ie, Pseudo Koi), a medium-sized breeding/sorority tank, tiered small containers for super worms, single glass aquariums for the adult bettas, a handful of plastic 1.5 soda bottles for our betta juvies and a dog cage for our duo of four-legged spices (ie, Dacschund: Laurel and Shih-Tzu: Basil). Four (4) years ago, 2007 to be exact, we chanced upon the lovely bettas (veil tails at that, the cute mongrels of the betta world) in a children's party. Although we have seen the lovely flowing creatures in pet shops a couple of times already, during the children's party, the children, including me and my hubby, were literally enchanted by the colorful creatures. They were by the way, the give-aways of the celebrant  (the bag included the fish, a small round aquarium and fish flakes). When we got home, I couldn't take my eyes off them... I was ENCHANTED! So I begged my husband to research on them so we can start breeding. We saw the picture on the net and my hubby joined a betta forum and met Mr. Brian Santos, who up to this day, is a good friend of ours. Brian, a betta and other creepy crawlies enthusiast/breeder, introduced us to the world of bettas. We have learned alot from him, met and hooked-up with fellow hobbyists and enthusiasts and got our first super red HMPK (one of the progenies of his show winner). We then joined the Betta Club of the Philippines, gained tons of friends and bred our first (epic fail) bettas (read: alive and kicking but did not have ventrals!). Sadly, the first batch survived for only a few months and only three (3) reached full adulthood. They too, eventually died. Because of our busy schedules then, we were not able to breed another batch but now we are both back and we have (thank God) successfully bred, yes VEIL TAILS, the juvies are now in 1.5  plastic soda bottles. Why veil tails? It's because we would like to hone our breeding skills and by December 22, on my hubby's birthday, we will be giving them to our dear Christmas carolers for them to enjoy. I am sure that those youngsters will also be enchanted by the flowing tails and bright colors, much like what happened to us four years ago and maybe, just maybe, inspire them to breed Bettas. :)

To date, we have new adult bettas courtesy of our friend, Mr. Jason Elmore (two [2] pairs of Mustard Gas, one [1] pair of Blue Lace and two (2) red female crowntails). By January, we will start breeding a pair of Mustard Gases. I am crossing my fingers because I am not sure if we will be successful but practice makes perfect right? I hope that like other hobbyists, we will be able to hone our breeding skills further and breed BETTA BETTAS for everyone to enjoy! :) ONE LOVE everyone :)