Betta Fighting

Thai people call the Betta pla kat, which means “tearing or biting fish.” No doubt rice paddy workers saw nest-guarding males defending their territories against all comers, most notably other male Bettas seeking territories of their own. Their pugnacious tendencies led to their use in the sport of Betta fighting. Even today in the United States, the colloquial name for the Betta is Siamese Fighting Fish.

The wild Betta differs in many respects from the captive-bred fighting fish. The fighting fish is stockier and has a pug nose. The wild Betta rarely fights usually only to defend territories or mating partners. Such ritual fights, limited to threatening displays of flared gills and spread fins, are mostly for show and confrontations rarely end in death. One male gives up and retreats. Better to find another, even a less desirable place to raise a family than to die and raise no offspring at all.

In the home aquarium, a Betta’s aggressive behavior toward other males of the same species will be intensified because of confinement and the lack of escape routes. Only one male Betta should be kept in an aquarium. Female Bettas rarely fight with each other. Once in a while a little fin nipping and other acts of bad temper take place among squabbling females, but usually little or no serious damage ensues. In general, it is not advisable to place a male and a female Betta together in a community aquarium, because it is possible that other innocent tankmates may be injured if the pair decide to bicker or spawn.

None of this should discourage keeping a Betta with other types of community fish. Tankmates for the Betta should be non-aggressive. Rasboras, Danios, small Barbs, and a host of other popular aquarium fish originating in Asian habitats often make the best companions. Beware of Cichlids and large Barbs that can become fin nippers. A fish that decides to take a small taste of a Betta’s beautiful fins may chase it to the point of exhaustion and collapse.