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My Betta Fish2007-11-24 23:38:12

NEVER, ever, bang on a fish tank. It is rather harmful to the fish because it is very loud and it scares them pretty badly. To prove the point, stick your head underwater and bang two rocks together and see how loud it really is!

Please don't do that again to your fish. If you for some reason need to make a fish move, please remove/open the cover and use your hand or a net to stir them.

Here's a little info on Betta's. They are part of the Anabantid family of fish. Anabantid's not only have gills but they also have what is called a Labrinth Organ. It is similar to a lung in the sense that the fish gulps air at the surface and stores it in the Labrinth organ. It helps them get the proper oxygen they need. So the gills and the Labrinth organ work in unison to provide the oxygen the fish needs.

Other Anabantids are all the Gouramies. e.g. The Kissing, Blue, Gold, gouramies.

All Anabantids tend to spend quite a bit of their time at the top surface of the aquarium. Obviously it's to get to the air to help them breath, but it is also a trait from their original habitat. Additionally, the top is where the most oxygen is in the water. The oxygen in your aquariums water is absorbed at the surface and is not really put in by the bubbles you see in many tanks. Bubbles help a very little bit, but the real key is circulating the water so the water is always moving along the surface of the tank.

Betta's originally come from the rice paddies of Korea and Viet Nam (I think that is correct). When they were first discovered they didn't have any of the fancy fins and colors. They are quite a drab fish in their natural environment. The female betta best resembles the fish that is found in the rice paddies. They were bred and inbred to develop the fins and various colorations.