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Welcome to Beta Fish Online |
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Beta Fishes
Beta Fishes acquired their name from Betta, Bleeker, a genus of freshwater fish in the gourami family (Osphronemidae), found predominantly in Southeast Asia. The type species is the spotted Beta Fishes(B. picta), but the best-known species is the Siamese fighting fish (B. splendens). Many Beta species are well-suited as aquarium specimens. Until recently, The Beta Fishes Were a member of the anabantid (Anabantidae) family, and many older references continue to use that classification. The term "Beta" is used as a common name for species of the genus, but it often refers specifically to B. splendens.
The first syllable of the name is formally pronounced as the word bet, not bait; even though the name has no connection to the Greek letter beta, it is commonly pronounced as the Greek letter, to the consternation of purists. In the Mid 1800's the Siamese people would fight Betas Fishes. Many people would wager on the outcome. Some went so far as to wager their families
Original wild Beta Fishes have a greenish brown color and fins just big enough to keep them swimming.
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Beta fights became so popular that the King of Siam decided to license them for fighting in order to collect the taxes on them.