Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain
Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Voga bam here with their striking, bold colors
Speaker 1: and flashy fins. Beta fish are one of the more
Speaker 1: popular types of fish sold for home aquariums, perhaps because, unfortunately,
Speaker 1: there are a number of misconceptions about these creatures. The
Speaker 1: truth is that they're not as hardy and easy to
Speaker 1: care for as many believe. Beta fish, sometimes called fighting fish,
Speaker 1: are tropical fish native to Southeast Asia. Wild beta's typically
Speaker 1: live in rice patties and other shallow, stagnant bodies of water.
Speaker 1: Because these wetlands routinely shrink during the dry season, betas
Speaker 1: hop from puddled puddle trying to find a reasonably deep
Speaker 1: pool where they can hang out until the rains return.
Speaker 1: Due to these conditions, betas developed what's known as a
Speaker 1: labyrinth organ that gives them the ability to obtain some
Speaker 1: oxygen from the air as well as the water. The
Speaker 1: suborder that includes bay is are sometimes called labyrinth fish
Speaker 1: or garami. Beta's got the nickname fighting fish due to
Speaker 1: their territorial nature. During the eighteen hundreds, perhaps especially in
Speaker 1: what's now Thailand. The fish were bred for this purpose
Speaker 1: and fights were forced for entertainment. Beta's were first introduced
Speaker 1: to the United States in the early twentieth century. Wild
Speaker 1: betas generally have small fins and are dull, green or
Speaker 1: brown in color, but today's pet betas have been bred
Speaker 1: to be quite colorful with elaborate fins. With proper care,
Speaker 1: a pet beta can live for two to four years,
Speaker 1: but before you buy one, make sure you're aware of
Speaker 1: these five common fish tails about the beautiful beta fish.
Speaker 1: Perhaps the most widespread myth about beta's is that they
Speaker 1: can live in small bowls. The opposite is true. Beta
Speaker 1: fish need a tank that's at least five gallons about
Speaker 1: twenty leaders and ten gallons or about forty leaders is better.
Speaker 1: The origin behind this persistent myth is uncertain, but it
Speaker 1: may come from the fact that betas are often sold
Speaker 1: in small containers and because they have some ability to
Speaker 1: breathe out of the water. But betas can be stressed
Speaker 1: if they're housed in close quarters, especially if they share
Speaker 1: space with fish perceived as rivals. Small tanks mean there's
Speaker 1: nowhere to hide. Even when housed alone or with fish
Speaker 1: that they get along with, they still need hideouts to
Speaker 1: escape to. But while the tank should be spacious, it
Speaker 1: shouldn't be too deep, as beta's are more comfortable swimming
Speaker 1: back and forth, not up and down. We spoke via
Speaker 1: email with Matt Layton, a long time beta fish owner
Speaker 1: and editor of Vivo Fish, who explained that betas should
Speaker 1: be kept in tanks no deeper than twelve inches or
Speaker 1: thirty centimeters, noting that their fins aren't that powerful. He said,
Speaker 1: if it's too deep, the beta may not be able
Speaker 1: to get up to the surfaces easily. It's heartbreaking to
Speaker 1: see a beta struggling to climb and then be pulled
Speaker 1: down to the bottom by his tail. Another myth is
Speaker 1: that beta aquariums don't need a water heater or filter,
Speaker 1: but betas are tropical fish that need to be kept
Speaker 1: in water ranging from seventy six to eighty one degrees
Speaker 1: fair height that's twenty four to twenty seven celsius. Unless
Speaker 1: your home never veers hotter or colder, you'll need that heater.
Speaker 1: A water filter is important too, even though wild betas
Speaker 1: live in murky puddles. Without a filter, the fishes excrement
Speaker 1: and uneaten food can make the water toxic, though be
Speaker 1: sure to purchase a filter with a gentle flow as
Speaker 1: beta's delicate fins do better in calm water, in addition
Speaker 1: that their fins could be damaged by the section in
Speaker 1: higher flow filters. Meanwhile, it's actually true that betas don't
Speaker 1: mind being alone and that they tend to have issues
Speaker 1: with other fish. If male betas are placed together or
Speaker 1: placed with other fish that have bright colors and large fins,
Speaker 1: their natural territorialism often prompts them to fight. However, they
Speaker 1: can definitely live with other aquatic creatures, such as ghost shrimp, snails,
Speaker 1: and African dwarf frogs. They can also live with other
Speaker 1: species of fish, but they do best with bottom dwellers
Speaker 1: with small fins, as they're less likely to fight over territory.
Speaker 1: Like the coolie loach. Female betas can often live harmoniously
Speaker 1: together given adequate space, which means at least five gallons
Speaker 1: or twenty liters per fish, but always introduce the new
Speaker 1: fish slowly and monitor them. Guides online can help you
Speaker 1: acclimate your existing fish to the idea of a new
Speaker 1: tank mate. Tricks like rearranging hiding spots and feeding your
Speaker 1: current fish before adding a new one can help, but
Speaker 1: you should always watch them carefully for a few days
Speaker 1: and be prepared to move an aggressor to another tank
Speaker 1: or another home. Another misconception is that betas can live
Speaker 1: off of plant roots alone. While beta fish are often
Speaker 1: sold in small vases with a plant, Betas are carnivores,
Speaker 1: not herbivores. In the wild, they chow down on insects
Speaker 1: and larva, so feed your pets fish pellets or flakes
Speaker 1: specially crafted for beta's. You can supplement with high protein
Speaker 1: treats such as blood worms and brine shrimp, but remember
Speaker 1: that fish can become overweight just like any pet, so
Speaker 1: feed in moderation, ideally only as much food as the
Speaker 1: fish can eat within three to five minutes. Finally, don't
Speaker 1: ex spect to beta to be a lay about. Many
Speaker 1: people observed betas and pet stores, where they're often kept
Speaker 1: in small containers that hinder their activity, and many owners
Speaker 1: erroneously keep their beta fish in unheated water, which makes
Speaker 1: them lethargic. But Layton says that beta fish are playful
Speaker 1: in the proper setting. He said, I've seen them push
Speaker 1: moss balls around, dance around their tank, display their tails,
Speaker 1: and generally be quite active. Beta's are inquisitive and will
Speaker 1: interact with plants toys and structures floating or sinking. Just
Speaker 1: make sure they're fish safe and don't have any sharp
Speaker 1: edges that could hurt those beautiful fans. Today's episode was
Speaker 1: written by Melanie Red Zekie McManus and produced by Tyler Clang.
Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other fishy topics,
Speaker 1: visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio,
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