# Siamese Fighter Fish



## Deadeye (Mar 31, 2007)

I have been asked by a friend of a friend, if I would like his fighter fish as he is moving to another country and knows I liek all sorts of unusal pets. I used to have one of these as a kid, but it has been a long time since. I have forgotten everything about them . 

He has it in basicaly a bowl and the water looks dirty and is full of green wavy algae stuff (don't know how else to explain it) I have an issue with things looking dirty or untidy (in pet vivs) so I would like him to have a filter and clean water. Do you think that this would affect him in anyway, if i was to keep the water clean ? 

Thanks 
Joe


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## njp (Mar 4, 2007)

No a filter won't hurt him, Lots of people keep them in little bowls with no filter ect and it is wrong IMO.

Make sure you only keep one male otherwise they will fight.

Nick


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## serpentkid100 (Mar 7, 2006)

i disagree a bowl is often betta...lol get it...lol...if it is cleaned every week then there wont be anyprobs with it.: victory:


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## njp (Mar 4, 2007)

why is a bowl better?

I have kept and bred SFF in large clean tanks.

Nick


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## Jade01 (Feb 21, 2007)

well from when me and my dad used 2 breed them we all ways had them in proper tanks with filters and kept the water at about 25degrees (ill have 2 check the temp with my dad tho coz he'll know for sure) but yeah i have heard that people keep them in 'goldfish bowls' i personally wouldnt but i spose its your own personal choice?


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

There's not really a whole lot of choice. fish need filters. cleaning it everyweek is not really enough. it's like you being locked in a room and letting your crap build up for a week and then being cleaned out. Thats gonna eventually cause you health problems like it will for a fish.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Fighters tned to stay around the top of the tank in the areas where there is less water movement, they dont like the moving water.
In a comunial aquarium theres little choice but to have the tank filtered, but if it is just the one fish.. then a bowl with just a bubble blower to oxygenate the water would be best wouldnt it?


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

> There's not really a whole lot of choice. fish need filters. cleaning it everyweek is not really enough.


Betta sp. do not need filtration. infact, it can effect their morale and well-being.
Healthy males will blow bubble nests all the time to 'boost themselves up', especialy when conditioning to breed and they see a female in the next tank.
The bubbles/current from filters will disable the fish to build a nest, andthis will damage their well being, its quite sad to see actually, as they still try to build nests.
In the wild, they live in ride paddies (puddles!), where the water is non-moving, and the only movement would come from rain and wind..they are physically built for still waters. If these fish were put into a fast-moving current, suitable for fish such as tiger barbs, rainbow fish and other current-dweling species, when breeding takes place the male will not be able to pick up all the eggs that drop to the floor..this is why it dosnt happen in the wild.
Betta are very individual fish, very interesting to keep. im not a fan of jars personally, bt a 5 gallon tank or a small faunarium type thing would be ideal.
Also, deep tanks aren't really too important as this species is a surface dweller, as, unlike non-labyrinth fish, they take their oxygen from the air. This is why with every-other-day 10% water changes these fish will _thrive_ in an unfiltered, small enclosure on their own.
Sheesh, that was long!
They are very interesting to keep, and love to be fed on all sorts of live food, bloodworms, fry, tadpoles, they will of course it dried foods, but to get the lovely colours live foods every week will help them come through.
Good luck with your male!
James


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

yes i agree no strong currents. But all the fighters ive ever had have lived longer in a filtered tank. I used to have unfiltered fighter tanks and they were fine but the ones ive had in filtered tanks have all outlived the others. Not trying to start an argument but I can't see why any fish would benefit from unfiltered water. You can filter water with very little water movement which will not bother the fighter at all


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## mark97r1 (Feb 9, 2007)

I have had many betta's in community type set ups. There care is no different to the norm for trop's. I also think the little bowls are wrong. Just because they have the ability to survive in one doesnt make it right to put them in it. They are an animal not a decoration.
A filter and a small tank is the way to go. A few tank mates wouldnt go a miss either. Just as long as you dont add another male fighter.
If space is an issue a nice 'biorb' set up would work well..

Good luck with him whatever you do, they are stunning fish
Mark


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## mints (Feb 19, 2007)

bettas and fighters do not need any filteration, as they breath air and come up out of water to breath.
a bowl with water that is slightly warm is fine for these fish, as long as the water is kept clean and frsh they will be fine.
alot of aquatic shops will keep them in little cups if they dont have space.


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## njp (Mar 4, 2007)

Just because they can breath air dosen't mean they don't need filters.

They should be kept the same as any other fish.

Nick


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## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Can I just bust in here...
What could I house a fighter fish with? I mean, do they attack other fish or just other fighters? And are they best kept in pairs or something or singly? Every time I go to my local pet store they're all kept away from each other... :grin1:


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## njp (Mar 4, 2007)

Fish shops usually keep them in little boxes in larger tanks.

You can keep them with most community fish (Tetra's ect)

You can keep them with female fighters just not other males.

Nick


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## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Thanks Nick! You're a star! :no1:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

some fighters are fine with nearly everything in the tank but you getsome that will not tolerate anything else near them. Fish with large fins, bright colours or similar behaviour to the fighter are not usually suitable. Things like guppies are a no, as well as some gourami. But with some fighters it is just hit and miss what they will live with.


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## markandwend (Jan 28, 2007)

Hi, we keep our fighter in a foot and a half tank with no filter and he seems happy and healthy enough, here he is below.


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## Jinx (May 31, 2005)

Ive got a fighter fish, he's fed on tropical fish flakes brine shrimp and blood worm. I have him in a community tank with a filter, but the filter is very quiet, does not produce bubbles and only a very soft current comes from it.
here he is. (the weather loach is only in there til he gets bigger then he's going in with my fancy goldfish btw).


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Soo from reading the reply to pin cushion's question, I would be okay to add a female betta into the community tank I have my male housed in??

I have a red male who is a gem and my favourite fish out of all my gang - he doesn't attack any of the others even the ones with fancy fins and stuff 

I would love to have him a little friend of his own kind though if it is okay to do


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## markandwend (Jan 28, 2007)

im sure i read some where that if you are going to put a female in to that there should be a few females and not just one? i may be wrong cos i cant find where i read it.
cheers,
Mark.


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## DeanMK (May 15, 2007)

Mez said:


> Betta sp. do not need filtration. infact, it can effect their morale and well-being.
> Healthy males will blow bubble nests all the time to 'boost themselves up', especialy when conditioning to breed and they see a female in the next tank.
> The bubbles/current from filters will disable the fish to build a nest, andthis will damage their well being, its quite sad to see actually, as they still try to build nests.
> In the wild, they live in ride paddies (puddles!), where the water is non-moving, and the only movement would come from rain and wind..they are physically built for still waters. If these fish were put into a fast-moving current, suitable for fish such as tiger barbs, rainbow fish and other current-dweling species, when breeding takes place the male will not be able to pick up all the eggs that drop to the floor..this is why it dosnt happen in the wild.
> ...


 
its total different in captiveity, in the wild the water gets filtered through the ground, ie removing toxic ammonia produced by the fish, in a tank the only thing that can recreate this is a filter thats why you should use one, yeah its only gota be a small filter but as long as uve got one.


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## mutt (Jul 5, 2005)

i keep mine in a foot and half high tank and he goes where he likes, loves the other fish that ive got in there and is really chilled out, stupid question time............how do you know if you have a male or a female though?????????????????


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## Jinx (May 31, 2005)

mutt said:


> i keep mine in a foot and half high tank and he goes where he likes, loves the other fish that ive got in there and is really chilled out, stupid question time............how do you know if you have a male or a female though?????????????????


 
Males have big colourful fins and females are alot duller and have smaller fins.

males
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn...aquaria.com/images/products/large/p_89761.jpg
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn....com/betta-fish/images/Betta_splendens081.jpg


females
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn...shlore.com/Pictures/Profiles/female_betta.jpg
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:rPJ6gdWhGGsYuM:http://www.bollmoraakvarieklubb.org/images/m_fisk/betta%2520splendens%2520female.JPG


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## mutt (Jul 5, 2005)

thanks jinx:no1:, a picture says a thousand words, guess ive got myself a male then................: victory:


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## Jinx (May 31, 2005)

mutt said:


> thanks jinx:no1:, a picture says a thousand words, guess ive got myself a male then................: victory:


 
I always try to help people out with pics, it makes life so much easier! i gotz a male too, dont know weather to add two dwarf gouramis to my tank or two female bettas now.lol (think i'll get gouramis as i have a spare tropical tank i may house my betta in). lol

here's mine! he's called Sharky...o.0 (but not from sharky and george :roll


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Jinx said:


> Ive got a fighter fish, he's fed on tropical fish flakes brine shrimp and blood worm. I have him in a community tank with a filter, but the filter is very quiet, does not produce bubbles and only a very soft current comes from it.
> here he is. (the weather loach is only in there til he gets bigger then he's going in with my fancy goldfish btw).


I used to have one of those weather loaches too, they can go in tropical and coldwater cant they? why are you moving him when he is bigger? is it cos they do better in cold or are they meanies\? 

I used to have one fighter in each tank, various colours, each with a coupel of females.. i didnt have a fighte rin my cichlid tank though as it wouldnt last 5 minutes with them.


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## Jinx (May 31, 2005)

DeanThorpe said:


> I used to have one of those weather loaches too, they can go in tropical and coldwater cant they? why are you moving him when he is bigger? is it cos they do better in cold or are they meanies\?
> 
> I used to have one fighter in each tank, various colours, each with a coupel of females.. i didnt have a fighte rin my cichlid tank though as it wouldnt last 5 minutes with them.


 
Im moving him because weather loaches can get BIG, so he'll need a bigger tank. They are cold water fish, but they can withstand temps up to 28c and be quite happy.
Because of his size he is in with my smaller fish, i will get him a friend perhaps and put him in with my big fancy fish sooner rather than later maybe.

Weather loaches have been known to get to 18" sometimes even 20".
But most stay between 8-15" depending. So he'll need to be moved. 
Also i dont want him eating my tropical fish when he's bigger too. lol


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## jon2thefish (May 5, 2007)

the ole siamese fighter and filter discussion, the arguments ive read in other forums, wicked lol. Have to agree with dean with regards to the wild situation and the man made tank one. Breeders and some keepers often do partial water changes everyday to keep the waste products down, but like a few ppl have said get a gentle filter and this will continually break down any wee wee he gives off.

Remember the male fighter is going to look upon a female in his tank/territory as a woman strong like bull and wanting to breed with him, where as the female might be thinking , look-sweat heart ive got a head ache and im doing my hair, not always the case mind you, do like someone else said, best have @ least 2 better 3 females to draw his attention amongst a few and provide some floating plants so theyre not always in his view of sight.


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