Everyone is thrilled to see two small fish in size of the middle finger bristle their fins and lash out at each other like plucky seasoned prize fighters. They belong to the tough and pugnacious species of fish in the world: Thai fighting fish.
Like cock fighting, fish fighting is a native sport of Thailand. At present there are still fish-fighting areas to be found in the countryside and on Bangkok's outskirts as no fish-fighting is permitted within the city limits.
When fighting is agreed upon, the fish are scooped our of their bottles and carefully put into a large tall jar. Coming face to face, the opponents are transformed into wonderfully beautiful creatures, their colour deepening their gills quivering and widening, their fins and tails spreading out and assuming a warm glow. Every part of the body becomes vibrant. They lose no time in getting at each other, biting fiercely and cruelly. With mouths locked for minutes or sometimes even hours, they fit up and down the water in the bottle manoeuvring for positions. Parts of gills, fins, tailsmortal combat, the enthusiasts would bet basing their culculations on the amount and severity of the injury inflicted and received by both sides.
Thai fighting fish have attractive colours. They also have some characteristics peculiar to them and the knowledgeable breeders will keep only those with these good points hightly developed. They are well taken care of. The fighting fish which are round in its natural habital today but is bred for sale. The lukmoh is a tough customer that does not know the meaning of defeat. The pah fighting fish which abounds everywhere even in the canals has a longer body and has no stamina for a prolonged battle. In general, the Thai fighting fish is no more than 5 centimetres long and one centimetre wide. When caught, it should be put into a bottle of pond water. Only the male fights. It is distinguished from the female by its more brilliant colours, longer tails and larger fins. Strange to say, the female after laying eggs, will try to eat them and is only prevented by the male from doing so. The female must therefore be isolated while the male is left to take care of the spawn. The fry feed on tiny red plankton and later on mosquito larvae. They are ready to fight after six or seven months.
Source : Tourism Authority of Thailand. A Traveller's
Guide to Thailand. Bangkok.
Bettas(Siamese Fighting Fish )
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The now common fish,
Betta Splendens,
originated in the murky
waters of Asiatic lands.
They are a member of a
group of fish that has
the ability to breath
from the surface. They
have this ability due to
an organ called a
labyrinth. There are a
few other fish that carry
this trait, but not many.
Some Gourami's have
labyrinth's. In their
original form, the fish
commonly known as a
Betta was a fish with
ugly color. Many years
of breeding in captivity
have developed the
fantastic colors seen in
today's Betta
Splendens. Also known
as Siamese Fighting
Fish, male and
sometimes female
Bettas are often
aggressive and usually
the males are kept
alone. Sometimes
people will hold Betta
fights, to see which is
strongest. The male will
often fight to death as
said in one book. Bettas
are fairly easy to breed,
the main drawback
being the tremendous
amount of small jars
needed to house the
over 100 fry that may
survive. Bettas
would also be common
for use in science
experiments, but
because their prices
typically run higher
than that of other fish,
they are not as often
used for this purpose.
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