Bettas, also commonly known as Siamese Fighting Fish, come from tropical areas in Asia. They are known to be very hardy fish. It is said that bettas are able to survive in shallow waters, even puddles. As the puddle dries out, the betta jumps out and finds a new home (this is why its important to have a vented cover on your betta tanks).
Because bettas house something known as a “labyrinth” organ, they can actually obtain oxygen directly from the air by swimming to the top of a tank to the surface of the water. Bettas, however, like normal fish, push water past their gills, where a high surface area and amount of capillaries are found for gas exchange. The technique is called countercurrent exchange, where water flows in the opposite direction of blood flow in capillaries to maximize the amount of respiration that takes place.
In the wild, males typically fight until one declares dominance over a territory (but in a small tank, there is no escape and leads to death). In captivity for breeding purposes, usually males cannot be placed in a tank until the female has changed color, indicating she has released a hormone that signals the male she is ready to mate. Males then create a bubble nest to house and protect eggs until they hatch.
