Betta Fish: Behind the Name

Betta fish come in many different species, sizes, colors and also names! They can be known for their species type, and they are also well known as Siamese fighting fish. They can make beautiful and interesting pets for an aquarium, and you can also make a living from breeding betta fish if you know what you are doing and have had lots of experience with this species. Betta fish are generally quite easy to look after as long as you know what type of habitat that they require as well as the food that they need to survive and thrive. It is also important to note that you should never keep betta fish together because they are not called fighting fish for no reason!

So what is the mystery behind the name of the betta fish? There is often some confusion with the terminology regarding this species of fish. They are more often than not referred to as Siamese fighting fish but the B Splendens are often sold simply as bettas in the United States. Most people are actually un- aware that as of 2006, there are more than 65 classified species within the genus of the betta!

Another thing which often confuses people when it comes to the name of these beautiful fish is that while the name betta is capitalized and italicized, when it is used as a common name it is rarely capitalized. For an example, the Betta pugnax is Penang betta. Confusion with the name of the betta in the U.S is that the B Splendens are called Siamese fighting fish which can lead to inexperienced people thinking that they might not be betta fish at all! It is all very confusing and hard to get your head around, but these fish, regardless of what they are called really are spectacular. So don’t let the confusion around the name put you off.

The name Betta is the same as the English word bet and is more often that not confused with the name of the Greek letter: beta and in American English the name is sometimes misspelled with only one t instead of two. The name of the species is not at all related to the Greek letter; in fact ‘betta’ is actually derived from ‘ikan bettah’ which is a local language in Thailand.

You can find out more about the secret behind the name of the betta by logging onto your favorite betta website to find out more about these beautiful and mysterious fish.

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Caring For Betta Fish