Betta Fish: Conservation and Breeding

Most species of betta fish are not endangered, especially the more popular species known as the Siamese fighting fish. The B Splendens are usually bred and sold in captivity quite often which means that they are not considered a threatened species and because they make beautiful and easy to look after pets, there is always a demand for these fish which means that this species will carry on for many years.

But unlike the B Splendens, there are other betta species which are threatened in the wild. The IUCN Red List has classified that several species of the betta have become vulnerable, and as well as this the species, B Livida is known as endangered and B Persephone, B miniopinna and the B Spilotogena are actually known as critically endangered. This is sad, but because of the changes of the living habitats by natural and man made causes, some species of the betta fish are struggling to survive in the wild and most of these species can not be bought as pets.

The United Nations Environment Program has actually listed an unconfirmed species called the Betta cf tomi which was thought to have become extinct between 1970 and 1994 in Singapore. This unconfirmed species probably refers to the extirpated population of B tomi which are still in existence today in the wild in Malaysia and Indonesia and are also kept in captivity. However the Red List does confirm this species as vulnerable.

It is important that we do everything that we can to conserve our natural wildlife and species and this includes the many different types of betta fish which have become endangered and extinct. It is a fact of nature that as humans, we continue to disrupt the natural habitats of many species and so it is important to remember this when you go to purchase your betta fish: take care of it and remember that they are just as important as any other creature on this planet.

You can find out more information about betta fish care and of the conservation of some of the betta species from your local reference library, you can also run a search on one of the popular internet search engines to find out more about this beautiful species of fish and how you can help with the conservation program, as well as how you can make the best home for your own betta fish

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Caring For Betta Fish