How does betta fish breathe

Most of the time, weird betta behaviors are totally normal for their species. It turns out that your fish is breathing when it does this. Air breathing is, in fact, a common feature among betta fish species.

A peaceful betta. Image courtesy of Daniella Vereeken. If other fish do not rise to the surface to breathe air, why would bettas adopt this behavior? The answer lies in their native environments. Later on it turns into labyrinth breathing. This is why adult specimens can survive in stagnant, oxygen-poor water. Young fish, on the other hand, need exercise in the water and a lot of oxygen. Quick Navigation.

How can Betta fish breathe oxygen directly? How often does a Betta fish take a breath? How come young Betta fish struggle to breathe oxygen on the surface? If you have a betta yourself, you are probably familiar with your betta fish blowing bubbles or even making a whole bubble nest which can get up to 10 inches in width. They do this using their labyrinth organ, blowing bubbles out of inhaled air, where they derived all the oxygen from.

Betta males will only build a nest in a place they feel safe and mark as their own territory. Males are the ones who build nests for breeding and will care for the fry, but females can also create small bubble nests.

This is usually a sign of your betta female having a lot of hormones in her and is ready for spawning. When a male wants to reproduce, he will try to tempt the female to mate and will flair.

If it comes to mating, the male picks up the eggs and places them carefully in the nest. If a male breeds for the first time, he might have a hard time caring for the eggs and fry and might eat all of them. Betta fish in the wild will carefully choose the place where they build their nest. In faster-flowing water the labyrinth fish will switch over to other ways of reproduction. After the female laid her eggs, the male scares her away and will care for the nest.

He will guard the nest and pick up fallen eggs or fry. Until the fry swims, this nest plays a crucial role in development of the eggs and fry. Although most people know only the bubble nesting species such as Betta splendens and Betta imbellis, there are also a lot of mouthbrooding betta species such as Betta macrostoma.

These species do not use their labyrinth organ to make bubble nests and males carry the eggs and fry in their mouth. Although most people know only the bubble nesting species such as Betta splendens and Betta imbellis, there are also a lot of mouthbrooding betta species.

Betta fish can perfectly live in tanks without an addition of oxygen provided by a filter or air pump. However, betta fish need a minimum of oxygen in the water to feel good and a filter can be a good addition to improve the water quality. A common misconception is that bettas can live in small jars or bowls, with hardly any water and very little air. Betta fish can live in low-oxygen environments, which does not mean they can live in nasty small jars or tubs without any attention.

These environments make them weak and they can easily get diseases, or die of unhappiness. Betta fish need oxygen in the water, and will feel much better in environments where there is enough of it.

Some habitats are even very rich in oxygen created by small streams coming out in the pools. In order to thrive they need a big place to feel good with a minimum of oxygen and at least 4 gallons of water, with some plants the more the better and hiding places.

Adding air by an air pump or something similar is not recommended because it will be a source of stress, and is not really necessary. The best way to create a good environment for your betta, with enough oxygen is to add live plants. These will be the best way to add oxygen, and they add natural cover too.

Keeping any fish in a small volume of water is a serious welfare problem for a number of reasons. In addition, small tanks cannot hold the correct temperature required for tropical fish, and do not provide sufficient space for exercise or behavioural stimulation, both of which are fundamental in providing a healthy, stress-free environment.

All fish, including Siamese fighting fish, require ample space to swim freely and exercise. Can I keep Siamese fighting fish with other fish? How should I keep and care for Siamese fighting fish?