The Betta originally came from mud puddles in southeast Asia.  It is also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, because males are totally intolerant of each other and will fight violently.  Their distinctive feature is the long broad fins on the males.  Females have very short fins.  Bettas come in a variety colors and are very slow swimmers most of the time.  They have a labyrinth which allows them to breathe air directly.  You will find them continually at the surface of the water.  They are often sold in small bowls or cups, because they don't need oxygen from the water like most other fish.  They will eat flake foods, but they will benefit from betta pellets.  Although Bettas are often kept at room temperature in small bowls, they will do better in a heated aquarium.  Frequent water changes are necessary if they are kept in a small container.

Bettas are egg laying bubblenest breeders.  The male blows bubbles which stick together and accumulate at the surface.  A female can then be introduced.  The male aggressively courts the female and spawns by wrapping and intertwining with her.  The female releases eggs which are fertilized by the male and float up into the bubblenest.  The male cares for the eggs during the two days it takes them to hatch.  He will take them into his mouth to clean them.  After a couple of days the bubblenest dissolves as the fry emerge.  Breeding Bettas is not difficult but ensuring the fry survive is more challenging.  For detailed information on breeding Bettas, visit Aquarticles.

The Thai Way (information submitted by www.landofsmile.info/bettas.html)

In Thailand most breeders use some kind of plastic or pottery bowls. The small bowls or the tanks do not even have to be very clean. They use anything that they can fill water into. And the warm climate and all the live food like: mosquito larvae and insects makes it to the ideal place to raise bettas (this goes for many other countries in the region). 

When the Thai breeders going to breed they go for health and vitality. The first they look for is if any male has started to build an bubblenest in the jar, and if their is any bubblenest, they go after an female how has bright colors. Then they start to feed the pair for 1-2 weeks with rich, high quality foods, so that they are in their best health when the breeding starts. The male can be in the breeding tank up to 5-6 days without food. 

The fry usually gets egg yolk as their first food, the breeders feed the fry with the yolk up to 7 days, twice a day. The fry grow very fast on the egg yolk when it is rich on protein, and even the smallest fry can get the yolk in their mouth. They feed the fry with baby brine shrimps and infusoria. 

After 1 week, some breeders move the fry to outdoor ponds such as concrete tanks. Some breeders stop to feeding the fry and leave them to find their own food such us mosquito larvae.  The weakest soon die.

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