On the topic of betta fish:
Hi, I live in Thailand (once called “Siam”). It seems like there is a big, popular understanding about where you’ll find wild “Siamese fighting fish” aka “betta fish” in Thailand. Apparently, the common North American (and European?) idea is that you’ll find beta fish in places like this:
I can understand this misconception, especially if you’ve never experienced what our monsoon seasons are like, nor have ever seen a rice field before… among many other things. The fact is, you’ll never see betta fish in such tiny bodies of water. I have seen tadpoles in small puddles like these… and, in shallow gutters/”khlongs”, I have even found little guppies and fresh water crabs. But try as I might (and I have really tried), I have not once found a single betta fish in these kinds of environments. Betta fish naturally occur in these kinds of environments:
Yes, the water can be shallow (knee-deep), but the territory is often wide, vast, and dense with soft, vertical growing foliage. The water is not stagnant like in a puddle, nor is it barren with wide open space. In this environment, a wild betta fish has many hiding opportunities. I can only assume that betta fish do not naturally occur in small puddles (be it in the jungle or otherwise), or within Khlongs/gutters–because it is not an optimal environment for them and they cannot survive it. Please note that I do not, nor have ever raised betta fish. I have only looked to admire them in the wild and these are my observations. As someone who raises a variety of wild/’exotic’ animals, I have found it critical to the animals health and behavior–to recreate their natural environment as closely as possible, while omitting natural dangers from the set-up. Doing so will allow your animal to exhibit its full range of natural behaviors, and exist optimally. For you, this means being able to watch your animal preform behaviors and show off colors you might never have had the chance to see, otherwise. I my opinion, this is much more rewarding than spending time, energy, and emotions into trying to defend a tiny, barren, and stagnant fishbowl set up.
