Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #130
Brought to you by a marine biologist with a pretty boy...
CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!
I seriously did forget to do this one. Like, I really wanted to do it months ago and then for some reason couldn’t keep track about whether or not I’d done it already. Still feel like I did, but my masterpost says otherwise. Anyway, here’s the Betta!
If you’re Southern Hemisphere, I’m going to assume this is still available for you in the river. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we will see this beauty again in May. They are uncommon fish out during the day, from 9AM to 4PM...so, ya know, when you’re at work or school.
Anyway, the Betta is a really popular aquarium fish, and we’re going to get to that in a bit. “Betta” actually refers to a whole genus of fish of which there are 73 species. The Bettas are part of a the Order Anabantiformes. I hope that sounds familiar, because we covered this group when we talked about the Betta’s closest relative in the game, the Snakehead. But Bettas are in a special SubOrder called Anabantoidei, which are the official “labyrinth fish”. They are so named because they have what’s called a labyrinth organ that acts like a lung, allowing these fish to survive low-oxygen conditions in their habitat by gulping air at the surface. This is also why the popular aquarium betta is known for tolerating still-water aquaria, like vases and jars (but please don’t do this to your fish! Please please please get a nice aquarium, a filter, a heater, and some plants for your animal, I beg). The species here in particular is a breed of Betta splendens, also known around the world as the Siamese Fighting Fish.
^This is generally what they look like in the wild. Males still have longer, prettier fins, but they’re not crazy like you will see in the pet store. In the wild, this fish is found throughout the Mekong River basin, primarily in Thailand and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. They prefer shallow water with lots of plant cover. As little carnivores, they go after tiny zooplankton and insect larvae.
However, this is clearly not the fish represented in ACNH. Instead, I’m fairly certain, although it’s hard to tell the shape of the fins exactly, that this is a specific breed of Betta called a Rosetail, for which many colors and patterns are available to the hobbyist. Just like dogs, cats, koi, and goldfish, people have created a plethora of different fin type, color, and pattern combinations through selective breeding. Only males tend to show off the long fins and beautiful colors, but some breeders claim to be able to breed females like this as well.
And yes, you have heard the rumors - these fish really do fight. Males, and to a lesser extent, females, are highly aggressive and territorial. They will nip at each other’s fins and try to intimidate their opponent by flaring their gill covers, called operculum. However, these fish rarely fight to the death or intent to. However, injuries sustained from a fight do have the potential to become infected. Despite the bad rap, they can be housed with other species of fish, although choice of tankmates needs research, as some species will nip at the Betta’s beautiful fins, while others may become bullied by the Betta themselves. All in all, it is wise to just house this fish alone in its own aquarium set-up (again, complete with filter, heater, and plants) if you are hoping to have your little friend for a long time.
And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no?
