Siamese Fighting Fish

• The male builds a nest of saliva bubbles where he gathers and tends the fertilised eggs until they hatch.
• It eats insects that fall onto the water, and mosquito larvae.
• It has a labyrinth organ that lets it breathe air in low-oxygen water.
• reproducciónMales build bubble nests at the surface to protect the eggs, and can turn extremely aggressive towards one another in a confined space.
• It breathes air with a labyrinth organ, like the gourami, which is why it survives in waters with barely any dissolved oxygen.
• The male builds a nest of bubbles at the surface, bound together with saliva, and there he cares for the eggs and larvae on his own.
• Its fighting name comes from a real use: in Siam they were bred for wagered fights for centuries, and that selection is the origin of today's ornamental varieties.
• Males do not tolerate other males, but the aggressiveness of aquarium varieties has been greatly amplified by centuries of selection: wild fish are considerably less showy and less combative.
• The wild species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, while the aquarium fish is among the best-selling in the world. It is a striking contrast: millions in captivity and a natural population in decline through the loss of wetlands.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - bony skeleton (fish), with a labyrinth organ for breathing atmospheric air

Habitat & environment

Rice paddies, stagnant pools, canals and low-oxygen water of South East Asia (the Mekong basin)

Birth weight

Tiny on hatching, tended in a bubble nest built by the male

Size at birth

Tiny at hatching

Sexual maturity

~3-5 months

Gestation / incubation

24-48 hours of egg development inside the bubble nest

Litter / clutch size

Hundreds of eggs per clutch (100-300 usually given)

Lifespan in captivity

A documented record of up to 3-5 years with good care

Sources consulted: EBSCO Research Starters; Aquacase.org (lifecycle document); Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals; Pets on Mom.com; Nippyfish.net; Perry's Aquatics; FishBase