Bettas are commonly referred to as Siamese fighting fish, due to the male’s aggressive territorial behaviors. The variety sold in pet stores usually display eye-catching colors and long fins. Bettas are easy to find, cost only a few dollars in most local pet stores, and require very little maintenance, making them useful classroom pets for science investigations.

In this activity, students will research general information about bettas and use that information to determine suitable habitat requirements and maintenance. Students will work collaboratively to perform weekly maintenance duties to keep their betta alive. Students also will observe physical characteristics of their betta and conduct investigations on the behavioral characteristics of their betta.

Grade Level: 6^th – 8^th grade
Subject Matter: Life Sciences
National Standards: NS.5-8.1, NS.5-8.3

 

Justin Muir, founder of City Aquarium in Brooklyn, N.Y., designs custom fish tanks. But think big: these aquariums run his clients (primarily celebrities, professional athletes and Wall Street moguls) anywhere from $50,000 to $400,000. We went on a fish shopping expedition with Muir and visited his warehouse, where he cultivates giant clams and coral, and medicates his fish before they are transplanted to his client's aquariums.

 

Activity Materials

2 or 4 one-gallon plastic aquariums or strong transparent containers, depending on the size of your class
2 or 4 small rocks (about the size of a peach), depending on the number of aquariums
Science notebooks – one for each student
Pen or pencils – one for each student

The following can be purchased from a local pet store:
Betta water conditioner
Aquarium gravel
2 or 4 adult bettas - one for each aquarium. Half of the bettas must be of the opposite gender, so that students can make comparisons.
Betta fish flake food
Freeze-dried bloodworms
Small aquarium plant (such as a banana plant or elodea) for each aquarium
Small aquarium net – one for each aquarium

 

Vocabulary
Betta: a large genus of small, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes in the gourami family (Osphronemidae).
Genus: a set of closely related species.
Species: the classification for a group of organisms that resemble one another and may interbreed.
Acclimate: to become accustomed to a new environment.
Labyrinth: in anatomy, a structure of connected cavities or canals.

 

What to Do:
Prep: Begin to set up aquariums one day before conducting this lesson; the aquarium water must be conditioned before you can introduce bettas into the tank. To condition the water, fill each aquarium, and then follow instructions on the water conditioner that you purchased. Finally, place a layer of gravel on the bottom of the tank.

Review basic care maintenance of bettas online. Suggested online link: (http://www.aquariumpharm.com/reference-center/setup-your-aquarium/betta/index.aspx)

 

Students also can create their own investigations, make predictions for each investigation, or use their prior research to make connections.

What’s Happening?

There are more than 50 known species of bettas, but the most popular variety found in pet stores is the Betta splendens. These fish are native to tropical Southeast Asia in such countries as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. They tend to live in shallow freshwater that can be low in dissolved oxygen, such as ponds, slow-moving streams, and rice paddies. Bettas have adapted to environments with low oxygen levels by developing a special organ called a labyrinth, that allows them to breath air directly from the surface as well as through their gills. They are carnivorous fish, feeding mostly on insects and insect larvae in their natural habitat.

 

Male bettas tend to have broader and more flowing fins, whereas the females have smaller, more box-shaped fins. Male bettas have been observed to be territorial in response to other male bettas. The males are known to fight with each other when they are in close proximity to one another. In their natural habitat, defeated male bettas are able to swim away or hide among plants. Without an escape route, captive male bettas may fight with each other continuously by biting and shredding one another’s fins. Females, on the other hand, are not aggressive, and can be kept together with other females.

 

Although bettas thrive in warm waters, they cannot tolerate being in direct sunlight for long periods of time, and will usually hide under plants to shield themselves from sunlight. The aquarium trade often breeds bettas for specific coloration and fin structure. So bettas come in a variety of colors such as blue, red, purple, yellow, and green with different fin structures that reflect variation within the species.

 

Topics for Classroom Discussion

Extended Activities and Links
Have students create a three-to-five minute video, documenting and narrating one or more of their betta’s behavioral characteristics. Have a Betta Appreciation Day and present all the videos in class.

 

Have students research images of different species of bettas. Compare and contrast color shape and size of various species. Can any of these physical characteristics help them survive in their environment?

 

View images of various betta species:
http://watershed3.tripod.com/types.html

 

Try to train your betta:
http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/handfeeding.htm

 

Conduct further investigations using live bettas:
http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/science-projects-with-betta-fish/b524111d-2c6b-b817-510d-b7229715801c