Fish Fighting: From the King of Siam to America

Fish fighting dates back two hundred years to Siam, and a warrior clan called “Bettah.” The Siamese fighting fish earned this label because of its aggressive behavior, and fish fighting became so common that the King of Siam imposed taxes on it. While not as widespread today, fish fighting is still an acceptable form of the game in some cultures.

Betta fish fights get a bad rap, and in some ways they don’t deserve it. Even going back to their origins in Siam (now Taiwan) and Vietnam, betta fish don’t fight to the death, like they do in a dog fight. Fish fights are judged more on bravery than on bodily injury.

Fish owners don’t want to see death and injury, more domination and surrender. The winner is the fish that continues to attack and harass its opponent even after the weaker fish has turned around. Fish fights last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, and their owners eliminate the fish.

Most of the fish fought only a couple of times, and if they won both fights, they were raised and lived like a stallion today, keeping in the best environment. Fish fighting was only found in Siam and some parts of Vietnam, and when the King of Siam gave Teddy Cantor a pair of breeding betta fish in 1840, he didn’t realize that he was introducing this beautiful little fighter to the world. .

Mr. Cantor raised and studied his fighting fish for years and eventually wrote a scientific paper on them, giving them the scientific name Macropodus Pugnax. After realizing that name was already in use, he renamed them Betta Splendens, or splendid betta.

In 1896 several breeding pairs were sent to Germany, where they began their move to Europe, and in 1910 a pair was sent to an American businessman, where they exploded, and have since become one of the most popular pet fish, and They are still only fought in Taiwan and Vietnam, where you can bet on betta fish fights in the street markets.

When Frank Locke received one of these first pairs, he noticed a bright red coloration on its fins and thought he had discovered a new species. What happened was due to years of reproduction, resulting in a new color scheme. Now, due to two hundred years of breeding, bettas can be found in almost any color scheme imaginable and can even be seen in banks, retail stores, and other public places.