These Web Pages are about the strains of Betta Splendens bred for the Betta fighting game. Betta fighting has been a pastime among the people of South East Asia for hundreds of years and it remains a game that is actively participated today in many parts of the world. In the Singapore Betta fighting ring, people bring strong fishes for fights and large sum of money to back up their champions.
The fighting strains were originally domesticated and bred in Thailand from wild Betta stocks. The qualities of these domesticated Bettas are that they fight longer and harder. They possess well developed physique, strong mouths with sharp bites, tough scales, extreme gameness and last but not least excellent fighting styles and techniques. These qualities are selected for breeding and so these qualities are being perpetuated over and over again, this becomes the qualities of a typical fighting strain.
Through selective breeding, Bettas that don't fight well are eliminated down the line. The fighting qualities are locked inside their gene and they are born to fight. The fighting strain's hostilities towards other Bettas is solely an action out of habit and that surrounding space restrictions and competitions have little to do with how they react.
In a nutshell, the fighting strains are bred and preserved for one reason and one reason only - to defeat other Betta Spendens in the fighting ring.
The purpose of these web pages is to provide a glimpse into this traditional game with all it's rituals and customs, from the perspective of this region, namely the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam etc.
All information are welcome from the Betta fighting fratenity to share their stories and experiences.