{"product_id":"mustard-gas-halfmoon-fighting-fish-betta-splendens","title":"Mustard Gas Halfmoon Fighting Fish | Betta splendens","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA striking 'Mustard Gas' Halfmoon betta in the classic dark-body, bright-fin combination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Siamese Fighting Fish is one of the aquarium's true living jewels — every fish is an individual with real personality, flaring colour and finnage no other fish can match. Males must be kept on their own, but given a warm, gently-filtered, lidded tank a betta will dazzle for years. Sold as an individual adult fish, hand-picked from our stock.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eNatural Habitat\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWild \u003cem\u003eBetta splendens\u003c\/em\u003e come from the still, shallow, often oxygen-poor waters of Thailand and the wider Mekong basin — rice paddies, roadside ditches, floodplains and slow marginal pools thick with vegetation. To survive there they evolved a labyrinth organ that lets them gulp air straight from the surface, which is why a betta must always have access to the water's surface and a warm, draught-free room above the tank. Aquarium bettas are many generations captive-bred, but they still expect warm, calm, gently-filtered water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAppearance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Mustard Gas' describes the bi-coloured pattern: a deep blue, green or steel body offset by vivid yellow-to-orange fins, usually with a clean dark edge. The Halfmoon tail is the showpiece — when the male flares, the caudal fin opens to a full 180-degree half-circle, backed by broad dorsal and anal fins. Each fish is unique in exact shade and finnage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTemperament and Compatibility\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the fish the trade nicknames the Siamese Fighting Fish for good reason: two males will fight, sometimes to serious injury, so males are always kept one to a tank. Females are more tolerant and can occasionally be kept in a well-planned 'sorority' in a larger, heavily-planted tank, though this still needs careful watching. Bettas can share a peaceful community with small, non-nippy, non-flashy tankmates, but they should never be housed with fin-nippers or other long-finned fish. Keep the tank lidded — bettas are accomplished jumpers and rely on breathing warm surface air.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFeeding\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBettas are carnivores with a taste for small meaty foods. Feed a good-quality betta pellet as the staple and supplement with frozen or live bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae. Feed small amounts once or twice a day and avoid overfeeding, as uneaten food quickly fouls a small tank.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCare Requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvide a heated (24–28 °C), gently-filtered, lidded tank of at least 5 litres, though 20 litres or more makes for a far healthier, more stable home. Bettas dislike strong currents, so use a gentle filter and soft planting. Keep water clean with regular partial changes; poor water quality and chills are the most common causes of fin problems and lethargy. A pH of 6.5–7.5 and soft to moderately hard water suits them well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eBreeding\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMales are bubble-nest builders: a conditioned male blows a raft of bubbles at the surface, entices the female beneath it in an embrace, then collects the eggs and tends the nest alone. The pair should be separated after spawning, and the male removed once the fry are free-swimming. Breeding is achievable but demands careful conditioning, warm shallow water and plenty of infusoria-grade first foods for the tiny fry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecies Information\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScientific Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cem\u003eBetta splendens\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCommon Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMustard Gas Halfmoon Fighting Fish (Siamese Fighting Fish)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSoutheast Asia (Mekong basin, Thailand); this fish is captive-bred\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAround 6–7 cm including the fins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifespan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3–5 years\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTemperament\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMales solitary and aggressive; females more tolerant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBeginner\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMinimum Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 litres (absolute minimum for a single betta)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRecommended Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 litres or more, heated and lidded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDiet\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCarnivore (insectivore)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWater Temperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24–28 °C\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003epH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5–7.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5–20 dGH (soft to moderately hard)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSalinity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable (freshwater)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuitable For\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBeginners; heated nano and community tanks (males alone)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReef Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePlant Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSuitable Tank Mates\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmall peaceful schooling fish (ember tetras, harlequin rasboras, kuhli loaches), corydoras, snails and shrimp (with some risk). Best judged individually — some bettas simply prefer to live alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAvoid Keeping With\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther male bettas, fin-nippers (tiger barbs, serpae tetras), other long-finned or brightly-coloured fish that trigger aggression, and large or boisterous cichlids.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nick's Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","offers":[{"title":"Small (1-5cm)","offer_id":55351900897571,"sku":null,"price":33.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Medium (5-10cm)","offer_id":55232796000547,"sku":"AA2079","price":38.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au\/products\/mustard-gas-halfmoon-fighting-fish-betta-splendens","provider":"Nicks Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}