Siamese Veil Tail Fighting Fish

The Siamese fighting fish also known as betta, is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay. The wild ancestors of this fish are native to the rice paddies of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and are called pla-kad (lit. biting fish) in Thai or trey krem in Khmer. These areas are home to acres of rice paddies, ponds, slow moving streams and swamps, all of which are home to Bettas.