Known as ‘biting fish’ in their native country of Thailand, the Siamese Fighting Fish, was given its name due to the aggressive nature of their males and the barbaric gambling practice of pitting these beautiful fishes against each other. Until WWT and the corresponding decline in the viability of keeping fish as pets, it was previously the most popular species of insectivorous freshwater aquarium fish.
Siamese Fighting Fish came in many iridescent colours, such as red, orange, white, green, blue, or any ‘marbled’ or ‘tinted’ combination of the above. The male, as the more colourful of the two genders, was more the highly prized, and pet owners often held competitions at which owners would be awarded according to the unique coloration and tail fin shape of their fish. Both male and female Siamese Fighting Fish had the odd characteristic flaring their gill covers for purposes of intimidation or courtship, and such behaviour was also found to be easily elicited by owners with the use of a mirror. The Siamese Fighting Fish was otherwise a solitary and shy fish by nature. A group of Fighting Fish were hence usually kept in separate tanks by their owners except during mating, lest the fish injure themselves with aggressive behaviour.
The Siamese Fighting Fish was known to be an extremely hardy species due to its wild ancestors who had thrived in oxygen-poor environments, and was invariably in high demand by both amateurs and connoisseur pet owners alike for its adaptability and beauty. When exposed to the radioactive dust fallout and the drastic changes in the chemical composition of water during WWT however, the Siamese Fighting Fish was unable to adjust quickly enough, and massive declines in the population resulted. Following the new laws on water usage in the year ----, the Siamese Fighting Fish was no longer stocked in pet stores or bred privately. They are now thought to be extinct, no live specimens having been recorded by Sydney’s since ----.
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