scientific identification: Belontiidae Betta splendens
aka: betta, siamese fighting fish
variants: long tail (veil tail), crown tail, split tail, short tail (round tail).

A small species of fish native to Southeast Asia, the plakat is also known as betta or siamese fighting fish. Today, plakats are cultivated in large quantities and come in many colors and fin variations. Adult plakats measure anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in length.

Bettas do not obtain their entire oxygen supply from water, and therefore must rise to the surface for air. This characteristic enables plakats to thrive in bodies of water that are oxygen-deficient and uninhabitable to other types of fish.

In preparation for breeding, the male builds a nest at the water's surface from bubbles. After the eggs have been released and fertilized, the male collects them and places them into the nest and guards them until they hatch.

Plakats were originally bred and kept for fighting. In Thailand, these fish are used for competitive combat, and people usually bet on the outcomes. The basic procedure is as follows: the two opposing fish are placed into individual containers and placed side-by-side. When the two fish make attempts at attacking one-another, they are placed together in a separate container. The fight then begins. The fish concentrate on attacking each other's fins, and the fight is interrupted at regular intervals by the need to surface for air. Plakats usually sustain considerable injuries from fights; however, they usually recover within a couple of weeks if they are properly cared for.

Today however, most plakats are bred for ornamental purposes rather than for competitive fighting. This new trend has resulted is numerous variants of plakats, including the more common long or veil tail plakats, and the newer and less common crown tail and split tail varieties.

	This is a red male broad tail (or large veil tail) plakat. Notice the bubble nest on the surface of the water. This fish has built its bubble nest and is ready for breeding.
	This is a HM metallic copper blue male plakat. Each of the lines along the fins branch off in two's, with all of them ending in four's.
	This is a white HM male plakat. Two rays down the fins.
	This is a transparent yellow veil tail male. Really nice fins and tails, almost see through.
	This is a metallic wild type Hybrid Green plakat.