Toys

Betta fish in a jar

The betta, also called the Siamese fighting fish, is a tiny fish that nearly everyone kept at least once. Some kids caught one in a pond or a ditch, some bought one at a shop, then dropped it into an old glass jar with a bit of pondweed and set it on the windowsill.

Every morning the first job was to run over and check it was still alive, then tip in a few mosquito larvae or a pinch of fish food. When the fish saw its own reflection in the glass it flared its fins and flushed brilliant colours as if meeting a rival. That tiny creature taught children their first lesson in looking after a small living thing.

Do you remember? What was your first betta called, and how long did it live?

💬 Everyone's memories

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