Meet the newest staff member at Primavera English! This beautiful blue beta fish now lives in one of our classrooms, where he delights students of all ages. He spends his time blowing bubbles on the surface and exploring the plants around his coconut shell house at the bottom of the tank. The younger students are enthralled to watch him eat the fish food they give him, and he never misses the chance to show off his lovely colors.
Betas are intelligent fish. They can learn simple tricks, like how to swim through hoops and jump out of the water to get their food. If their tank doesn’t have interesting ornaments, the fish may get bored and become sick and inactive. Their flowing fins and tails make them look placid and docile, but don’t be fooled: these little fish love to fight! Betas will eat smaller fish and fight with larger ones. Although our beta lives alone in his tank, he puffs up his gills to look fierce whenever he feels threatened. Sometimes I put a mirror beside his tank and, when he sees his reflection, he prepares for battle! He is pretty bold for such a tiny creature.
All pets should have a suitable name, so we are looking for suggestions! If you have a good idea of an English word or name that would fit our beta, please share it with us here or on Instagram. The person who suggests the chosen name will get a tray of brownies! So don’t miss this chance. We will decide on the best name sometime next week.
Update, September 13: This competition is now closed. The final name we have picked for the beta is "Leafer," and the lucky winner is a six-year-old student. Hope he enjoys the brownies!