I know their are some keepers of wild betta species on here and I was wondering if you would be willing to share some experience with me. I'm in the final stages of planning my stocking list and had been considering whether or not to do a centerpiece fish. Since my stocking is all nano fish (Boraras, Sundadanio, etc) and from Southeast Asia I was looking for a fish that would also fit that bill. Mainly I've looked at B. coccina, B. uberis, and B. rutilans. I especially like B. rutilans. I'm sure I'm missing other diminutive species but those are the ones I've seen for sale...and that didn't cost triple digits. I've read up on them online, but it's always nice to hear from those that have kept fish that I haven't. Does anyone have experience with small bettas in a community setting?
Wild bettas in a community tank
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I have not even owned a wild betta. For a centerpiece fish I would recommend a dwarf gourami, same type of fish as a betta and still comes from Asia. They even breath air, some are really colorful like flame gouramis, they can also be easily obtained at a local pet shop.
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That whole complex of bettas really needs a pH of 3-5 to thrive and a blackwater type set-up.
I would recommend albimarginata or channoides for community fish as even though they have large mouths none of mine have ever eaten any of my smaller fish and they are very peaceful. My rutilans, coccina, brownorum and tussyae are nasty when the mood gets them and are not averse to tearing some fins and chasing some fish.
I would recommend albimarginata or channoides for community fish as even though they have large mouths none of mine have ever eaten any of my smaller fish and they are very peaceful. My rutilans, coccina, brownorum and tussyae are nasty when the mood gets them and are not averse to tearing some fins and chasing some fish.
kfryman-I haven't kept dwarf gouramis since I was a kid, so we're talking 15 years. Don't know how true it is but I've heard that a lot of them have become pretty sickly since then. That worries me since I'm almost certainly going to have to order online. No LFS which sucks.
LittleBettaFish- This is a planted tank and not a blackwater one, so then that complex would be completely out. I have seen both of the species you suggested for sale, so I'll have to research them a bit more. If you don't mind what temperature do you keep them at? In the research I've done on wild bettas already I'm noticing a discrepency in temperature range. If it doesn't mesh with the fish I have already planned I will have to drop the idea altogether...at least until my next tank.
LittleBettaFish- This is a planted tank and not a blackwater one, so then that complex would be completely out. I have seen both of the species you suggested for sale, so I'll have to research them a bit more. If you don't mind what temperature do you keep them at? In the research I've done on wild bettas already I'm noticing a discrepency in temperature range. If it doesn't mesh with the fish I have already planned I will have to drop the idea altogether...at least until my next tank.
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I keep my channoides/albis and other wilds at around 72-75 Fahrenheit. Most wilds do prefer it slightly cooler than splendens, but you could probably keep them warmer and it really wouldn't do any harm.
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No problems. Since channoides and albimarginata breed like guppies, it shouldn't be hard to find a pair or trio (you generally want two males to a female as she can breed them to the point of starvation) and aquarium bred fish would probably do better in a community than wild-caught.
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