Is this tank good for betta imbellis?

MattW3344 said:

My first tropical fish was a betta which was a female splendens. I liked to give my betta a mixed diet with flake, granules, live food, etc. One thing I do know is that there's more chance of health problems with a betta bred for its colors, looks, etc (mine developed a large tumor/growth on its head) You are less likely to have this problem with an Imbellis. You shouldn't have any problems in keeping this fish. There are members on this forum with a lot more experience and expertise in bettas so hopefully they can input in this thread.

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GaryE said:

I've kept imbellis, but never one alone. It's such a hard fish to find around here that I always tried to breed them.
You may find that even though they are a tiny bit smaller than a splendens, they need more room to swim than the domesticated long fin fish. The reason? They can swim without the human created handicap of long fins.

Tank size for Bettas gets some pretty dogmatic arguments going online. If I were getting one of the wine red bettas - the coccina types, I would consider a five gallon. For imbellis, I would think a 10. They haven't been shaped for captivity by hundreds of years of linebreeding, as splendens has, and they are more rebellious. They can jump out of the tank, for starters. B splendens will too, but much less.

B imbellis is more active, and needs cleaner water. I wouldn't consider them an option for beginners, but it's easy to prove me wrong if you're motivated. People with no experience but with curiosity and a willingness to work at things can keep fish lazy experts can't.

Full disclosure - I don't like fancy Bettas. But when I did, a 5 was perfect for them. A lot of people would disagree, but with clean water and an inactive fish bred for jars, it works. It's no use making a natural set up because their nature is a bare glass jar. Adding leaf litter and such is inviting fungus and parasites, since no fish with fins like that has ever seen a leaf. The long, folded fins trap problems.

An edit - I have bought "imbellis" three times, and been given them once (by someone who collected them in the wild). Two of the three store bought ones were not imbellis, but either hybrids or short-finned splendens. Because imbellis have a reputation as more peaceful, there is a demand, but you have to know your source. A lot of sellers are happy to pass off short finned splendens as their relatives.

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GaryE said:

The problem with Bettas is getting them. I could make a lovely list, but you could them spend your lifetime looking for them in the trade!

There are a lot of wonderful brown fish in nature.

I learned how to keep the tiny Bettas by starting with sparkling gouramis. They were similar, but infinitely tougher. They were my entry drug to wine red Bettas and the fantastic Parosphromenus licorice gouramis (great microfish for a softwater 5 gallon).

The little micro Bettas thrive on live food, which is another issue.

The problem is importers find these fish murder to sell. They can easily be imported, but if you get a couple of hundred fish and sell four, it hurts. There's this weird hobbyist mindset that says if it's small, it should be cheap. But if it's hard to get to, hard to catch and in low demand, it's expensive.

I have no tiny Asian anabantoids now, as I live far from a large centre where rare fish are available. These fish don't ship well. I'm mainly a killiekeeper (many killiekeepers seem to be tiny Betta keepers too), and honestly. I have a stack of 5 gallon tanks under a rack, and only use them for short term breeding of small killies, or hatching fry. 5 gallon tanks need meticulous attention to water quality, especially since I have very soft water.

If I could still get Asian Anabantoids the way I used to (it was easier when the hobby was more into trying new things) I'd have ideal conditions. I'd suggest you look into what attracts you, and what you can get. That last point is important. Then ask about specific species. A long time ago, I co-wrote an out of print intoduction book on gouramis and labyrinth fishes, but that was just before the wave of modified fish hit the hobby and made the wild forms into absolute rarities.

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TwoTankAmin said:

Perhaps the hardest skill to master as a fish keeper is patience. Let the tank be fully cycled whatever time that takes rather than adding fish too soon. Research more that you think necessary before you buy. This often means picking the brains of people who have already done it.

I was never a betta fan, but i just could not resist the imbellis. They were just too pretty to pass up. Because they are able to be kept in groups and that they will spawn in tanks makes them a lot easier to manage than the splendens. Moreover, ibellis are wild fish wjicj means they are more natural. I have a hard time with fancy line bred color morph but do find myself attracted to some long fin and albino fish.

But all the color varieties of discus, bettas, guppies, angels etc. I find hard to appreciated. But that is just me. Not matter what fish call us, the most important issue is."Are they healthy?" Sometimes line breeding can produce unintended results which make the fish less hardy or prone to certain problems.

Licorice gourami need special conditions. If you have not already done so, please have a read here:
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/parosphromenus-deissneri/

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