Wild B. splendens

Just thought I'd show a pic of my wild betta splendens male. I read in a forum recently (from someone who I thought would know better) that wild bettas are dull muddy brown. B) Obviously they haven't seen a wild betta who's happy, unstressed and has female company!

My pair were wild-caught in Thailand. The male is Dii Jay (which means happy or glad in Thai) and the female is Chookh (luck) -- so named because I got them just after Lunar New Year.

They've just gone into the spawning tank, and it's been fascinating to watch the early courtship ritual and compare it to the breeding behaviour in domestic bettas.

He's quite the pretty boy. How's he taken to living with you?

He's beautiful! Can they be happy in captivity if taken straight from the wild as adults? I don't mean that in a rhetorical way, I truly am curious as I don't know.

it's too bad in a way if he was wild caught, in this day and age there is really no reason to plunder the remaining depleted stocks. many breeders will be happy to supply you with farm bred "wildtype" if you so desire. having said that, yes, he is a nice fish, he looks to me like a hybrid though. there are very few "pure" splendens or imbellis left unfortunately due to cross pollution of strains.

He looks hybrid to me too. ) That's why I didn't comment.

From my understanding it will soon be illegal to sell wilds. The IBC is going to put strict guidelines on them and they will only be traded amongst a certain handful of people dedicated to preserving the species.

I guess hybrid strains are always possible with wild splendens: interbreeding with released domestic splendens fighting strains has been happening for many years. However, he doesn't look like a hybrid to me: what features make you suspect this?

I'm aware of the IBC Species Maintenance program. While not an IBC member myself, I am a member of the 2 Australian betta clubs (both IBC-affiliated). I also subscribe to a group here in Australia who keep and breed wild betta species. My wild pair are on several species maintenance databases, and if spawning is successful, I intend to make pairs available to other members.

I understand and share the ethical concerns about wild-caught fish: it's a dilemma for everyone who is seriously interested in fish keeping. Hopefully, by distributing breeding pairs to other wild betta enthusiasts, domestically-bred wild species will become more readily available here.

Regarding how they've settled in captivity, the fish were in very good (although stressed) condition when I received them. It took about 3 weeks for them to become fully acclimated and to show their full colouration. They remain (as you'd expect) shyer and more easily disturbed than domestic bettas, but are now accustomed to my presence, and come to the top of the tank to be fed.

WOW i really like the colours on him!! wish i had colours like that on mine

renaldz